Press Brake Batch Size and Setup Amortisation Calculator
Small batches on a press brake carry a heavy setup burden. This calculator shows the quantity at which setup falls to a share you can live with, and how bending cost per part drops as batch size grows.
Your numbers
Pick up, position, bend, flip, include gauging.
Machine plus operator, fully loaded.
Setup as a share of total bending cost.
Your results
Excludes material, programming overhead beyond setup, secondary operations and scrap. Adjust setup time for repeat jobs with tooling already in place.
Bending cost per part vs batch size
Sweeps Planned batch quantity from 1 to 200, holding your other inputs fixed.
Quote curves from real setup data
We can help turn actual setup and run times into quantity break quotes. Optional conversation.
Optional. The tool and every export work without this. No spam.
How to use it
Enter realistic setup minutes, including tool changes, back gauge adjustment, program load and first-piece approval. Then enter bends per part and handling seconds per bend, along with a loaded machine rate. Choose the maximum share of total cost you want setup to take. The calculator returns the minimum batch that meets the target, the cost per part at your planned quantity, and the actual setup share. Use the chart to find the knee of the curve where more volume saves little.
The formulas
Run time per part is bends times seconds per bend divided by 60. Setup cost is setup minutes over 60 times the rate. If s is the target setup share as a fraction, setup share equals Setup / (Setup + n x Run per part), so the minimum batch is n = Setup x (1 - s) / (s x Run per part). Cost per part is (setup cost + n x run cost) / n. This is not a full economic order quantity, which would also include inventory holding cost and demand rate, but it is a quick and transparent shop floor rule.
- n min = Setup x (1 - s) / (s x run per part)
- Cost per part = (setup cost + n x run cost) / n
- Setup share = setup / (setup + n x run)
Using it in quoting
Quote at several quantity breaks so the customer sees the price curve. Flag any quote where the planned quantity is below the minimum batch, since setup will exceed your target share. Combine families of similar parts to share a setup, and keep dedicated tooling ready for repeat work. Measure real setup times in your shop floor system, because estimates are often optimistic by a wide margin, especially for first-time jobs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What setup share should I target?
Many shops aim for 10 to 15 percent for repeat work and accept higher shares for prototypes. The right level depends on your margin and customer expectations. Use the chart to find where extra volume stops paying back.
Does this include material cost?
No. It isolates bending labour and machine cost. Add material, laser or punching, finishing and overhead to get the total unit price.
How should I estimate setup time?
Time several real setups, covering tool changes, back gauge adjustment, program load and first piece approval, and average them. Repeat jobs with tools already loaded often take much less.
What if bends differ in handling time?
Enter an average. For better accuracy, estimate each bend separately in a routing worksheet and sum them, then enter the total as seconds per part divided by bends.
If setup and run times from your shop floor system could feed your quoting tool, we can help connect them so break pricing is based on measured data.
Related Tools
Sheet Metal Routing Operation Cost Worksheet
List each operation from laser to powder coat, enter setup and run minutes and hourly rates, and see hours and cost per operation and in total.
Discrete ManufacturingLaser Cutting Time per Part Calculator
Break a laser job into cutting, piercing and sheet handling time to get a realistic run time and parts per hour.
Discrete ManufacturingPress Brake Die Opening and Minimum Flange Calculator
Choose a V-die width by thickness multiplier and check whether your flange is long enough to form without slipping into the die.
Costing & FinanceSheet Metal Scrap Credit and Net Material Cost Calculator
Compute the material cost of a nested sheet, subtract the scrap value of the skeleton, and get a net material cost per part.
More Costing & Finance tools
See all- Laser Cutting Cost Calculator
- Sheet Metal Quote Worksheet Template
- Sheet Metal Part Weight and Material Cost Calculator
- SAP QM Inspection Effort and Cost Calculator
- SAP Standard Cost Estimate BOM Rollup Calculator
- Legacy ERP Retirement Cost and Payback Calculator
- JD Edwards World Month-End Close Procedure Template
- Distributor Customer Credit Application Template
- Distributor Customer Profitability Worksheet