[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":142},["ShallowReactive",2],{"content:trust:pricing-explained:en":3},{"slug":4,"category":5,"locale":6,"title":7,"subtitle":8,"metaDescription":9,"intro":10,"sections":13,"designTips":78,"applications":86,"pricingLeadTime":112,"faq":114,"cta":130,"keywords":131,"image":138},"pricing-explained","trust","en","How Our Pricing Works","The three cost drivers behind every quote, quantity breaks, and how to read the number you receive","How CutLinq pricing works: the three cost drivers behind a laser cutting, CNC machining or fabrication quote, quantity breaks, and lead time trade-offs.",[11,12],"Every quote on CutLinq is built from three cost drivers: material, process time, and finishing. There is no markup formula hidden behind the number -- the price reflects what the supplier's machine time, material and secondary processes actually cost to produce your part, plus platform coordination. This page explains each driver with relative examples so you can see why two similar-looking parts can price differently.","We do not publish fixed price lists because material costs shift and machine time depends on your specific geometry, but understanding the three drivers lets you predict roughly how a design change will move the price before you even submit a file.",[14,46,68,73],{"heading":15,"paragraphs":16,"table":19,"bullets":45},"Driver 1: material",[17,18],"Material cost depends on grade, thickness and the size of stock needed. As a relative guide, stainless 1.4301 (304) costs roughly 120-150% more than mild steel S235JR for the same sheet size, aluminium 6061-T6 sits closer to 60-90% more than mild steel depending on form, and hardened tool steel like 1.2379 (D2) can run 3-4 times the cost of mild steel before any machining. Thicker material and larger blanks cost proportionally more, and unusual sizes not commonly stocked may need 1-2 weeks import time, which affects both price and lead time.","Nesting -- how efficiently your parts fit onto a standard sheet -- also affects material cost. A part that wastes 40% of a sheet through poor nesting costs more per piece than the same part designed to nest tightly with others; ordering multiple part designs together often improves material yield.",{"headers":20,"rows":23},[21,22],"Material","Relative cost vs S235JR mild steel",[24,27,30,33,36,39,42],[25,26],"S235JR mild steel","Baseline",[28,29],"DX51D+Z galvanised","+15-25%",[31,32],"1.4301 (304) stainless","+120-150%",[34,35],"1.4404 (316L) stainless","+160-200%",[37,38],"6061-T6 aluminium","+60-90%",[40,41],"42CrMo4 alloy steel","+60-80%",[43,44],"1.2379 (D2) tool steel","+300-400%",null,{"heading":47,"paragraphs":48,"table":51,"bullets":45},"Driver 2: process time",[49,50],"This covers machine setup, cutting or machining time, and any secondary operations like bending or welding. Laser cutting time scales with material thickness (cutting 20 mm plate is far slower than 2 mm sheet) and with cut path length (a part with dense detail or many small holes takes longer than a simple rectangle of the same outer size). CNC machining time scales with material removed and tolerance required -- holding ±0.02 mm costs meaningfully more machine time than ±0.1 mm because of slower feeds and extra finishing passes.","Setup time is largely fixed per job regardless of quantity, which is why unit price drops as quantity rises: a job with 2 hours of setup and 5 minutes of cutting per part costs far more per piece at a quantity of 1 than at a quantity of 100, where the setup cost is spread across many parts.",{"headers":52,"rows":55},[53,54],"Process factor","Effect on price",[56,59,62,65],[57,58],"Material thickness","Cutting\u002Fmachining time increases with thickness",[60,61],"Cut path complexity","More detail, holes and bends increase time",[63,64],"Tolerance required","Tighter tolerance needs slower feeds, more passes",[66,67],"Number of setups (bending, welding, multi-axis)","Each additional operation adds setup and handling time",{"heading":69,"paragraphs":70,"table":45,"bullets":45},"Driver 3: finishing",[71,72],"Powder coating, galvanising, anodising, plating and polishing are typically priced as a per-batch or per-square-metre charge on top of the fabricated part cost, since finishing runs through a separate process with its own setup (masking, hanging, curing). A small batch of 5 parts sent for powder coating pays a similar fixed setup charge as 50 parts, so finishing cost per piece drops sharply with quantity, similar to machining setup cost.","Special requirements -- a non-standard RAL colour, a tight anodising colour match, or hard chrome plating -- typically add both cost and lead time compared with a standard black powder coat or clear anodise, since they may require a dedicated batch run rather than joining a shared production run.",{"heading":74,"paragraphs":75,"table":45,"bullets":45},"Quantity breaks: a worked example",[76,77],"Consider a laser-cut and bent bracket in 3 mm S235JR requiring 20 minutes of combined setup and 4 minutes of cutting and