What Aerospace Sheet Metal and Welded Parts Cost, and Why
An aerospace sheet metal part is priced on setup, bends, joining, outside processes, inspection and paperwork far more than on the sheet it is cut from. Weld class, heat treat after forming and quantity usually explain the biggest gaps between quotes.
Updated
The short answer
A formed bracket in 5052 with two bends and a certificate of conformance is mostly cutting and brake time. The same bracket in 2024 formed soft and heat treated, with self clinching nuts, a Class A weld, penetrant inspection, anodize and a first article, is mostly outside processing, inspection and records. The sheet is the same size. The price is not.
No public price list exists for aerospace fabrication, and we will not invent one. Below is how fabricators build the quote, what each driver does to it, how you control it, and the published labor figures we could verify. The engineering rules behind the drivers are on our sheet metal fabrication service page; this page stays on cost.
How a fabricator builds the quote
Most fabricators price a job as one time costs, per lot costs and per part costs, then add outside processes and margin. Knowing which bucket a cost sits in explains why price per part falls so fast with quantity.
| Cost element | One time | Per lot | Per part |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drawing review, flat pattern, cutting and brake programs | Yes | ||
| Special brake tooling, form blocks, weld fixtures | Yes | ||
| Weld procedure qualification if none exists | Yes | ||
| Machine setups, first piece checks | Yes | ||
| Heat treat, finish and NDT lot charges at outside shops | Yes | ||
| First article inspection | Yes, and again after changes | ||
| Material, cutting time, bends, hardware, welding, deburr | Yes | ||
| Weld inspection and in process checks | Sampling | 100 percent where required | |
| Cert package and C of C | Yes |
Cost drivers at a glance
| Driver | Why it moves cost | How the buyer controls it |
|---|---|---|
| Material and gauge | Alloy price, certified aerospace spec material, sheet size and the press tonnage thicker gauges need | Use alloys and gauges the source stocks, and allow equivalent specs where engineering agrees |
| Flat pattern nesting | Sheet utilization and grain direction rules decide how much material each part really uses | State grain direction only where it matters and order quantities that nest on a full sheet |
| Tooling and bend count | Every bend is a brake operation; odd radii, joggles and hems may need special tooling | Use standard radii and consistent radii across the part, and combine features where possible |
| Forming in O temper then heat treat | Adds a heat treat lot, quench distortion, straightening and hardness or conductivity checks | Use a temper that forms as delivered when the design allows, and state whether straightening is permitted |
| Hardware insertion | Each insert is an operation, NASM hardware and certs cost more than commercial, and sequence affects finish | Call out exact part numbers, reduce hardware types, and agree the sequence with finishing |
| Weld code and class | Class sets procedure qualification, welder skill, records and inspection | Assign the lowest class the function allows and mark it joint by joint |
| Welder and procedure qualification | A missing qualified procedure means test coupons, lab work and weeks | Ask at quote time which procedures already exist for your alloy and thickness |
| Weld inspection | Penetrant and radiography add outside lab charges, certified personnel and sequence constraints | Specify method, sampling and acceptance basis rather than "as required" |
| Flatness and fixtures | Weld distortion needs fixtures, straightening or post weld machining | Apply tight flatness only to mating faces and allow machining after welding |
| Finishes | Outside lot minimums, masking and entrapment rework | Group parts by finish, minimize masking and design out trapped joints |
| FAI on fabrications | Every characteristic plus every outside process cert must be recorded | Put the FAI requirement in the RFQ so it is priced once |
| Quantity | One time and per lot costs spread over the order | Quote two or three quantities and consider scheduled releases |
| Engineering support | Flat patterns, weld maps and design changes are engineering hours | Send a released drawing, or ask for design support as a separate line |
Material and gauge
Material is usually a modest share of a small fabrication but a large one on big panels and weldments. What you control is the alloy, the specification, the gauge and how much sheet the job really consumes.
- Certified material: aerospace drawings call out a material specification, and the source must buy to it and keep the mill cert tied to your parts. Commercial sheet of the same alloy costs less but cannot be substituted. Where DFARS specialty metals rules apply, the melt source matters too; see our DFARS specialty metals page.
- Gauge: thicker material needs more brake tonnage, larger minimum radii and slower cutting. Very thin material distorts more when welded and is harder to handle without dents.
- Sheet size: a part that just misses fitting on a standard sheet can force a larger, slower to source size.
- Alloy behavior: stainless work hardens and springs back, titanium usually needs hot forming in heated tooling, and 6061-T6 cracks at radii 5052 forms easily. Each of these shows up as time or tooling.
