To get an accurate sheet metal quote, send a drawing or file the shop can measure, plus five facts: material, thickness, quantity, the processes you need (cutting, bending, welding, finishing), and the finish or colour. With those in hand, an estimator can price the job without guessing.
Leave any of them out and one of two things happens. Either the quote comes back with questions, which costs you days, or someone fills in the gaps with assumptions, and the price changes when the real requirements surface. Both are avoidable. This post goes through what to send, why each detail moves the price, and the small omissions that cause the most back-and-forth.
The short checklist
If you only read one section, read this. Every complete sheet metal enquiry answers these:
- What is it? A drawing, CAD file, or dimensioned sketch.
- What's it made of? Material and grade, for example 304 stainless or 5052 aluminium.
- How thick? In millimetres.
- How many? Including whether it's a one-off, a batch, or a repeat order.
- What happens to it? Cut only, or cut and bent, welded, assembled.
- How is it finished? As cut, deburred, brushed, or powder coated, with a colour.
- Where does it go? Delivery location, and where the part will be used if that affects material or finish.
The rest of this guide is the detail behind each point.
Send a file the shop can measure
The best input is a file the cutting software can read directly. DXF or DWG for flat parts, STEP for bent or 3D parts, and a PDF drawing alongside either if there are tolerances, bend directions, or notes.
If your DXF is clean, at 1:1 in millimetres, with closed outlines and no title block, it can go straight into nesting and pricing. Our guide to preparing a DXF for laser cutting runs through the checks.
Don't have CAD? You can still get a proper quote. A hand sketch with every dimension marked, or a photo of an existing part next to a tape measure, is enough to start. It just takes a little longer to turn into a cutting file. Our post on getting a metal part made from a sketch or photo explains what makes a sketch usable.
What doesn't work well: a screenshot of a 3D model with no dimensions, a PDF scaled to fit the page, or "same as the last one" without the last one's drawing.
Why each detail changes the price
| Detail | Why it matters to the price |
|---|---|
| Material and grade | Material cost varies a lot between mild steel, 3CR12, 304, 316, and aluminium |
| Thickness | Thicker sheet costs more and cuts slower; it also changes bend tooling |
| Overall size | Decides how many parts fit on a sheet and how they're handled |
| Cut length and number of holes | More cutting and more pierces mean more machine time |
| Quantity | Setup is spread across more parts; nesting gets more efficient |
| Number of bends | Each bend is a handling operation; complex parts need more setups |
| Welding and assembly | Labour, fixturing, and cleaning up afterwards |
| Finish | Deburring, coating, masking, and colour changes all add time |
| Tolerances | Tight tolerances may need extra checking or a different method |
You don't need to know how the shop calculates any of this. You just need to give the information so nobody has to guess. If you'd like to understand what drives the cutting part of the price, our post on laser cutting cost breaks it down.
The details people forget
These are the gaps that commonly turn a quick quote into an email thread.
Thickness in gauge, or not at all. "16 gauge" is a different thickness in steel, stainless, and aluminium. Give millimetres. Our sheet metal thickness guide has a conversion chart if you're working from a gauge.
"Stainless" without a grade. 304 and 316 differ in price and in where they belong. If you don't know, say what the part is for and where it lives.
Bend direction. A flat DXF shows where the bends are, not which way they go. Mark "up" and "down" on a PDF, or send a STEP model of the folded part.
Inside or outside dimensions. On a bent part, say whether a dimension is to the inside or outside of the flange. On a 3 mm part, that's a 6 mm difference across a channel.
Which features need masking. Threads, earth points, and mating faces left off the drawing will get powder coated. Mark them.
Colour without gloss. "Black" isn't a spec. "RAL 9005, satin" is.
Quantity breaks. If you might order 10 now and 100 later, ask for both. The unit price is often quite different.
One-offs, prototypes, and production runs
The same quote form handles all three, but it helps to say which it is.
- One-offs and prototypes: say if the design might change. It's worth confirming fit on a first part before cutting fifty.
- Batches: give the total quantity and whether parts are needed all at once or in stages.
- Repeat orders: reference the previous order and send the current drawing revision, so there's no confusion about which version is being made.
Before you send a design for a batch, run it past a sheet metal design checklist. Catching a hole too close to a bend on the drawing is cheaper than catching it on part one hundred.
What happens after you submit
Once the quote request is in, we review the files and details. We typically respond within 1–2 business days. If something's unclear, we'll ask, and that's normal, not a sign the drawing was bad. Answering quickly keeps things moving.
If the job changes after quoting (new thickness, different quantity, added coating), tell us and we'll update the quote. Small changes can move the price more than you'd expect, especially material and thickness.
Sending your quote to Ctrl Cut
Our quote form takes DXF, DWG, STEP, PDF, or a photo, up to 10 MB. Bigger files can go to ctrlcutsa@gmail.com. One order can cover laser cutting, bending, fabrication, metal finishing, and powder coating, and we work across South Africa.
Fill in what you know, mark what you don't, and start your quote.