How much should I charge per hour for welding?

Small mobile welders in North America often charge between $60 and $120 per hour depending on skill, equipment, and region. Shop rates can be lower if there is less travel. To set your own rate, add your base wage, payroll costs, overhead, and desired profit, then divide by the number of billable hours you expect per year.

What is included in welding cost?

A realistic welding cost includes direct labor (welder and helper), base metal, filler wire or rods, shielding gas, electricity, grinding and prep time, consumables like tips and discs, travel time, shop overhead, and profit margin. This calculator lets you include all of these items explicitly.

How do I price a welding job per inch or per foot?

Estimate the total job cost including labor, materials, overhead, and profit, then divide by the total weld length. For example, if a job costs $400 and you have 80 inches of weld, your price is $5 per inch. This calculator does this automatically when you enter the weld length.

Why is my welding quote higher than online averages?

Online averages often ignore travel, setup, custom fabrication, and local wage differences. If you include realistic overhead, insurance, and profit, your quote will usually be higher than bare labor plus material. Use this calculator to show customers how the price is built up.

Welding Cost Calculator

Estimate realistic welding job costs including labor, materials, consumables, gas, overhead, and profit. Ideal for welders quoting jobs or customers checking if a quote is fair.

Welding Cost Estimator

Estimated welding hours

Hourly rate (labor only)

Material & consumables cost

Overhead & profit margin

Percentage added on top of labor + materials.

Total weld length (optional)

If provided, cost per inch/foot/meter will be calculated.

Labor

Welder hourly rate

Welder hours

Helper hourly rate (optional)

Helper hours

Prep / fit-up hours

Travel / setup hours

Billed at welder rate by default.

Materials & Consumables

Base metal cost

Filler wire / rod cost

Shielding gas cost

Other consumables

Grinding discs, tips, nozzles, PPE wear, etc.

Overhead, Profit & Length

Shop overhead

Covers rent, utilities, insurance, equipment, admin.

Profit margin

Total weld length

Used to compute cost per inch/foot/meter.

Results

Total job cost

$0.00

Effective hourly rate (labor portion)

$0.00 /hr

Labor cost

$0.00

Materials & consumables

$0.00

Overhead & profit

$0.00

Tip: Adjust overhead and profit to see how they affect your final quote.

How this welding cost calculator works

This tool breaks welding cost into three main parts:

Labor – welder, helper, prep, travel and setup time.
Materials & consumables – base metal, filler, gas, grinding discs, tips, etc.
Overhead & profit – shop expenses and your margin.

You can use the Simple mode for quick estimates or switch to Detailed mode to see exactly where the money goes.

Formulas used

1. Simple mode

Labor cost:

\[ C_\text{labor} = h \times R \]

Base cost:

\[ C_\text{base} = C_\text{labor} + C_\text{materials} \]

Total cost with overhead & profit:

\[ C_\text{total} = C_\text{base} \times \left(1 + \frac{p}{100}\right) \]

where $h$ = hours, $R$ = hourly rate, $p$ = overhead & profit %.

2. Detailed mode

Labor cost:

\[ C_\text{labor} = (h_w + h_\text{prep} + h_\text{travel}) \times R_w + h_h \times R_h \]

Material & consumables cost:

\[ C_\text{mat} = C_\text{base metal} + C_\text{filler} + C_\text{gas} + C_\text{consumables} \]

Subtotal:

\[ C_\text{sub} = C_\text{labor} + C_\text{mat} \]

Overhead and profit:

\[ C_\text{overhead} = C_\text{sub} \times \frac{o}{100}, \quad C_\text{profit} = C_\text{sub} \times \frac{m}{100} \]

Total:

\[ C_\text{total} = C_\text{sub} + C_\text{overhead} + C_\text{profit} \]

where $o$ = overhead %, $m$ = profit %.

3. Cost per inch / foot / meter

If you enter total weld length $L$ (converted internally to inches):

\[ \text{Cost per inch} = \frac{C_\text{total}}{L_\text{inch}} \]

\[ \text{Cost per foot} = \frac{C_\text{total}}{L_\text{inch} / 12} \]

\[ \text{Cost per meter} = \frac{C_\text{total}}{L_\text{inch} / 39.3701} \]

Typical welding cost ranges

Actual prices vary by country and city, but for small jobs in North America, ballpark figures are:

Shop welding: $50–$90 per hour (labor only).
Mobile welding: $80–$150 per hour (includes truck, fuel, setup).
Material markup: 10–40% above raw cost.
Overhead + profit: often 25–60% on top of direct labor and materials.

Use the calculator to plug in your own numbers instead of relying on generic averages.

How to use this calculator to quote a job

Estimate time – welding, grinding, fit-up, and travel/setup.
Get material prices – steel, aluminum, filler, gas, and consumables.
Choose overhead and profit – based on your shop costs and risk.
Enter weld length – if you want a per-inch or per-foot price.
Review the breakdown – adjust until the quote makes sense for you and the customer.

Frequently asked questions

Is this calculator for MIG, TIG, or stick welding?

It works for any process because it is cost-based, not process-based. You enter your actual material and consumable costs for MIG, TIG, stick, flux-core, etc. If you want to be more precise, you can break out gas and filler costs per job.

How do I set a fair profit margin?

For small welding businesses, a 10–25% profit margin on top of labor and materials is common. Risky jobs, rush work, or on-site repairs may justify higher margins. If you are just starting, it is better to quote slightly higher and deliver quality than to undercharge and lose money.

Can I use this as a customer to check a quote?

Yes. Ask your welder roughly how many hours and how much material the job will take, then plug those numbers into the calculator. It will not replace a professional quote, but it helps you see whether a price is in a reasonable range.

Why do professional welders charge more than my hourly wage?

A welding business has to cover equipment, consumables, insurance, licensing, rent, utilities, taxes, and downtime. The hourly rate you see includes all of that plus profit, not just the welder’s take-home pay. This calculator makes those hidden costs visible.