Welding Cost — Arc Time, Consumables & Quote Math (2026)
Welding quotes vary wildly because the visible weld is a fraction of the work: fitting, positioning, setup and finishing live under the hood. Here's the full stack.
Quick answer: Welding cost = arc time (length ÷ travel speed) × shop rate + setup + consumables. Manual MIG travels 15–25 IPM on carbon steel; welder rates run $45–85/h; consumables add $0.07–0.30/inch. A 60-inch run with 20-min setup at $60/h ≈ $29 — before grinding, inspection and markup.
Arc time — the core number
- Arc time = weld length ÷ travel speed.
- Manual MIG carbon steel: 15–25 IPM fillets; TIG: 5–12 IPM; mechanized: 30+ IPM.
- Position matters: overhead and vertical-down work run 30–50% slower — quote the worst position.
- A real assembly's arc time is often 20–40% of total weld-related hours; fitting eats the rest.
Labor and setup
Welder rates: $45–85/hour in US shops, $75–150 for mobile calls with minimums. Setup — fitting, clamping, tacking, repositioning — runs 2–5× arc time on fixtures-less work. Charge it as its own line: 'setup $40, weld $29, finish $18' ends the discount conversation before it starts, because the customer can see which line they're negotiating.
Consumables
- MIG carbon steel: $0.05–0.12/in wire + $0.02–0.08/in gas ≈ $0.07–0.20/in
- TIG stainless with purge: $0.30+/in (filler rod + argon)
- Aluminum MIG: higher wire cost, 100% argon or helium mixes
- Contact tips, nozzles, anti-spatter: batch overhead, penny-scale but real
Why quotes vary 3×
Two honest shops can quote the same weld $29 and $87: one assumed bench-position MIG with no finishing; the other included fit-up of non-square stock, 2 passes, grind-and-paint, and inspection. Neither is wrong — the scope wasn't. The calculator prices the base weld; the quote discipline is writing down what else it includes.