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If you are sourcing custom metal parts, one question comes up early in every project: what does CNC machine metal cutting actually cost per hour? The short answer is that most machine shops charge between $30 and $150 per hour, depending on the machine type, the metal being cut, and the precision your part demands. A simple job on a 3-axis mill cutting aluminum sits at the low end of that range, while 5-axis machining of titanium with tight tolerances sits at the top. This guide explains what goes into that hourly number, lists typical rates by machine type, and shows you how to estimate — and reduce — the cost of your own parts.
A shop's hourly rate is never just the machine. It bundles together machine depreciation and maintenance, electricity and coolant, cutting-tool wear, operator wages, CAM programming time, inspection equipment, and general overhead such as the facility and quality system. That is why two shops quoting very different hourly rates can still deliver similar per-part prices: an efficient shop with a higher rate may simply machine your part in fewer hours. When you compare quotes, look at the total part price and lead time, not the hourly figure alone.
Hourly pricing varies most with the capability of the machine doing the cutting. More axes, more rigidity, and more automation all raise the rate — but they often lower the total cost by removing extra setups.
| Machine Type | Typical Hourly Rate (USD) | Best Suited For |
|---|---|---|
| 3-axis CNC milling | $40 – $75 | Plates, brackets, housings, general prismatic parts |
| 4-axis CNC milling | $50 – $90 | Parts machined on several faces without re-fixturing |
| 5-axis CNC machining | $75 – $150 | Complex contours, impellers, aerospace and medical parts |
| CNC turning | $35 – $80 | Shafts, bushings, pins, and threaded cylindrical parts |
| Wire EDM | $50 – $90 | Hardened steel, fine slots, sharp internal corners |
| Surface grinding | $55 – $100 | Tight flatness, parallelism, and fine surface finishes |
Geography matters too. Shops in North America and Western Europe often quote $75 to $150 or more per hour for 5-axis work, while established factories in China commonly quote $40 to $80 per hour for the same capability. That gap reflects labor and facility overhead rather than a difference in quality — an ISO 9001 certified factory with CMM inspection can hold the same tolerances at a lower rate.
Two parts run on the same machine at the same hourly rate can end up with very different prices, because the metal itself sets the cutting speed, the cycle time, and how fast the tooling wears out.
Setup and programming. Every new job needs program loading, workholding, tool offsetting, and a first-article check, typically billed at $50 to $200 per setup. That fixed cost is spread across your batch: a $75 setup adds $7.50 to each part in an order of 10, but only $0.15 in an order of 500. For small batches, setup can account for a third or more of the unit price.
Tolerances. Standard tolerances around ±0.05 mm are essentially free — a well-maintained machine holds them naturally. Tightening to ±0.025 mm usually adds 15 to 25 percent, and ±0.01 mm or tighter can add 30 to 50 percent because of slower finishing passes, precision grinding, and CMM verification. Specify tight tolerances only on features whose function truly demands them, such as bearing bores and mating surfaces.
Finishing and inspection. Anodizing, electroplating, powder coating, passivation, and heat treatment each add their own per-part charges, and dimensional inspection reports add a further line item. For most standard parts, finishing adds 10 to 30 percent on top of the machining cost.
Worked example: a 45-minute cycle on a 3-axis mill at $60 per hour gives $45 of cutting time, plus roughly $30 for a single 30-minute setup — about $75 of machining cost before material and finishing.
Rules of thumb are useful for budgeting, but the only reliable figure is a quote built from your actual CAD model and drawings. ANOK Precision Manufacturing is an ISO 9001:2015 certified factory in Shenzhen, China, offering one-stop CNC milling, turning, surface grinding, wire EDM, coating, and assembly. With tolerances down to ±0.002 mm and proven experience in aluminum, stainless steel, titanium, Inconel, and engineering plastics such as PEEK, our engineers return every CNC machining cost quotation with free DFM feedback — flagging the design features that drive price before production starts. Send us your drawings today and see exactly what your metal cutting project will cost.