bending time per part. At a quantity of 1, the full 20-minute setup is charged against that single part, making unit price high. At a quantity of 20, the same 20-minute setup is spread across 20 parts (1 minute per part in setup cost), so unit price drops substantially even though nothing about the part changed.","This is why a quote for 5 pieces can show a unit price 2-3 times higher than the same part at 50 pieces, and why batching several different part numbers into one order, when quantities are naturally lower, still helps by sharing sheet material and reducing total setups where geometry allows nesting.",[79,80,81,82,83,84,85],"Group parts that share material and thickness into one order to improve nesting and reduce material waste, which lowers per-piece cost.","If quantity is uncertain, ask for pricing at two or three quantity tiers (for example 1, 10, 50) to see where the unit price break happens for your part.","Relax tolerance to the widest acceptable value for non-critical features; ±0.1 mm instead of ±0.02 mm on a non-mating dimension can meaningfully reduce machining time.","Choose a standard RAL colour and standard anodising or plating type where the application allows; custom colour matching adds cost and lead time.","Increase corner radii and reduce deep, narrow pockets on machined parts; both reduce machining time without changing part function in most cases.","If ordering a small quantity, ask whether a larger batch at a future date is likely; combining orders captures the setup-cost benefit even across separate purchase decisions.","Send both a DXF\u002FSTEP file and the target quantity together; pricing without a quantity in mind only gives a rough range.",{"headers":87,"rows":91},[88,89,90],"Cost scenario","Example","What drives the price",[92,96,100,104,108],[93,94,95],"Single prototype part","One-off bracket for testing","Setup time dominates; unit cost is high",[97,98,99],"Small batch, mixed materials","5 pieces each of 3 different brackets","Material driver dominates; nesting efficiency matters",[101,102,103],"Production batch, single part","200 identical brackets","Setup cost spread thin; process time and material dominate",[105,106,107],"High-tolerance machined part","Shaft at ±0.02 mm","Process time dominates due to slow feeds and finishing passes",[109,110,111],"Finished and coated part","Powder-coated enclosure","Finishing batch charge is a larger share of total cost at low quantity",[113],"In summary, price is the sum of material cost (grade, thickness, stock size and nesting efficiency), process time (cutting or machining time plus every additional operation like bending or welding), and finishing (a largely fixed per-batch charge that drops sharply per piece as quantity rises). Lead time follows a similar logic: simple laser-cut parts ship in 2-4 working days, parts needing bending or welding in 3-7 working days, and parts needing heat treatment, plating or custom finishing in 7-15 working days, since these add dedicated batch processes with their own scheduling.",[115,118,121,124,127],{"q":116,"a":117},"Why did my quote for 10 pieces cost so much more than double the price for 5?","It should not, and if it does, ask us to re-check; normally the reverse is true -- unit price drops as quantity rises because fixed setup cost is spread across more pieces. A jump upward at higher quantity usually means a nesting or material-stock change, which we can explain on request.",{"q":119,"a":120},"Can you give me a fixed price list for laser cutting per kg?","Not a single number, because cut path complexity, thickness, and finishing vary the actual machine time per kg significantly. We can give you a relative estimate for your specific part once we see the file.",{"q":122,"a":123},"Is the quote binding, or can the price change after I approve it?","Once you accept a quote based on the file you submitted, the price is binding. If you later change the design, material or quantity, we requote against the new file.",{"q":125,"a":126},"Why does a small quantity cost so much more per piece than a large batch?","Setup time -- programming the machine, loading material, first-article check -- is largely fixed per job. At low quantity that fixed cost is spread over fewer parts, so unit price is higher; at high quantity it is spread thin, so unit price drops.",{"q":128,"a":129},"Does CutLinq add a margin on top of the supplier's price?","The quoted price reflects the fabrication cost from the supplier network plus platform coordination for sourcing, quality checks and logistics; we do not publish a separate markup percentage since it varies by job.","Upload a DXF or STEP file with your target quantity and receive a binding quote broken down by these three drivers within 12 hours.",[132,133,134,135,136,137],"how CNC machining pricing works","laser cutting cost factors","metal fabrication quote explained","quantity price break manufacturing","CutLinq pricing","sheet metal cost drivers",{"src":139,"alt":7,"width":140,"height":141},"trust\u002Fpricing-explained.jpg",1400,933,1790793517581]