Two quotes can look miles apart on price and be identical in value — or vice versa. Once you can read the line items, you can compare them fairly and spot the games.
A CNC quote is rarely one number. The "cheap" quote often hides setup costs in a high minimum quantity, or quotes EXW so shipping and duties land on you later. The "expensive" one might be DDP with inspection included. You can only compare quotes line by line — so here's what each line means.
| Line | What it is | Negotiable? |
|---|---|---|
| Unit price | Per-piece machining cost; drops sharply with quantity | Yes, via quantity / design tweaks |
| Setup / NRE | One-time programming, fixturing, first-article | Amortised over the batch |
| Tooling | Custom jaws or special cutters (often low for CNC) | Sometimes waived at volume |
| Material | Stock cost; varies a lot by grade | Yes — grade choice matters |
| Finish / coating | Anodize, plate, blast, etc. | Yes — drop if not needed |
| Inspection | CMM / dimensional report | Worth keeping |
| Incoterm | EXW / FOB / DDP — who pays freight & duty | Compare on the same basis |
| Lead time | Working days to ship | Express often available for a fee |
| MOQ | Minimum order quantity | See MOQ explained |
| Payment terms | Deposit %, balance trigger | Staged terms are normal & safer |
If one piece costs $90 and a hundred cost $12 each, that's not price gouging — it's the setup being spread across the batch. Programming, fixturing and the first-article check are paid once whether you make 1 or 100. Understanding this lets you ask the right question: "what quantity gets the unit price I want?" rather than assuming the prototype price is the production price.
Red flag: a quote with no breakdown, 100% payment up front to a personal account, and no inspection offered. Before you commit, it's worth knowing how to vet the shop behind the number.
Most cost is one-time setup — programming, fixturing, first-article — spread across the batch. So 100 pieces cost far less each than 1.
NRE covers one-time programming, custom fixtures and special tools. CNC usually has low or no hard tooling, charged once, not per part.
Incoterms defining who pays freight and duty. EXW = you arrange everything from the door; FOB = seller loads the vessel; DDP = seller delivers with duties paid. Compare quotes on the same Incoterm.
Material grade, tolerances, finish, Incoterm and inclusions, lead time, inspection and payment terms — and that two compared quotes cover the same scope.
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