Reference hourly rates for costing a part, in euros excluding VAT per hour. For each workstation: the rate RFQdecoder uses in its estimates, and the range published by an outside source, with its date. Survey of 10 October 2026.
| Workstation | Rate used by RFQdecoder (EUR/h excl. VAT) | Published range (EUR/h excl. VAT) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| CNC lathe | 72 € | 60 to 85 € | Altior, 11 June 2026 |
| 3-axis machining centre | 78 € | 65 to 95 € | Altior, 11 June 2026 |
| 4 or 5-axis machining centre | 120 € | 90 to 150 € | Altior, 11 June 2026 |
| EDM (wire or sinker) | 90 € | 80 to 130 € | Altior, 11 June 2026 |
| Fibre laser cutting | 95 € | 90 to 160 € | QuoteBuddy, 5 September 2026 |
| Press brake | 72 € | 60 to 95 € | QuoteBuddy, 5 September 2026 |
| Welding (welder hour) | 55 € | 45 to 80 € | QuoteBuddy, 5 September 2026 |
How to read this table
- A shop’s rate depends on the machine, its depreciation, the operator, energy and utilisation: your actual rate may fall outside these ranges.
- Altior ranges are machine hourly rates for machining in France; QuoteBuddy ranges are fully burdened rates of European job shops in 2026.
- To compute the rate of your own machine, use the machine hour rate calculator. To cost a part from its drawing, open the RFQdecoder tool.
Quoting this table? Please credit “RFQdecoder hourly rate barometer, October 2026” with a link to this page.