Does cut length include lead-ins?

Yes. Include every programmed cutting move. Count pierces separately because the torch remains stationary during the pierce delay.

Which speed should I use?

Use the matched cut chart and verify it on your machine. Thickness, material and required cut quality determine the appropriate speed.

Where do rapid moves and loading go?

Enter their measured minutes with setup and other cell time. They occupy the cell even though they do not increase the cutting path length.

Does the result include sheet material?

No. The loaded cell rate covers cutting expense. Add raw stock material and any secondary finishing separately when quoting the complete job.

Welding & Fabrication calculator

Cut Length Cost Calculator

Estimate cutting expense from the programmed path and occupied cell time. Enter matched cut speed, pierce count and delay, other cell minutes and the loaded hourly cell rate.

What this calculator does

Price a cutting job from programmed path length, pierce delay and occupied cell time.

Formula used

Cutting travel time = programmed cut length ÷ matched cutting speed
Stationary pierce time = pierces × delay per pierce ÷ 60
Occupied cell time = cutting travel time + stationary pierce time + other cell minutes
Total cutting cost = occupied cell minutes ÷ 60 × loaded cell hourly rate
Cost per inch = total cutting cost ÷ programmed cut length

Inputs explained

Total Programmed Cut Length: Cut path length including lead-ins from the cutting program.
Matched Cutting Speed: Cut chart or observation for this material, thickness and finish.
Pierces: Count starts that require a pierce in the cutting program.
Delay per Pierce: Programmed stationary pierce delay from the matched cut chart.
Setup and Other Cell Time: Measured setup, loading, rapid moves and unloading outside cutting.
Loaded Cutting Cell Rate: Hourly cell expense including labor, consumables, energy and allocated burden.

How to use the result

Best suited to plasma cutting quotes, comparing programmed nests.
Input bounds are numerical limits for this implementation, not recommended process settings. Excludes raw stock material, secondary edge finishing and selling margin. Variable speeds or thicknesses require separate program segments.

Current U.S. benchmarks

The producer price index for steel mill products stands at 381.162 (BLS, Aug 2026), up 23.4% from a year earlier. Quotes priced off last quarter's material cost miss this move.
Industrial electricity averages 9.77 cents per kWh across the U.S. (EIA, Jul 2026), up 4.7% from a year earlier. Energy-intensive steps carry this directly into unit cost.
U.S. iron and steel import customs value ran $2.2B in Aug 2026 (Census International Trade). The U.S. ran a trade deficit of $0.6B in the category that month. This dollar total mixes price, quantity, product mix, origin, and timing; it does not measure physical import volume or prove a tariff or reshoring effect.
The U.S. has 53,790 fabricated metal products establishments employing about 1,441,471 workers (Census County Business Patterns, 2023).

Common questions

Does cut length include lead-ins? Yes. Include every programmed cutting move. Count pierces separately because the torch remains stationary during the pierce delay.
Which speed should I use? Use the matched cut chart and verify it on your machine. Thickness, material and required cut quality determine the appropriate speed.
Where do rapid moves and loading go? Enter their measured minutes with setup and other cell time. They occupy the cell even though they do not increase the cutting path length.
Does the result include sheet material? No. The loaded cell rate covers cutting expense. Add raw stock material and any secondary finishing separately when quoting the complete job.

Last reviewed 2026-10-06.