How much does it cost · 5-axis machining
In French subcontract machining, a 4- or 5-axis machining centre is charged €90 to €150 per hour excluding VAT, against €65 to €95 for a 3-axis centre (source: Altior, June 2026). The hour costs more, but a part machined on several faces can go from many setups down to one or two (sources: Mastercam, February 2022; POS, August 2025). RFQdecoder counts €78/h on 3-axis and €120/h on 4- or 5-axis, plus setup time per batch: 25 min for the first setup and 40 min for each following one. In the example below, 5-axis is cheaper up to 64 parts per batch and 3-axis from 65 parts.
In France, Altior publishes average hourly rate ranges, excluding VAT, observed in subcontract machining: €90 to €150 per hour for a 4- or 5-axis machining centre, €65 to €95 for a 3-axis centre and €70 to €110 for CAM programming and engineering (source: Altior, June 2026). This shop rate combines machine depreciation, the operator’s loaded wage, direct costs and a share of overheads (source: Altior, June 2026).
In Germany, the machine builder POS considers €110 per hour on 5-axis, instead of €85, realistic (source: POS, August 2025). The same builder cites a Bavarian subcontractor who for years costed his 5-axis mill at €85 per hour, while his real full cost was €112 (source: POS, August 2025).
In the United States, the shop Precision Advanced Manufacturing gives $75 to $300 per hour for 5-axis work in 2026, depending on complexity and certifications, with hourly rates typically 30 to 50% higher than on 3-axis (source: Precision Advanced Manufacturing, March 2026). The shop Parkway-Kew quotes operating-cost benchmarks of $40 to $100 per hour for 3-axis vertical milling and $120 to $300 or more for 5-axis (source: Parkway-Kew, July 2026).
RFQdecoder uses €78/h for a 3-axis centre and €120/h for a 4- or 5-axis centre: both values sit within Altior’s French ranges, the second at the midpoint of the €90 to €150 range (source: Altior, June 2026). Because this shop rate already includes the operator and overheads, the tool adds neither on top.
Each setup (one clamping of the part) costs setup time per batch and handling time per part. On a 5-axis centre, the part is presented at several angles without being unclamped. The CAM publisher Mastercam states that this capability can cut the number of setups to one or two where a dozen were needed before (source: Mastercam, February 2022). The machine builder POS gives the example of a hydraulic block: five setups on 3-axis, two at most in 3+2 (source: POS, August 2025).
POS also works through a hydraulic block that needs four setups of 45 minutes on the 3-axis machine and a single one on the 5-axis machine: that single setup costs €22.21, a saving of €66.65 per part (source: POS, August 2025).
Rework matters too. Mastercam notes that the risk of misalignment grows with each setup (source: Mastercam, February 2022). Modern Machine Shop reports on a shop that took up 5-axis machining for medical work and that, before its Haas UMC-750 arrived, made a part in eight operations with 30% scrap (source: Modern Machine Shop, March 2016).
Cutting time can drop as well. The machine builder Okuma explains that 3+2 lets the part be machined from all sides, which reduces extra setups, cycle time and costs (source: Okuma, October 2019). Modern Machine Shop describes a shop that moved a part from several vertical machining centres to a single five-axis machine, in one setup, halving machining time (source: Modern Machine Shop, March 2025). POS puts the average machining time reduction at 15% thanks to better tool orientation and shorter tools (source: POS, August 2025). The shop Parkway-Kew sums up the trade-off: one setup instead of three can lower total cost even at a higher hourly rate (source: Parkway-Kew, July 2026).
3+2 (positional 5-axis) orients the part, then keeps the rotary axes locked during the cut; simultaneous 5-axis moves them while cutting. For the CAM publisher SolidCAM, positional machining is typically simpler to program and verify, while continuous machining is useful when the tool must keep changing orientation throughout the cut (source: SolidCAM, September 2026). POS considers 3+2 programming only slightly more complex than 3-axis programming (source: POS, August 2025).
