Subtractive · Live
CNC machining quote software: instant CNC milling quotes
Price CNC milling from a STEP model: stock, set-ups from tool reach, roughing, finishing, holes and threads. A mesh upload goes to your review.
- Process
- CNC milling
- Family
- Subtractive
- Input
- STEP, mesh (reviewed)
- Status
- Live
The price follows the physics.
A CNC milling price is a plan, not a volume. You buy a stock size, program the part once, set it up as many times as there are sides to reach, rough away material at the rate the machine and material allow, finish the faces that matter, drill and tap the holes, and inspect what the drawing asks for. Programming and set-ups are fixed costs a batch shares; cycle time and stock are paid per part. An honest instant price estimates each from the solid model and explains itself line by line, so a shop can check it and calibrate it.
- 01
Set-ups and programming
Each orientation the part must be clamped in is another set-up. Programming is paid once per unique part.
- 02
Material removal
Roughing time is removed volume divided by the removal rate the material and machine allow.
- 03
Stock
The next standard bar or plate size that holds the part plus allowances, and a saw cut.
- 04
Features
Holes, threads, small inside radii, deep pockets and thin walls each slow the cutter or need special tools.
- 05
Tolerances and surface finish
Tighter tolerances and lower roughness mean slower finishing passes and more inspection.
- 06
Machine class
A part that needs 5-axis access runs on a more expensive machine than one a 3-axis mill can reach.
Measured from the file. Priced on your machines.
Measured from the geometry
- Bounding box and stock fit. The stock is the box plus your allowance per side, rounded up to a standard plate thickness, and charged by weight less the swarf credit.
- Removed volume and machined area. Roughing time from removed volume, slower for deep cuts; finishing time from area, slower on freeform surfaces.
- Holes, pockets and internal radii from the STEP model. Drilled holes are priced per hole; small radii, deep pockets and deep or tiny holes are checked.
- Tool access from each direction. Decides the number of set-ups and whether 3-axis, 3+2 or 5-axis is needed; area no machine you run can reach goes to review.
- Wall thickness and plate proportions. Thin walls and large thin plates carry a warning.
Configured by you
- Tolerance classes and surface finishes. The rows a buyer chooses from, each with a finishing-time factor; a tolerance class can add inspection minutes, and a row marked for review sends the line to you.
- Threads a buyer may count. Threads are not read from the file: the buyer counts them, and each adds tapping time and programming.
- Machine kind, materials it cuts and smallest end mill. Per machine: 3-axis, 3+2 or 5-axis, its machinability groups, and the tool that sets the smallest radius it can cut.
- Roughing rate, finishing rate and swarf credit. Per material, with a roughing rate factor and a finishing feed factor per machine; the rates and factors are calibratable.
- Programming per part, per set-up and per feature, and set-up per set-up. Charged once per design and once per lot.
- Standard plate thicknesses and stock allowance per side. The stock you buy, so the material line follows it.
What your buyer sees
- Material, tolerance class, surface finish and a thread count, with anodising, bead blasting, passivation, inspection reports and certificates as options in the shipped configuration.
- From a STEP file, an instant price; from a mesh, an estimate that goes to your review, because holes and pockets cannot be read reliably from triangles.
- In the shipped configuration, the tight tolerance classes, titanium and parts over 500 mm also go to review.
- Price breaks as quantity spreads programming and set-ups.
- Warnings for thin walls and deep or tiny holes; radii smaller than your smallest tool, deep pockets and undercuts go to review.
Programming and set-ups are paid once per batch, not once per part, so the second part is much cheaper than the first and the price per part keeps falling until cycle time and stock dominate.
Typical materials
- Aluminium 6061 and 6082
- Aluminium 7075
- Stainless steel 304 and 316L
- Mild and alloy steels
- Brass
- Copper
- Titanium
- POM (acetal)
- PEEK
- Nylon, ABS and other engineering plastics
Typical parts
- Brackets, housings and enclosures
- Fixtures and jig plates
- Prototype and production parts
- Heat sinks and manifolds
- Precision components with tight tolerances
Estimate: the shop confirms this price before the order is final, as its template asks.
Estimate: the shop confirms this price before the order is final, as its template asks.
Both priced by the real engine for the sample bracket against the CNC milling job shop template that ships with Quotometry.
Pricing cnc milling, in depth
3-axis vs 5-axis machining: cost and capability
A 5-axis machine costs more per hour but can finish a part in one set-up. When that trade pays off, with a worked example that finds the break-even batch size.
Knowledge baseWhat drives CNC machining cost, and how estimators work it out
Stock, set-ups, programming, cycle time, tooling, tolerances and finishing: how a CNC estimate is built, with a worked example for one part at two batch sizes.
Knowledge baseSet-up time in CNC: the hidden cost in small batches
Why one CNC part can cost ten times a part from a batch of a hundred: set-up and programming explained, with a unit cost table from 1 to 100 parts.
CNC milling quoting, answered
Can I quote CNC milling with Quotometry today?
Yes. CNC milling prices end to end in the widget on 3-axis, 3+2 and 5-axis machines. A STEP file prices instantly, because holes, pockets and radii are read from the solid. A mesh is priced too, with lower confidence, and goes to your review. Drawings and GD&T are not read, so the tight tolerance classes you mark for review go to a person.
Why is CNC harder to quote than printing?
A printer turns a shape into time almost directly. A mill turns a shape into a plan: how many times you flip the part, which tool reaches which corner, whether that tolerance needs a second operation. Pricing the plan badly is worse than not pricing it, which is why the model is built to explain every line.
Is a mesh file good enough?
A STEP file is better. Holes, pockets and internal radii are explicit in a solid model and only approximated in a mesh. A mesh upload is still priced, but with a warning that its features are unknown and lower confidence, so it goes to your review instead of reaching the buyer as a firm price.
How accurate is an instant CNC price?
It is an engineering estimate, and labelled as one. Every line traces back to a set-up, a feature, a removal rate or the stock, and the rates are calibratable against jobs you have run. It does not plan toolpaths or fixturing, so conservative defaults and review rules send the parts it cannot judge, such as tight tolerances, undercuts and very large parts, to a person.
Do buyers need to send a drawing?
Quotometry does not read drawings. Geometric tolerancing and per-feature tolerances are not taken from any file, so the tolerance class the buyer picks stands in for them, and a class you mark for review sends the line to you. Your engineer can then ask for the drawing before confirming the price.
Other subtractive processes
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