Spring Quote and Wire Cost Estimate Worksheet
Spring quotes are mostly wire, machine time and setup spread over the run. This worksheet turns wire diameter, mean diameter and coils into wire weight, then adds scrap, cycle time, setup and markup to give a unit price and a total for each quote line.
| Part | Wire | Wire dia (in) | Mean dia (in) | Total coils | Order qty | Wire $/lb | Scrap % | Cycle (sec each) | Machine + labor $/hr | Setup $ per run | Markup % | Wire lb each | Material each | Labor each | Setup each | Price each | Material extended | Line total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
0.0323 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $399 | $1,194 | |||||||||||||
0.0181 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $89 | $779 | |||||||||||||
0.0142 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $1 | $86 | $702 | |||||||||||||
0.0943 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $1 | $322 | $1,003 |
Wire weight = wire cross-section area x (pi x mean diameter x total coils) x 0.284 lbm per cubic inch, which fits steel and stainless; adjust the density in your own copy for bronze (about 0.32). Hooks, loops, legs, heat treatment, finishing, plating, packaging and freight are not included, add them as separate lines or in the markup. The wire-length approximation ignores end allowances.
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How to use it
Enter one row per part. Take wire diameter, mean diameter and total coils from the drawing, then add your current wire price per pound, expected scrap, machine cycle in seconds, burdened machine and labor rate, and the setup cost for the run. The worksheet computes wire weight per spring, material, labor and setup per piece, and the price after markup. Edit the quantity to see how setup amortizes: doubling the run roughly halves setup per piece. Export to Excel to attach to your quote or paste into your estimating system.
- Use a burdened machine rate, not just labor.
- Add secondary operations such as heat treat and plating as separate lines.
- Quote several quantities to give a price-break table.
How the cost is built
Wire length is approximated as pi x mean diameter x total coils. Weight is the cross-section area times that length times density. Material per piece is weight times price per pound times one plus scrap. Labor per piece is cycle seconds over 3600 times the hourly rate. Setup per piece is the setup cost divided by quantity. The three are summed and marked up. This captures the three drivers of spring cost, wire, machine time and setup, and ignores second-order items that vary by shop.
Reading the results
Look at the material share first. Small, high-volume springs are usually dominated by machine time and setup, so wire price barely moves the quote. Large wire and exotic alloys flip that, and the wire price per pound or a minimum buy from the mill becomes the main cost. Compare setup per piece at your quantity with labor per piece: if setup is larger, the quote is sensitive to run length and you should offer a quantity break. Check the average price per piece against recent actual quotes to calibrate cycle time.
Common mistakes
Estimating errors on springs are repetitive and cost margin quietly.
- Forgetting scrap and mill length remnants, which can exceed the listed percent on short runs.
- Using total coils but wire length of the free body only, missing hooks and legs.
- Spreading setup over the quantity when the real run is split into releases.
- Not updating wire price, which moves with surcharges.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I estimate wire weight for a spring?
Multiply the wire cross-section area by the wire length and the material density. Wire length is about pi times the mean coil diameter times the total coils, plus the length of any hooks or legs. This worksheet automates the coil part for steel density.
Why does unit price drop so much with quantity?
Setup is a fixed cost per run, so spread over more pieces it falls per unit. Wire and run time per piece stay about constant, which is why price break tables for springs flatten out once the setup share is small.
What markup should I use?
That depends on your overhead and market. Many shops add overhead into the machine rate and use markup for margin. Use your actual burdened rates and win-loss history, not a rule, and check results against what customers accepted.
Does the worksheet include finishing and tooling?
No. Heat treatment, plating, shot peening, grinding, special tooling and packaging are separate costs. Add them as extra lines in the worksheet or fold them into the markup. The notes show where to adjust density for non-steel wire.
If quote costs sit in spreadsheets and the ERP holds actual job costs, we can connect the two so your estimates are checked against actual cycle time and scrap by part family.
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