Programming is paid in CAM hours: Altior publishes €70 to €110 per hour, excluding VAT, for CAM programming and engineering (source: Altior, June 2026). For a shop equipping itself, POS lists a 5-axis CAM system at €10,000 to €20,000, a post-processor at €3,000 to €5,000, training at €3,000 to €5,000 per person and 5-axis workholding at €5,000 to €10,000 for a first set (source: POS, August 2025). On a quote, it is therefore worth checking whether programming is included in the rate, billed on a separate line, or missing.
RFQdecoder takes the number of axes as an input, and also reads it from the drawing when it is written there. Each setup adds setup time per batch, 25 min for the first and 40 min for each following one, plus a loading time per part. Rates: €78/h on 3-axis, €120/h on 4- or 5-axis (source: Altior, June 2026).
Example assumptions (declared, not measured): a part machined on three faces, 6 min of cutting per part on both machines, 1.5 min of loading per part and per setup. Three setups on 3-axis, one on 5-axis.
| 3-axis, 3 setups | 5-axis, 1 setup | |
|---|---|---|
| Hourly rate (tool) | €78/h (€1.30/min) | €120/h (€2.00/min) |
| Setup time per batch (tool) | 25 + 40 + 40 = 105 min, i.e. €136.50 | 25 min, i.e. €50.00 |
| Time per part (assumptions) | 6 + 3 × 1.5 = 10.5 min | 6 + 1.5 = 7.5 min |
| Cost per part excluding setup | 10.5 × €1.30 = €13.65 | 7.5 × €2.00 = €15.00 |
| Batch of 10 parts | €136.50 + €136.50 = €273.00, i.e. €27.30 per part | €50.00 + €150.00 = €200.00, i.e. €20.00 per part |
| Batch of 200 parts | €136.50 + €2,730.00 = €2,866.50, i.e. €14.33 per part | €50.00 + €3,000.00 = €3,050.00, i.e. €15.25 per part |
At 10 parts, 5-axis is cheaper by €7.30 per part (€73.00 on the batch): it saves €86.50 of setup, i.e. €8.65 per part, against an extra €1.35 per part. At 200 parts, setup weighs only €0.68 per part on 3-axis and €0.25 on 5-axis; 3-axis wins by €183.50 on the batch, i.e. €0.92 per part. The break-even point falls between 64 and 65 parts: €86.50 ÷ €1.35 = 64.1.
If cutting time drops on 5-axis, the break-even moves. With 15% less cutting time, the average stated by POS (source: POS, August 2025), the part takes 5.1 + 1.5 = 6.6 min, i.e. €13.20 excluding setup: 5-axis becomes cheaper at every batch size, €18.20 against €27.30 at 10 parts and €13.45 against €14.33 at 200 parts.
This example counts only machine time, setup time and loading. It leaves out:
In France, €90 to €150 per hour excluding VAT for a 4- or 5-axis centre in subcontract machining (source: Altior, June 2026). In Germany, POS considers €110 per hour realistic (source: POS, August 2025). In the United States, $75 to $300 per hour according to Precision Advanced Manufacturing (source: Precision Advanced Manufacturing, March 2026).
Per hour, yes. Per part, it depends on the setups saved and the batch size. In the example on this page (RFQdecoder rates and setup times, cutting times assumed equal), 5-axis is cheaper up to 64 parts per batch and 3-axis beyond; with 15% less cutting time on 5-axis, 5-axis wins at every quantity.
3+2 orients the part and then machines as on 3-axis; it is typically simpler to program and verify than simultaneous 5-axis (source: SolidCAM, September 2026). Both reduce the number of setups. Simultaneous machining is mainly useful when the tool must change orientation during the cut.
The number of axes is an input of the tool, also read from the drawing when it is written there. A 4- or 5-axis centre is counted at €120/h and a 3-axis centre at €78/h, two all-inclusive shop rates taken from Altior’s ranges (source: Altior, June 2026). Each setup adds setup time per batch (25 min for the first, 40 min for each following one) and a loading time per part.
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