Reading a fabrication quote line by line
Setup, run, finishing, freight and tooling amortisation — what each line means and which ones you can move.
A fabrication quote with one number on it tells you the price and nothing else — not what happens if the quantity changes, not which line item moves if you swap a material, not whether tooling is a one-time cost or baked into every unit. Here is what is usually behind each line, so you know what you are actually negotiating.
Setup, run time, finishing, freight and tooling amortization are the five components that make up most fabrication quotes, and only some of them move with quantity.
Setup
A fixed cost regardless of quantity — programming the machine, building a fixture, staging material. This is why a quote for one piece and a quote for fifty pieces of the same part are not five times different; setup is the same either way.
Run time
The per-unit cost that actually scales with quantity — cutting, forming and assembly time multiplied by how many pieces are running. This is the line that drops the most on a percentage basis as quantity increases, because setup gets spread across more units.
Finishing
Polishing, printing, engraving — priced per operation, per unit. This is usually the most negotiable line if the design allows a simpler finish without changing how the part performs.
Freight and tooling amortization
Freight is usually the most volatile line and the one most affected by design choices you can still make — how it packs flat versus assembled. Tooling amortization only applies if a dedicated fixture is being built and spread across the run; ask whether it is a one-time charge or built into the unit price on every reorder.
Setup is the same whether you order one part or fifty. That is why the unit price on a small run always looks steep — it is carrying the whole setup cost alone.
| Quote line | Scales with quantity? | Most negotiable when |
|---|---|---|
| Setup | No, fixed per run | Combined with a future reorder |
| Run time | Yes, roughly linear | Simplified geometry |
| Finishing | Yes, per unit | Simpler finish spec |
| Freight | Partially, per shipment | Flat-pack design |
Keep reading
All articles →
Tolerance callouts that actually change the price
Half the tolerances we receive cost money without doing anything. A short guide to which features deserve a tight number.
The five things missing from most fabrication drawings
Tolerance callouts on the wrong feature, no finish spec, no datum. Here is what an estimator actually needs to quote your part without a phone call — and what it costs you when it is missing.
Why we build a first article before a production run
It adds three days and removes the argument. What goes in a first-article report and how to read one.