Our certified aerospace material page explains what a buyer should expect in the material paperwork, and the aluminum alloys reference compares the common sheet alloys.
Flat pattern nesting and cutting
The material a part really costs is its share of a sheet, including the skeleton left after cutting. Nesting several parts, or several part numbers, on one sheet lowers that share.
Cutting is done by laser, waterjet, punch or router, and each has its own setup and speed. Grain direction requirements limit how parts can rotate in the nest, which can lower sheet use sharply on parts with bends in several directions, so state grain direction only where the bend radius or properties need it. Small orders of one part number may waste most of a sheet unless the shop can fill it with other work, and certified remnants have to stay traceable to keep their cert.
Decide whether the flat pattern on your drawing is reference or controlled. A reference flat lets the shop develop its own pattern for its tooling and material, which usually costs less. A controlled flat must be cut exactly as drawn, and any change becomes a drawing change.
Tooling and bend count
Each bend is a press brake operation with its own setup, so bend count, bend sequence and radius drive labor. Special shapes can add one time tooling cost.
A part with many bends at one standard radius can often be formed in one tooling setup. A mix of radii, very tight radii, offsets, joggles and hems may need several setups or tooling the shop does not own. Bends close to holes or edges can distort features and may force forming before cutting those features, which adds operations. Deep or contoured shapes may need form blocks or hydroforming tooling, a one time cost that only makes sense across enough parts. Ask the source which features need special tooling; a radius change on the drawing can sometimes remove it. Bend rules and flat pattern practice are explained on our sheet metal and welding process page.
Forming in O temper, then heat treat
Forming 2024 or 7075 in the annealed O or freshly quenched W condition and heat treating afterward turns a one shop job into a multi step job. It is often necessary, but it is never free.
- Heat treat lot charge: solution treatment and aging happen in batches, often at an outside heat treater, with freight both ways.
- Quench distortion: thin formed parts can move when quenched, so they may need straightening or re-forming, which adds labor and, on some alloys, restrictions.
- Verification: hardness or conductivity results and a heat treat cert join the package, not just the sheet mill cert.
- Furnace controls: heat treat furnaces used for aerospace parts are commonly controlled to SAE AMS2750 pyrometry, which sets temperature uniformity surveys and instrument accuracy, and some primes require the heat treater to be Nadcap accredited. Fewer heat treaters qualify, which affects both price and queue time.
If a temper that forms as delivered, such as 5052 or 6061 at a generous radius, meets the design, it removes this whole chain. If not, state the final temper, the heat treat specification and whether straightening after quench is allowed, so every quote includes the full sequence. See our heat treatment reference.
Hardware insertion
Self clinching nuts, studs and standoffs are cheap per piece but each one is a pressing operation, and certified hardware adds paperwork. Hardware also complicates finishing.
Three things move the price. First, specification: a NASM45938 nut with certs costs more and may take longer to get than a commercial catalog part, so use NASM only where the program requires it. Second, variety: ten insertions of one part number are faster than ten insertions of five part numbers with different tooling. Third, sequence: inserting before anodize can trap solution, and inserting after can crack the coating, so one order or the other may mean masking, touch up or extra cleaning. Put the exact part numbers and the sequence on the drawing, and ask for push out or torque out testing only where the joint is critical.
Welding: code, class and welder qualification
The weld code and class decide how much proof the shop must produce for every joint, and that proof is labor. AWS D17.1, the aerospace fusion welding specification, has three classes, and they are a direct cost lever.
An AWS Welding Digest article from January 2023 describes Class A welds as those whose failure would cause loss of, or completely compromise, a critical system; Class B welds as those whose failure would reduce the strength or effectiveness of a system; and Class C as cosmetic or less critical welds with no structural bearing. The same article notes that the classes require different amounts of testing to qualify the welding procedure, different documentation and different proven skills, and that the more stringent Class A obligations also cover Class B and C.
Cost follows from that:
- Procedure qualification: if the shop has no qualified procedure for your alloy, thickness and joint, it has to weld test coupons and have them tested before your parts, a one time cost and a schedule hit.
- Welder qualification: fewer welders in a shop may hold the qualification your part needs, which limits who can work on it.
- Nadcap welding: some primes require Nadcap accreditation for welding as a special process. Airbus's 2024 Nadcap contact list, for example, includes welding, nondestructive testing and heat treating task groups. Requiring it narrows the field.
