The unit price of a turned part cannot be given without a drawing — and a turning shop that quotes one over the phone is either guessing or selling something else. The price emerges from four variables: material, machining time, setup spread across the batch size, and quality inspection. The same part may cost several times more per piece in a batch of 50 than in a batch of 5,000.
This article explains what the price is made of and which four decisions in the drawing affect it the most. The aim is that you can read a quotation and see where savings are possible — and where they are not.
Why the industry has no price list
If you search for a “CNC turning price list”, you will not find one. That is not unwillingness; it follows from the nature of subcontract manufacturing.
A turning shop does not sell machine hours. It sells a finished part to your drawing — and that part differs from the next in geometry, material, tolerances, number of operations and batch size. An hourly rate would describe the price only in appearance: two parts that spend the same time on the machine can carry entirely different setup and inspection costs.
There is only one reliable answer: drawing + quantity → specific quotation.
The four components of the price
1. Material
The price of the bar plus waste. In turning the waste is substantial — everything that is not the finished part is removed from the bar.
But machinability also matters, and it usually weighs more than the price per kilo. Free-cutting steel is cheap and cuts quickly. Stainless steel costs more and machines more slowly on top of that, so it gets more expensive twice over. A detailed comparison is in the article on how material affects price and time.
2. Machining time
How many seconds or minutes the part occupies the machine. It is driven by:
- the number of operations — turning, cross holes, flats, grooves, threads,
- how much of that fits into one setup — a sliding-head automatic with a sub-spindle and driven tools completes the part in full; otherwise a second operation on another machine is needed,
- material — cutting speeds differ from material to material,
- required roughness — a fine finishing pass costs extra time.
3. Setup and preparation — the fixed cost
This is where the biggest misunderstanding between buyer and production arises.
Before the machine makes the first part, it has to be programmed, tooled, set up and proven out on the first piece. That work happens once, whether you order 50 or 50,000 pieces.
But it is spread across every piece:
| Batch | Fixed cost per piece |
|---|---|
| 50 pieces | fixed cost ÷ 50 |
| 500 pieces | fixed cost ÷ 500 |
| 5,000 pieces | fixed cost ÷ 5,000 |
That is why the unit price in a small batch is many times higher — not because the supplier adds a small-order surcharge.
Practical consequence: if you know you will order the part repeatedly, say so in your request. An annual volume lets the supplier spread setup differently than across a single order. The most common needlessly expensive pattern is ordering 250 pieces four times a year instead of 1,000 once.
4. Quality inspection
On precision parts, measuring is not administration but an operation that takes time. The scope varies with requirements: from spot checks to an inspection report with measured values for the critical dimensions.
The tighter the tolerance and the more detailed the report, the higher the share of inspection in the price.
Four decisions that determine the price the most
Decision 1: batch size
The strongest lever, as shown above. Before you send out requests, work out the annual volume, not just the immediate need.
Decision 2: tolerance only where it has a function
The most common source of unnecessary cost in the whole industry.
Tightening a tolerance from ±0.1 mm to ±0.01 mm means slower cutting, more frequent tool changes, stricter measurement and higher scrap. Where the dimension has a function, that is a necessary cost. Where it has none, it is thrown away.
A practical rule: specify tight tolerances on dimensions that seat, seal or rotate. Leave general tolerances to ISO 2768 on the rest.
Decision 3: material by function, not by habit
Material is often carried over from the previous drawing revision without anyone checking whether it is still needed. Stainless steel where zinc-plated steel would do can raise the price markedly — and adds no function.
Decision 4: design for one setup
Every re-clamping adds time and a positional error. Design the geometry so the machine can complete it in one go and you save on both.
A practical approach: ask the supplier for design comments before the drawing is finalised. A good turning shop can suggest small changes that cut the price without touching the function of the part.
How to read a quotation
Before comparing two quotations on unit price, check that they are comparable:
- Does the price apply to the same batch size?
- Is material included, or charged separately?
- Is surface treatment included, if the part needs it?
- Is an inspection report included?
- Is setup spread into the unit price, or charged as a one-off?
- What is the lead time, and does it hold for repeat orders?
- Price for the first batch vs. repeat — do they differ?
The cheapest quotation without an inspection report and with material on top often works out dearer than the one that looked worse.
What Barluskat brings to this
We quote from the drawing and the quantity. The more you give us in the request — material or purpose of the part, annual volume, requirements for surface treatment and inspection — the more accurate the quotation and the fewer rounds of questions it takes.
We produce in medium and large batches from 1,000 pieces on sliding-head automatics by Tsugami and Star Micronics, in the range Ø 3–35 mm. Our part price includes material, production, washing, surface treatment, inspection and transport — the quotation therefore covers a ready-to-fit part, not just the cutting. We answer requests within 3–5 working days.
How setup enters the price you will see directly in the quotation for the specific part. In large batches it is absorbed to the point where you barely notice it; in smaller ones it shows — which is exactly why it is worth asking for a price at two different quantities.
Want a specific figure instead of an estimate? Send the drawing and quantity.