Base Labor Rate
$125 / $175 / $225
baseRate = emergency ? $225/hr : (serviceType === "on-site" ? $175/hr : $125/hr)
Emergency pricing overrides normal shop/on-site labor rates.
Reference Rates
Easy Pricing Guide
Use this as a quick planning guide. Final pricing depends on scope complexity, material realities, and scheduling requirements.
Transparent Estimating and Service Model
We use one consistent pricing and intake model across the site. The same structure drives service inquiry, pricing guidance, and project estimation.
- • Pricing is formula-based and visible before you commit.
- • Inquiry selections map directly into estimator logic.
- • Service scope is clarified in writing before scheduling.
- • Material policy, trip charges, and labor rates are consistent across all tools.
The home page, price guide, service inquiry, and project estimator all use this same operating model.
Labor Rates
Shop Rate
$125 / hour
Standard in-shop welding and fabrication labor.
On-Site Rate
$175 / hour
Field service labor for scheduled on-site work.
Emergency & After-Hours Rate
$225 / hour
Applies to emergency requests, including in-shop emergencies.
Travel & Trip Charges
Base Trip Charge
$175
Covers dispatch and mobilization within 50-mile radius.
Mileage Beyond 50 Miles
$1.75 / mile
Applied per mile once distance exceeds 50 miles from shop.
The estimator and service inquiry forms support planning for processes, materials, preparations, design, engineering, and prototyping. Use them together for the most accurate first-pass estimate.
Design Services
Design scope can include CAD deliverables or hand-sketched concept direction, based on your project stage.
Design effort is estimated by complexity, revision count, and build-ready detail requirements.
Engineering Services
Engineering support covers existing design review, from-scratch development, and refinement of your current concept into a fabrication-ready solution.
Final engineering pricing is based on required analysis depth, tolerance requirements, and downstream fabrication constraints.
Materials Policy
All materials are charged at cost plus shipping and handling. We do not mark up materials because we make our revenue on service rates.
Customer-supplied materials are accepted. If an error or defect requires rework, replacement materials may be required and the customer assumes risk for waste required in rework and process/service-delivery issues.
Scrap and waste are not returned to customers for safety reasons, since offcuts and failed pieces may have hazardous edges and shapes.
Full Estimator Calculation Model
Every formula below is the same structure used by the project estimator. This is the transparent pricing model.
Fabrication Labor
fabricationSubtotal = fabricationHours × baseRate
Core fabrication labor estimate.
Weld Linear Inches Labor
weldLaborHours = Σ(linearInches ÷ processSpeedInchesPerHour); weldSubtotal = weldLaborHours × baseRate
Each selected weld process converts inches to hours using process speed.
Materials
materialsSubtotal = Σ(quantity × (unitCost + shippingHandling))
Materials are modeled line-by-line with shipping/handling.
Hole Operations
$0.35/hole
holeLaborHours = Σ((quantity × minutesPerHole) ÷ 60); holeLaborSubtotal = holeLaborHours × baseRate; holeConsumables = Σ(quantity × $0.35)
Labor and consumables are calculated separately.
Cutting Operations
$12/unit outsourced admin
cuttingSubtotal = Σ(quantity × (unitCost + handlingCost) + (outsourced ? quantity × $12 : 0))
Outsourced cutting lines include per-unit outsource admin.
Finishing and Post-Processing
finishingSubtotal = Σ(selected items: quantity × unitCost + laborHours × baseRate)
Only selected finishing operations are included.
Travel and Trip Charges
$175 + $1.75/mi
travelSubtotal = serviceType === "on-site" ? ($175 + max(0, travelMiles - 50) × $1.75) : 0
Trip charge applies to on-site work only.
Design
$95 / $140 / emergency rate
designRate = emergency ? $225 : (bringOwnCad ? $95 : $140); designSubtotal = designHours × designRate
Bring Your Own CAD reduces default design rate when not emergency.
Engineering
$160 / emergency rate
engineeringRate = emergency ? $225 : $160; engineeringSubtotal = engineeringHours × engineeringRate
Engineering is itemized separately from fabrication labor.
Prototyping
$150 / emergency rate
prototypingRate = emergency ? $225 : $150; prototypingSubtotal = prototypingHours × prototypingRate
Prototype effort is modeled as separate labor.
Base Subtotal
baseSubtotal = fabrication + weld + materials + holeLabor + holeConsumables + cutting + finishing + travel + design + engineering + prototyping
All direct components are combined before safety factor.
Safety Factor
8% or 12%
safetyFactor = baseSubtotal × (urgency >= 4 ? 0.12 : 0.08)
Higher urgency uses a higher safety factor.
Total Estimate
total = baseSubtotal + safetyFactor
Final first-pass estimate shown in the running breakdown.