What a welding estimate is for
Fabrication customers often picture the finished gate and not the hours of cutting, fitting, welding and grinding behind it. A quote that splits shop labor from steel and hardware, names the finish, and says who coats it shows where the money goes. Pricing steel separately also protects you when material prices jump between the quote and the build.
What to put on a welding estimate
- What you are building or repairing, with sizes.
- Shop hours at your rate.
- Steel, aluminum or stainless by weight or by the piece.
- Hardware by name and finish.
- Finish: primer and paint, or powder coat and who does it.
- Install or pickup, and any trip charge.
- Deposit before material is bought.
A worked example
A homeowner wants a swinging steel driveway gate, built in the shop and hung on existing posts.
| Line | Qty | Unit | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Square tube and flat bar, steel | 180 | lb | Your price |
| Shop labor, cut, fit and weld | 10 | hour | Your price |
| Grind and finish | 2 | hour | Your price |
| Heavy duty hinges and gravity latch | 1 | each | Your price |
| Send out for powder coat, black | 1 | each | Your price |
| Install on existing posts | 3 | hour | Your price |
Steel by the pound keeps the material honest. If steel goes up before the build, you can show exactly which line changed.
Line items welding shops use
| Line item | Unit | How to write it |
|---|---|---|
| Shop labor, fabrication | hour | Cutting, fitting, welding and grinding at your shop rate. |
| Mobile welding labor | hour | On site, with the rig; say where the job is. |
| Trip charge | each | Truck and rig to the site and back. |
| Steel, tube and plate | lb | Material at cost plus your markup; name the size and gauge. |
| Steel, by the stick | each | Length, profile and wall, such as square tube. |
| Aluminum or stainless stock | lb | Alloy and thickness; slower to weld than mild steel. |
| Hardware: hinges, latches, wheels | each | Brand and finish so the customer knows what they get. |
| Repair weld, cracked part | part | What broke, the metal, and whether it needs preheat. |
| Grind and finish | hour | Smooth welds, edges and corners before paint or coating. |
| Prime and paint, or send out for powder coat | each | Color and who does the coating. |
| Drawings or CAD layout | hour | For gates, railings and custom pieces. |
| Setup fee | each | Jigs, fixtures and machine setup for a run of parts. |
| Minimum charge | each | Brings a small repair up to the shop minimum. |
Terms and deposit language for welding
- Deposit. Steel and hardware are bought for the job, so ask for a deposit that covers the material before cutting starts.
- Payment. Balance due at pickup, at install, or when the mobile job is done.
- Warranty. You warrant your welds and workmanship. Rust from no coating, overloading, and damage after pickup are not covered.
- Steel prices move; material is priced on the day of the quote and rechecked if the quote expires.
- Repairs to cast or unknown metals are done on a best effort basis, said up front.
- Measurements for installed work are confirmed on site before cutting.
How to fill it in
- Put in your business details once; this browser keeps them for every template.
- Fill in the customer and the job.
- Change the line items to fit this job and add your prices.
- Set tax, the deposit and the good-until date.
- Print to PDF, download Word or CSV, or send it from Koira.
Free tools for welding
The same estimate for other trades: 3d printing, appliance repair, auto detailing, carpentry, carpet cleaning, chimney, house cleaning, commercial cleaning, concrete, deck, drywall, duct cleaning, electrical, fence, flooring, garage door, general contractor, glass, gutter, handyman, holiday lighting, home inspection, hood cleaning, hvac, insulation, irrigation, junk removal, landscaping, lawn care, locksmith, masonry, moving, painting, pest control, plumbing, pool service, powder coating, pressure washing, property maintenance, remodeling, restoration, roofing, security system, septic, siding, sign shop, snow removal, solar, tile, tree service, water treatment, waterproofing, window cleaning, window and door.
More for welding shops: how welding shops run on Koira.
Shane Allen writes Koira's guides for trade business owners. How we check our numbers.