- Records: a weld map tying each joint to a procedure and welder takes time to build and maintain.
Mark the class joint by joint. A frame where only the interface welds are Class A costs less than one where every weld is.
Weld inspection: visual, penetrant, radiography
Visual inspection is part of welding. Penetrant and radiography are added operations, often at an outside lab, so their method and sampling are among the most important lines in the RFQ.
- Visual: every weld, done by the fabricator's inspector. Cost is mostly time and the record.
- Liquid penetrant: ASTM E1417, the practice most aerospace drawings cite, does not allow Type II visible dye penetrant for final acceptance of aerospace products under its 2021 revision, so fluorescent penetrant with its booth, cleaning and dark room is the norm. Inspection has to happen before paint or anodize closes the surface.
- Radiography: film or digital exposures per joint, set up by certified personnel, with interpretation and a report. Cost scales with the number of joints and views.
- Personnel: aerospace NDT technicians are typically qualified under NAS 410, the Aerospace Industries Association standard for NDT personnel qualification, now at Revision 6. Using an outside certified lab adds freight and lot charges.
"Radiograph 10 percent of Class B butt welds" can be priced. "NDT as required" gets padded or excluded. Method detail is on our nondestructive testing page.
Flatness, fixtures and distortion control
Welds shrink as they cool, so a tight flatness or position tolerance on a weldment costs fixtures, sequence planning, straightening or machining after welding. Put tight tolerances only where parts mate.
A weld fixture is a one time cost, sometimes a machining job of its own, and pays for itself across repeat orders. Post weld machining moves the job to a machine shop and back, adding a setup, freight and coordination. Large frames may need a portable arm or laser tracker to measure. Stating whether flatness applies before or after welding, and whether machining after welding is allowed, lets the source pick the cheapest route that meets it. Measurement methods are covered on our inspection and metrology page.
Finishes
Finishing is almost always an outside process with its own lot minimum, so on small orders the finish can cost more than the fabrication. Fabrications add masking and entrapment risks that solid parts do not have.
Anodize, chemical conversion coating, passivation, plating and paint each carry a lot charge, masking labor and freight. Lap joints, skip welds and hems can trap solution and bleed later, which turns into rework or rejection. Group parts with the same finish into one lot, keep masking to surfaces that need it, and design trapped joints out where possible. Finish specifications are compared on our surface finishing page.
FAI on fabrications
An AS9102 first article on a fabrication records every drawing characteristic plus the material, heat treat, weld, NDT, hardware and finish records, so it is often several hours of inspection and paperwork on top of the first part.
The cost is one time per part number and revision, but changes can trigger a new or partial FAI: a new source for heat treat or finishing, new brake tooling or a different material source can each count. That is a reason to keep the outside process chain stable once a fabrication is qualified. Our AS9102 first article guide explains the forms and triggers.
Quantity breaks and engineering support
Quantity breaks in fabrication are steep because programming, tooling, fixtures, procedure qualification, FAI and outside lot charges do not grow with quantity. Engineering support is the other line that buyers often miss.
Ask for two or three quantities, such as a prototype lot, a first production lot and an annual quantity. The difference shows what setup and lot charges are costing you, and a blanket order with scheduled releases can capture the larger quantity price without taking all the parts at once, if the source agrees.
Engineering support covers flat pattern development, design for manufacturing suggestions, weld maps, bend allowance work on new materials and responding to drawing changes. If you send a sketch or a model without a released drawing, the source is doing design work and will price it, and carry some risk for it. Ask for it as a separate line so it can be compared.
Published labor numbers
Labor is the largest controllable cost in fabrication, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data that helps explain shop rates. None of these is a shop rate; billed rates also cover equipment, tooling, quality staff, facilities and profit.
| Occupation (BLS, May 2025) | All industries, median | Aerospace product and parts manufacturing, median hourly |
|---|---|---|
| Sheet metal workers | $29.71 per hour, $61,800 per year | $27.39 |
| Welders, cutters, solderers and brazers | $25.84 per hour, $53,750 per year | $30.84 |
| Structural metal fabricators and fitters | Not shown here | $28.49 |
| Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers and weighers | Not shown here | $35.79 |
BLS also reports manufacturing industry medians of $51,570 per year for sheet metal workers and $51,210 for welders. In aerospace product and parts manufacturing, BLS estimates about 1,570 sheet metal workers and 4,160 welders, cutters, solderers and brazers, a small pool compared with the inspectors in the same industry, about 26,120. Note that the aerospace industry median for welders is above the all industry median, while for sheet metal workers it is slightly below.
