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Short answer: the price of a machined part is the material, plus the cost of each operation, plus scrap, then overheads and margin. For an aluminium housing costed by RFQdecoder, that gives €22.62 (price as of 5 October 2026) per part at 200 parts. Replace the lines with those of your quote to see how the price builds up.
By the RFQdecoder team · updated 5 October 2026
The hourly rate of each workstation is built separately: see the machine hour rate calculator.
Sensor housing BTC-120-80-45, 6082 aluminium, 120 × 80 × 45 mm, 0.697 kg finished, 200 parts:
| Step | Machine | Time | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| I start from a 125 × 85 × 50 mm block of 6082 aluminium (1.43 kg) | material purchase | €7.72 | |
| I cut the blank on the band saw | band saw | 1.6 min | €1.58 |
| I machine the first face and the 96 × 56 mm pocket, 30 mm deep (setup 1 of 2) | 3-axis machining centre | 2.0 min | €2.34 |
| I flip the part and machine the second face (setup 2 of 2) | 3-axis machining centre | 2.0 min | €2.42 |
| I drill 7 holes, tap 4 × M5 and ream 2 × Ø22 H7 | 3-axis machining centre | 2.6 min | €2.84 |
| I deburr and inspect the part | deburring station | 0.5 min | €0.80 |
| Scrap 1.4% | €0.25 | ||
| Overheads 20% | €3.59 | ||
| Margin 5% | €1.08 | ||
| Part price, excl. VAT | €22.62 |
Not included in this price: dedicated tooling, subcontracted clear anodising, shipping.
Sensor housing BTC-120-80-45, aluminium (prices as of 5 October 2026, daily material quotes)
Fixed order costs
Paid once, whatever the quantity.
Variable price per part
Unit price by batch size
= variable price + fixed costs ÷ quantity
| Quantity | Unit price |
|---|---|
| 1 part | €152.03 |
| 10 parts | €34.98 |
| 50 parts | €24.57 |
| 200 parts | €22.62 |
| 1,000 parts | €22.10 |
Beyond a few dozen parts, the price tends towards the variable price: the fixed costs are amortised. If the part needs long programming or a dedicated fixture, small batches rise accordingly. Prices follow daily material quotes.
From 50 to 1,000 parts, the unit price drops by €2.47: setups are spread over more parts.
The order of calculation changes the result. In the RFQdecoder breakdown, the production cost comes first: material, operations, then scrap. Overheads (20% on the example) apply to that production cost, because the shop must cover its structure on everything it produces, scrapped parts included. The margin (5%) finally applies to the total including overheads. On the example: €17.70 of material and operations, €17.95 with scrap, €21.54 with overheads, €22.62 (price as of 5 October 2026) with the margin.
Add the material and the cost of each operation (time × hourly rate, setups divided by the batch), add scrap, then overheads and margin, each as a percentage of the running total.
In the RFQdecoder breakdown, overheads apply to the production cost including scrap, then the margin applies to the total including overheads. On the example: €17.95, then €21.54, then €22.62 (price as of 5 October 2026).
Setups and preparation are spread over more parts. On the example, the same part costs €24.57 at 50 parts and €22.10 at 1,000 parts.
Surface treatment, dedicated tooling and shipping. They should be named, even when they are not included.
Yes. Scrapped parts consumed material and machine time; their cost is spread over the good parts. On the example, 1.4% scrap adds €0.25 per part.
The tool writes the routing and fills in these lines for you.