Should I include the original material cost?

No. This total is the additional expense of repair. Include only extra replacement material or consumables; keep the original booked manufacturing expense separate.

Does repair time include grinding?

Yes, if grinding belongs to the repair scope. Include rewelding and required repair checks in the observed per-part minutes.

What belongs in the batch setup charge?

Include one-time repair preparation expense that is absent from the per-part observation and consumables. Exclude any labor already charged through those repair minutes.

Does a lower cost approve the repair?

No. The repair must follow the applicable disposition and approved procedure. This calculator compares entered expenses with a budget.

Welding & Fabrication calculator

Weld Rework Cost Calculator

Estimate the additional expense of repairing a weldment lot. Enter repair observations, the loaded labor rate, added consumables, one batch setup charge and the approved budget.

What this calculator does

Total the added labor, consumables and batch setup expense of a weld repair lot.

Formula used

Repair labor cost = reworked weldments × repair personminutes per weldment ÷ 60 × loaded rate per personhour
Added consumables cost = reworked weldments × added consumables per weldment
Total rework cost = repair labor cost + added consumables cost + batch setup cost
Cost per weldment = total rework cost ÷ reworked weldments
Budget reserve = repair expense budget − total rework cost

Inputs explained

Weldments Reworked: Repair count from the job disposition.
Repair Labor per Weldment: Summed worker minutes for grinding, rewelding and repair checks per weldment.
Loaded Repair Labor Rate: Approved cost per worker hour including your chosen burden.
Added Consumables per Weldment: Added filler, abrasives and gas expense, excluding labor.
Batch Repair Setup Cost: One repair setup charge excluded from per-part time and consumables.
Repair Expense Budget: Approved additional expense for this repair lot.

How to use the result

Best suited to repair lot budgeting, repair quote comparison.
Input bounds are numerical limits for this implementation, not recommended process settings. Does not authorize a repair procedure or establish repaired-weld acceptance. Lost production and original manufacturing expense require separate accounting.

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

Should I include the original material cost? No. This total is the additional expense of repair. Include only extra replacement material or consumables; keep the original booked manufacturing expense separate.
Does repair time include grinding? Yes, if grinding belongs to the repair scope. Include rewelding and required repair checks in the observed per-part minutes.
What belongs in the batch setup charge? Include one-time repair preparation expense that is absent from the per-part observation and consumables. Exclude any labor already charged through those repair minutes.
Does a lower cost approve the repair? No. The repair must follow the applicable disposition and approved procedure. This calculator compares entered expenses with a budget.

Last reviewed 2026-10-06.