How do you calculate plasma cutting cost?

Add the elapsed cycle hours times the loaded cell rate, the torch-on hours times the consumable wear rate, and the setup. 160 parts at 1.5 minutes is 4 cycle hours, 300.00 at 75 an hour; at 0.8 minutes of arc it is 2.13 arc hours, 12.80 at 6 an arc hour; with 120 of setup, 432.80, or 2.71 a part, the Plasma Cutting Cost calculator's own example.

How do I work out the consumable wear rate?

Divide the price of an electrode and nozzle set by the arc hours it lasts at the current and pierce count you run. A 48.00 set lasting 8 arc hours is 6.00 an arc hour. The machine list on Setup does this for you.

Why separate torch-on time from cycle time?

Consumables wear only while the arc is on, but the cell costs money for the whole cycle, including loading, traverse and piercing. A job cutting for 25% of its cycle is driven by handling, not by the torch.

What goes in the loaded cell rate?

The machine, power, gas and the operator's labour per hour of elapsed cycle, from your costing. Leave torch consumables out of it, or they are counted twice.

Does it include plate and finishing?

No. Plate material, dross removal and finishing are separate costs; add them to the quote alongside the cutting cost.

Does the workbook use macros?

No. It is a plain .xlsx with ordinary formulas, tables and native charts. The Verify sheet re-checks the formulas against fixed test jobs and shows Self-check: PASS.

Industry Cost Kits

Plasma Cutting Cost Excel Template

Plasma cutting cost = elapsed cycle hours × loaded cell rate + torch-on hours × consumable wear rate + setup. Give every cutting job a row and see its cost per part, where it goes, the arc-on share of the cycle, and its margin against your target.

Free, and a plain .xlsx with no macros to enable. A CSV with live formulas and a printed how-to guide come with it.

Overview

This plasma cutting cost template is a working Excel workbook for fabrication estimators, cutting supervisors and cost accountants. Each cutting job is one row with its parts, the timed cycle and torch-on minutes per part, its setup and its quoted price. The machine's loaded cell rate covers the operator, power and gas for every minute of the cycle; its consumable wear rate, the electrode and nozzle set price over the arc hours it lasts, is charged only on torch-on time. It ships with ten jobs on two plasma tables of a fictional fabricator, so every tile and chart is filled in when you open it.

In the example, 160 flanges at 1.5 minutes a cycle and 0.8 minutes of arc cost 300.00 of cell time, 12.80 of torch wear at 6.00 an arc hour and 120 of setup: 432.80, or 2.71 a part, a 30.6% margin at 3.90. A rush order of twelve brackets carries its 160 setup on twelve parts, 13.33 each, and makes 4% at 18.00. A thin sheet nest of clips is cutting for only 25% of its cycle; the rest is loading, traverse and piercing at the cell rate. Across the ten jobs torch wear is 150 of 4,417, so cell time, not consumables, is where the cost is.

Plate, dross removal and finishing are not in the cutting cost. The download is a plain .xlsx with no macros. A CSV with live formulas is also included for other tools; the dashboard, charts, dropdowns and self-check are in the .xlsx.

What this template includes

Setup sheet with your company, currency, target margin and near band, and the plasma machines with their loaded cell rate, consumable set price, arc-hour life and the wear rate those make
Jobs table, one row per cutting job: material, machine, parts cut, elapsed cycle and torch-on minutes per part, setup cost and quoted price per part, with a Check column
Per job: arc and cycle hours, arc-on share, torch consumable cost, cell cost, total cost, cost per part, margin and a status in words
Dashboard with four tiles (jobs, cutting cost, torch consumables, jobs below target margin), cost per part as a share of price split into cell time, torch and setup, margin against target, and the job table
Method sheet with every formula, and a Verify sheet that re-checks the formulas against an independent reference and the Plasma Cutting Cost calculator (Self-check: PASS)
CSV with live formulas for the Jobs table; the dashboard, charts, dropdowns and self-check are in the .xlsx

Suggested use case

Use it to quote plasma-cut blanks, to check finished jobs against the price they were quoted at, or to see whether a job's money goes on cell time, torch consumables or setup.

How to use it

On Setup, type your company, currency and target margin, and list your plasma machines with their loaded cell rate, consumable set price and arc-hour life.
On Jobs, give each cutting job a row: machine, parts cut, elapsed cycle and torch-on minutes per part, setup cost and quoted price per part.
Fix anything the Check column names.
Open the Dashboard: cost per part against price, where it goes, and the jobs below target margin.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you calculate plasma cutting cost?: Add the elapsed cycle hours times the loaded cell rate, the torch-on hours times the consumable wear rate, and the setup. 160 parts at 1.5 minutes is 4 cycle hours, 300.00 at 75 an hour; at 0.8 minutes of arc it is 2.13 arc hours, 12.80 at 6 an arc hour; with 120 of setup, 432.80, or 2.71 a part, the Plasma Cutting Cost calculator's own example.
How do I work out the consumable wear rate?: Divide the price of an electrode and nozzle set by the arc hours it lasts at the current and pierce count you run. A 48.00 set lasting 8 arc hours is 6.00 an arc hour. The machine list on Setup does this for you.
Why separate torch-on time from cycle time?: Consumables wear only while the arc is on, but the cell costs money for the whole cycle, including loading, traverse and piercing. A job cutting for 25% of its cycle is driven by handling, not by the torch.
What goes in the loaded cell rate?: The machine, power, gas and the operator's labour per hour of elapsed cycle, from your costing. Leave torch consumables out of it, or they are counted twice.
Does it include plate and finishing?: No. Plate material, dross removal and finishing are separate costs; add them to the quote alongside the cutting cost.
Does the workbook use macros?: No. It is a plain .xlsx with ordinary formulas, tables and native charts. The Verify sheet re-checks the formulas against fixed test jobs and shows Self-check: PASS.