Fixtra

Welding Cost Calculator

Total cost per weld joint and per assembly — labour (the usually-dominant cost, driven by operating factor), filler, shielding gas, SAW flux and electrical power. For consumables only, use the Consumable Cost tool.

1 Joint & geometry

Joint type

Fillet leg mm

Thickness mm

Pipe OD mm

Wall mm

Groove angle deg

Root gap mm

Root face mm

Weld length mm

Reinforcement factor

Material

Joints / assembly

2 Process & consumables

Process

Deposition efficiency

Deposition rate kg/hr

Filler price $/kg

Shielding gas?

Gas flow L/min

Gas price $/m³

Flux:wire (SAW)

Flux price $/kg

3 Labour & power

Operating factor arc-on

Labour rate $/hr

Include power cost?

Arc voltage V

Current A

Source efficiency

Power price $/kWh

Currency

Deposited weld metal—

Arc-on time / jointdeposited ÷ deposition rate—

Labour time / jointarc time ÷ operating factor—

Labour cost—

Filler cost—

Gas cost—

Flux cost—

Power cost—

TOTAL cost — per joint—

TOTAL cost — per assembly—

Cost per unit length—

The operating factor is the single biggest lever — take it seriously. It is the fraction of a welder's paid time that the arc is actually burning (the rest is fit-up, positioning, cleaning, electrode changes). Labour time = arc time ÷ operating factor, so at 25% the paid labour is 4× the arc time. Typical ranges: manual stick 0.15–0.30, semi-auto MIG/FCAW 0.30–0.50, mechanised 0.50–0.80. Get this wrong and the total is wrong by 2–5× — enter your real shop value, not the default. Labour rate should be fully burdened (wage + overhead). Power is usually <2% of total and is optional. Consumable maths (deposited, filler ÷ efficiency, gas on arc-on time) is identical to the Consumable Cost tool. Process defaults are typical mid-range values to override with your own data. This is a planning estimate, not a quotation.