How do you calculate the cost of subcontracted finishing?

Multiply the parts (or hours) by the vendor's rate, apply your pass-through markup, then add a handling charge. With 40 parts at an effective $16.18 each and a 115% pass-through you get $552 of captured value; adding the $95 handling charge yields a $647 subcontract cost.

What markup should I add to a finishing vendor's price?

A 10-25% markup (a pass-through factor of 110-125%) is common to cover freight, re-inspection and your risk on the vendor's quality. The 115% default is a middle-of-the-road choice for routine finishing like dyeing or smoothing.

Why charge a separate handling fee if I already mark up the vendor price?

The markup scales with volume but coordination doesn't — packing parts, shipping to the vendor, tracking the PO and re-receiving is roughly fixed per job. The $95 flat handling charge captures that regardless of part count.

Should I pass through finishing at cost to win the job?

Only if you accept zero margin and full quality risk on someone else's work. Marking up to at least 110% means a vendor scrap or a freight bump doesn't push that line negative.

Subcontract finishing vs. in-house finishing — when does each win?

Outsource when the process needs equipment you don't own (anodizing, plating) or volume you can't absorb. Run it in-house when you can keep the labor loaded and avoid the freight and coordination burden this calculator prices in.

Can I use this for machining or just cosmetic finishing?

Any outsourced post-process works — CNC cleanup, threading, plating, painting. Set the first field to parts or to vendor hours, whichever your finishing vendor bills on.

Additive Manufacturing Service Bureau Quoting calculator

Finishing Subcontract Cost Calculator

Finishing Subcontract Cost is what a 3D printing bureau should charge a customer when post-processing is sent to an outside vendor — vapor smoothing, dyeing, anodizing, painting, plating or precision machining the printed part can't do in-house. Estimators use it to wrap the vendor's invoice in a billable markup plus a handling fee, so the bureau isn't doing pass-through work at zero margin. It matters because outsourced finishing is often the most variable line on an additive quote and the easiest place to leak money: you carry the vendor's cost, the freight, the re-inspection and the coordination, but only bill the raw vendor price unless you build in a markup. This calculator makes that markup and the coordination burden explicit.

What this calculator does

Estimate outsourced finishing cost for AM quotes from subcontract quantity, vendor rate, billable capture, and handling markup.
an estimator needs to include outside finishing cost in a 3D printing quote
It computes the quoted subcontract cost by multiplying subcontracted parts or hours by the vendor's rate and a billable pass-through markup, then adding a flat handling/coordination charge.

Formula used

Captured subcontract value = subcontracted quantity × vendor rate × billable pass-through
Finishing subcontract quote cost = captured value + handling/coordination charge

Inputs explained

Subcontracted parts or finishing hours:
Vendor finishing rate:
Billable pass-through markup:
Handling and coordination charge:

How to use the result

Use it whenever a quote includes a finishing step performed by an outside shop rather than on your own line.
It assumes the vendor's rate is firm; if your finishing vendor prices in tiers or adds freight surcharges, those need to be folded into the vendor rate before you run the numbers.

Current U.S. benchmarks

The producer price index for plastic resins and materials stands at 319.371 (BLS, May 2026), up 19.5% from a year earlier. Quotes priced off last quarter's material cost miss this move.
The U.S. prime lending rate is 6.75% (Federal Reserve via FRED, 2026-07-02). Payback and financing math should start from today's rate, not a remembered one.

Common questions

How do you calculate the cost of subcontracted finishing? Multiply the parts (or hours) by the vendor's rate, apply your pass-through markup, then add a handling charge. With 40 parts at an effective $16.18 each and a 115% pass-through you get $552 of captured value; adding the $95 handling charge yields a $647 subcontract cost.
What markup should I add to a finishing vendor's price? A 10-25% markup (a pass-through factor of 110-125%) is common to cover freight, re-inspection and your risk on the vendor's quality. The 115% default is a middle-of-the-road choice for routine finishing like dyeing or smoothing.
Why charge a separate handling fee if I already mark up the vendor price? The markup scales with volume but coordination doesn't — packing parts, shipping to the vendor, tracking the PO and re-receiving is roughly fixed per job. The $95 flat handling charge captures that regardless of part count.
Should I pass through finishing at cost to win the job? Only if you accept zero margin and full quality risk on someone else's work. Marking up to at least 110% means a vendor scrap or a freight bump doesn't push that line negative.
Subcontract finishing vs. in-house finishing — when does each win? Outsource when the process needs equipment you don't own (anodizing, plating) or volume you can't absorb. Run it in-house when you can keep the labor loaded and avoid the freight and coordination burden this calculator prices in.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.