EN
Quick answer: aerospace CNC machining typically costs 3 to 10 times more per part than standard industrial machining of the same geometry. A simple bracket that a general machine shop might quote at $50 can realistically land between $150 and $500 once aerospace materials, tolerances, inspection, and documentation requirements are applied. Where a part falls in that range depends on what it is made of, how tight the tolerances are, and how much certification paperwork has to travel with it.
That premium surprises many buyers the first time they source flight hardware. The gap is not a markup for the word "aerospace" — it reflects a fundamentally different manufacturing process, from the cutting speeds on the machine to the traceability records in the quality office. This article breaks down where the money actually goes in aerospace CNC machining, when standard machining is good enough, and how to keep your next quote under control.
Standard machining runs mostly on 6061 aluminum, mild steel, and 304 stainless. Aerospace structures call for Ti-6Al-4V titanium, Inconel 718, and high-strength aluminum alloys such as 7075-T6 and 2024-T3 — materials chosen for strength-to-weight ratio and performance at temperature, not for machinability. Raw stock for titanium and nickel superalloys costs several times more per kilogram than commodity aluminum before a single chip is cut.
Cutting speeds for titanium typically sit at 30–80 m/min, against 300–600 m/min for aluminum — a 5–10× cycle-time penalty on every pass. Inconel 718 is harder still: the alloy work-hardens as it is cut, and a carbide edge in rough turning may last only 5–15 minutes before dimensional control degrades. More passes, more tool changes, and high-pressure coolant delivery all add machine hours, and machine hours are the largest line item in any machining quote.
General industrial parts commonly run at ±0.020–0.050 mm. Aerospace critical features sit at ±0.002–0.010 mm. Holding those numbers means rigid setups, careful thermal management, and frequently 5-axis machining to finish a part in one or two setups — because every re-fixturing can introduce 0.010–0.030 mm of positional error between faces. Machines capable of that work cost more to buy, maintain, and staff, and their hourly rates reflect it.
A standard shop checks parts by sampling. Aerospace work requires a First Article Inspection on the first production unit — every dimension on the drawing measured and recorded — followed by in-process gauging and CMM verification of critical features on production batches. A dimension 0.003 mm outside its tolerance triggers a documented disposition: engineering review, rework, or scrap. Inspection time is billed time.
Every aerospace part carries a paper trail: a mill test report proving the chemistry and mechanical properties of the exact material heat, batch segregation so any defective lot can be identified and recalled, and retained process records linking each part to a machine, an operator, and its inspection results. Quality systems such as AS9100 exist to enforce this discipline, and maintaining them is a real overhead cost that flows into shop rates. A part without traceability is not legally usable in an aircraft, no matter how accurately it was machined.
Exposed aerospace aluminum is almost always anodized or chemically filmed, because 7075 and 2024 corrode without protection; steel and titanium parts carry their own plating and passivation specifications. Finish requirements are tighter as well — Ra 0.4–1.6 µm versus the Ra 1.6–3.2 µm typical of industrial work — which means finer finishing passes and, in some cases, dedicated grinding or polishing operations.
| Cost factor | Standard CNC machining | Aerospace CNC machining |
|---|---|---|
| Typical tolerance | ±0.020–0.050 mm | ±0.002–0.010 mm on critical features |
| Common materials | 6061 aluminum, mild steel, 304 stainless | Ti-6Al-4V, Inconel 718, 7075-T6, 2024-T3 |
| Cutting speed | Up to 300–600 m/min in aluminum | 30–80 m/min in titanium; frequent tool changes in Inconel |
| Inspection | Sampling-based dimensional checks | 100% First Article Inspection plus CMM on critical features |
| Documentation | Basic or none | Mill test reports, batch traceability, retained process records |
| Quality system | ISO 9001 or none | AS9100-level controls with customer-specific flow-downs |
| Typical cost per part | Baseline | 3–10× baseline |
Not everything around an aircraft needs flight-grade processing. Ground support equipment, assembly tooling, mockups, and many non-structural components can be produced to standard tolerances at standard rates. The most expensive mistake buyers make is blanket-specifying aerospace tolerances across an entire drawing when only one bearing bore or mating face actually needs them. If a part never sees flight loads or certification review, say so in the RFQ — a good machining partner will quote it accordingly.
If you are comparing quotes, our guide to CNC machining cost explains how shops build up pricing line by line.
ANOK Precision Manufacturing has produced custom aerospace parts from its Shenzhen factory since establishing its precision machining department in 2011. As an ISO 9001:2015-certified precision CNC machining factory, ANOK runs five-axis linkage machining centers and holds tolerances down to ±0.002 mm on components such as couplers, retainer rings, guidance fins, flanges, seat frames, control valve housings, engine mounts, and landing gear components, with experience addressing MIL-STD-810G and FAA/EASA airworthiness requirements.
The shop machines the full range of aerospace materials — Ti-6Al-4V titanium, Inconel nickel alloys, 7075 and 6061 aluminum, stainless steels, and engineering plastics such as PEEK — and backs machining with in-house wire EDM, surface grinding, coating and surface treatment, and high-precision assembly. That one-stop structure removes the inter-vendor markups described above, and free DFM feedback at the quoting stage often removes cost before production starts.
Send your drawings through our contact page for a free, no-obligation quote on your next project.