How do you calculate a wire and cable quote price?

Multiply quantity by loaded unit cost, apply your recovery-and-margin factor, then add fixed order charges. At 100 units, $45 loaded cost, an 80% factor and $250 fixed charges, the quote totals $3,850, or $38.50 per unit.

What margin factor should I use when quoting cable?

It depends on competition and construction, but commodity building wire is often quoted on thin single-digit margins while specialty cable carries much more. The factor here blends cost recovery and margin into one multiplier — set it from your target gross margin and cost-recovery policy.

Why add fixed order charges to a quote?

Setup, tooling, minimum-lot and freight costs are incurred per order, not per foot. The $250 fixed charge adds $2.50/unit over 100 units but $25/unit over 10 — omitting it is how small orders quietly lose money.

Quote price vs cost price — what's the difference?

Cost price is what the reel costs you to make and ship; quote price is what you charge, with the margin factor and order charges layered on. This tool starts from loaded cost and produces the sell-side number.

How do I handle copper price swings in a quote?

For fast-moving orders, quote the base construction here and attach a separate daily copper surcharge or a firm-price validity window, rather than baking a stale copper cost into the loaded unit figure.

Does a lower quantity always mean a higher per-unit quote?

Usually, because the fixed order charges spread over fewer units. On the defaults, per-unit is $38.50 at 100 units; drop to 10 units and the same $250 fixed charge alone adds $25/unit, pushing the price up sharply.

Wire, Cable & Conductor Manufacturing calculator

Quote Price Calculator

The quote price is the number that goes on a wire and cable customer's proposal — unit cost scaled by a cost-recovery and margin factor, plus the fixed order charges (setup, tooling, minimum-lot fees, freight) that a single job carries. Sales estimators lean on it because cable quoting is unforgiving: copper moves daily, and a quote that forgets fixed order charges or under-recovers margin turns a won order into a loss. It converts a pile of internal costs into one price line and its per-unit equivalent so you can compare against a target or a competitor. On the floor, this is the last calculation before the number leaves the building.

What this calculator does

The quote price is the number that goes on a wire and cable customer's proposal — unit cost scaled by a cost-recovery and margin factor, plus the fixed order charges (setup, tooling, minimum-lot fees, freight) that a single job carries.
Use it when quote price in wire, cable and conductor manufacturing is being put through a wire, cable and conductor manufacturing weighted-cost review.
It builds a total quote from quantity x loaded unit cost x the recovery/margin factor, plus fixed order charges, and reports the per-unit price.

Formula used

Quote Price cost = quantity × rate × capture factor + fixed cost
Per-unit quote price = total cost ÷ quantity

Inputs explained

Quantity of wire/cable quoted:
Loaded cost per unit before margin:
Cost recovery + margin factor:
Fixed order charges (setup, tooling, freight):

How to use the result

Use it at the quoting stage once you know your loaded cost, before sending a proposal or checking a customer target.
The margin factor is a single blended number; it does not tier volume discounts or model a daily copper surcharge, which fast-moving orders should add separately.

Current U.S. benchmarks

The producer price index for copper and brass mill shapes stands at 559.593 (BLS, May 2026), up 76.8% from a year earlier. Quotes priced off last quarter's material cost miss this move. Global copper trades at $13,484 per tonne (IMF via FRED, May 2026).
The U.S. has 5,397 electrical equipment and appliances establishments employing about 369,437 workers (Census County Business Patterns, 2023).

Common questions

How do you calculate a wire and cable quote price? Multiply quantity by loaded unit cost, apply your recovery-and-margin factor, then add fixed order charges. At 100 units, $45 loaded cost, an 80% factor and $250 fixed charges, the quote totals $3,850, or $38.50 per unit.
What margin factor should I use when quoting cable? It depends on competition and construction, but commodity building wire is often quoted on thin single-digit margins while specialty cable carries much more. The factor here blends cost recovery and margin into one multiplier — set it from your target gross margin and cost-recovery policy.
Why add fixed order charges to a quote? Setup, tooling, minimum-lot and freight costs are incurred per order, not per foot. The $250 fixed charge adds $2.50/unit over 100 units but $25/unit over 10 — omitting it is how small orders quietly lose money.
Quote price vs cost price — what's the difference? Cost price is what the reel costs you to make and ship; quote price is what you charge, with the margin factor and order charges layered on. This tool starts from loaded cost and produces the sell-side number.
How do I handle copper price swings in a quote? For fast-moving orders, quote the base construction here and attach a separate daily copper surcharge or a firm-price validity window, rather than baking a stale copper cost into the loaded unit figure.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.