Ways to lower fabrication cost
- Send a released drawing with material, temper in and out, weld code and class, NDT, finish and FAI stated; use our aerospace RFQ checklist.
- Use standard radii and alloys that form in the delivered temper where the design allows.
- Mark weld class joint by joint, and specify NDT method and sampling.
- Ask which weld procedures the source already holds before award.
- Keep tight flatness to mating faces and allow machining after welding.
- Reduce hardware part numbers and fix the insertion sequence.
- Group parts by finish and quote several quantities.
- Ask for engineering, fabrication, outside processes, inspection and paperwork as separate lines.
For larger welded structures, our GSE cost guide covers load testing and coatings. If a printed part is an option, compare it with our additive manufacturing cost guide.
Get a fabrication quote priced on the full scope
Send the drawing, material and temper, weld code and class, NDT, finish, FAI requirement and quantities through the sheet metal fabrication quote form. Those fields decide whether heat treat, an outside NDT lab or a new weld procedure is in the job, which is where quotes usually differ. A person replies within 1 business day, and rush requests are prioritized. We do not run a fabrication shop. We match the job to fabricators whose weld qualifications and forming capability fit, flow your requirements down to every shop in the chain, and give you one quote, one lead time, one point of contact and one purchase order, with a certificate of conformance on every order. We do not quote a price or promise a supplier before we see the scope. If the drawings are export controlled, read our confidentiality page and the controlled programs process before sending anything.
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Questions
How much does aerospace sheet metal fabrication cost per part?
There is no honest per part figure, because two parts cut from the same sheet can differ several times in price. Heat treat after forming, weld class, penetrant or radiography, finish, hardware and first article inspection often cost more than the cutting and bending. Send the full drawing requirements and two or three quantities, and ask for outside processes and inspection as separate lines so quotes can be compared.
Why is a welded aerospace bracket so much more expensive than a formed one?
Welding brings qualified procedures, qualified welders, weld maps, inspection and often distortion control or machining after welding. Under AWS D17.1 the weld class sets how much procedure testing, documentation and proven skill is required, and Class A carries the most. Add fluorescent penetrant or radiography at an outside lab and the inspection alone can exceed the welding time.
Does forming in O temper and heat treating add much cost?
It adds a heat treat lot charge, freight to and from the heat treater, possible straightening after quench and hardness or conductivity verification, plus a heat treat cert in the package. Furnaces for aerospace work are commonly controlled to SAE AMS2750 pyrometry, and some primes require Nadcap accreditation, which limits the number of sources. Use a temper that forms as delivered when the design allows.
What do sheet metal workers and welders earn in aerospace manufacturing?
BLS data for May 2025 put the median hourly wage in aerospace product and parts manufacturing at $27.39 for sheet metal workers and $30.84 for welders, cutters, solderers and brazers. Across all industries the medians were $29.71 and $25.84. A fabricator's billed rate is higher than any wage because it also covers equipment, tooling, inspection, facilities and profit.
How can I reduce weld inspection cost without risking quality?
Assign weld class by joint instead of applying the highest class to the whole part, then specify NDT method, sampling and acceptance basis for each class. Schedule penetrant before any coating, and group parts so the NDT lab charges one lot. Ask whether the fabricator has certified personnel in house, since sending parts out adds freight and lot charges. Never drop inspection that your code or customer requires.
Why does price per part drop so much at higher quantities?
Programming, tooling, weld fixtures, procedure qualification, first article inspection and outside lot charges are paid once per part number or per lot. On a lot of five they dominate the price; on a lot of five hundred they are spread thin. Quote two or three quantities to see the curve, and ask whether a blanket order with scheduled releases can earn the larger quantity price.
Related
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Sheet Metal Workers (pay, May 2025)
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers (pay, May 2025)
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025, Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing (NAICS 336400)
- American Welding Society, Welding Digest: How Specifications Keep Aerospace Vehicles up to Standard (January 2023)
- American Welding Society, D17 Committee on Welding in the Aircraft and Aerospace Industry
- ASTM E1417/E1417M-21e1 Standard Practice for Liquid Penetrant Testing
- Electronic Engineering Journal, AIA and Accuris release NAS410 Revision 6
- SAE International, AMS2750H Pyrometry
- Airbus, Nadcap contact list by task group (April 2024, PDF)
- SAE International, AS9102C Aerospace First Article Inspection Requirement
- SAE International, AMS2770 Heat Treatment of Wrought Aluminum Alloy Parts
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