← Back to Bead BoardWelding cost calculator
Down to the inch, by process. Pick a tab, enter the weld, see labor, filler, gas, and sell price update in real time. When you are happy with the number, save it as a Bead Board quote and start tracking estimated vs actual hours from day one.
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How welding cost actually breaks down
Welding cost has three big buckets and one small one: labor, filler, shielding gas, and power. ESAB's Quick Weld Productivity Analyzer structures it the same way and so does Lincoln's Procedure Handbook. The formula is simple. What kills estimates is which numbers you feed it.
Labor is the biggest line on almost every weld job. Filler is usually 10–20% of total. Gas is 2–5%. Power is under 5% and most shops ignore it. That means the two numbers you have to get right are deposition rate and operating factor. Those are the hidden multipliers that destroy otherwise-clean math.
Worked example: 12 inches of 1/4-inch fillet in mild steel
Process notes: where each one wins and loses
MIG / GMAW
Highest deposition in the shop for thick-plate production work. .035 solid wire at 200A runs around 4 lb/hr; .045 in spray transfer hits 8 lb/hr. 95% efficient. Gas dependency is the downside. Wind kills it. Typical default for small shop production.
Flux-Core / FCAW
The workhorse for outdoor structural and thick-plate work. .045 gas-shielded runs 8 lb/hr, .052 hits 11, and 1/16" hits 14. Gas-shielded is 83% efficient, self-shielded is 80%. Cleanup takes longer because of slag. The fastest metal deposition outside of robotic GMAW.
Stick / SMAW
Slowest common process. E7018 1/8" runs 2.2 lb/hr. 60% efficient (stubs eat the rest). The win is setup time and portability. No gas, no feeder, works on dirty stock. Always cheaper per-inch on short welds in the field.
TIG / GTAW
Expensive per inch but nothing else finishes like it. Deposition depends on the welder. 1.5 lb/hr is a safe default for structural work, thin-sheet is lower. 97% efficient. Use this tab for aluminum, stainless, and any job where appearance or code compliance pays for the extra hours.
Questions welders keep asking about weld cost
How much does welding cost per inch?
For a 1/4-inch mild steel fillet weld in MIG at common defaults (4 lb/hr deposition, 30% operating factor, $85/hr shop rate, 25% markup) the sell price lands around $1 per inch of weld, or $12 per foot. Change any of those inputs and the number moves a lot. The calculator shows exactly which line is driving it.
What is the difference between deposition rate and deposition efficiency?
Deposition rate is how many pounds of filler the arc lays down per hour. Deposition efficiency is how much of what you purchase actually ends up in the weld. The rest becomes stubs, spatter, or slag. These are separate numbers and conflating them is the most common welding cost bug. Solid MIG wire is about 95% efficient. E7018 stick runs 60%. E6010 is 55%. Flux-core gas-shielded is 83%. TIG is 95% or better.
What operating factor should I use?
Operating factor is the fraction of your clocked time that the arc is actually on. Miller puts the industry average at about 20%. A well-run small shop on production MIG hits 25–30%. Stick runs 25%. TIG is 20% or less. Field and mobile welding is 10–20% because of setup and travel. If you do not know yours, start at 25% and measure for a week.
Why is there no overhead field on this calculator?
Because overhead belongs in your shop rate, not the weld cost. Your shop rate already rolls up rent, insurance, consumables, and admin. That is the whole point of calculating it. If you also line-item overhead here, you double-count and overprice every quote. Use the shop rate tool to set a rate that has overhead baked in, then bring that number here.
MIG vs stick: which one is cheaper?
MIG is almost always cheaper per inch on thicker material and longer welds because the deposition rate is higher (4–8 lb/hr for MIG vs 2.2 lb/hr for E7018 1/8") and the efficiency is better (95% vs 60%). Stick wins on short welds outdoors, on rusty or dirty stock, and when you are already on the jobsite with a stinger. For in-shop production work, MIG or flux-core wins by a wide margin.
What is a fair markup on welding jobs?
25–40% over total cost is typical for custom fab work. Production repeat jobs can run lower (15–25%) because the risk is lower and the customer knows what they should pay. Emergency or mobile work runs higher (40–100%) because of the premium service. The calculator defaults to 25%. Pick your own number based on what your market actually pays.
How do I estimate a butt weld versus a fillet weld?
Fillet weld deposited weight comes from the leg size squared, divided by two, times a 1.2 reinforcement factor. Butt welds use the plate thickness and root gap. The calculator handles both automatically. Pick the joint type and enter the dimensions. For multi-pass butts on thick plate, split the weld into passes or add a 10–15% cap reinforcement.
Other tools in the Tack Box
Formula structure mirrors ESAB Quick Weld Productivity Analyzer. Fillet cross-section formula from TWI Job Knowledge 95. Deposition rate defaults from Lincoln GMAW Guide, Welding Answers, and ESAB Dual Shield datasheets. Operating factor ranges from Miller and TWI. Other Tack Box tools.