Welding Cost per Metre / per Foot Calculator

How it works

Arc hours/m = kg/m ÷ deposition rate; labour = arc hours ÷ operating factor × rate; filler = kg/m ÷ efficiency × price; gas = flow × arc minutes × price; power = A × V ÷ 1000 ÷ 0.85 × arc hours × $/kWh

In almost every welding cost study labour and overhead make up 70–85% of the cost of a weld, filler metal 10–20%, and gas and power a few percent between them — which is why cheaper wire rarely matters and anything that raises arc-on time or deposition rate matters enormously. The calculation converts weld metal per metre into arc hours through the deposition rate, then into clock hours through the operating factor, and prices each stream. It makes process comparisons honest: flux-cored wire costs more per kilogram than solid wire but its higher deposition rate can halve the labour, and a submerged-arc setup that looks expensive per hour wins on long seams.

Worked example

A 0.5 kg/m weld at 3.5 kg/h deposition needs 8.6 arc minutes; at a 35% operating factor that is 24.5 clock minutes — $22.45 of labour at $55/h. Add $2.50 of wire, $0.90 of gas and $0.15 of power for $26.00 per metre ($7.92 per foot), 86% of it labour; lifting the operating factor to 45% saves about $5 per metre.

Frequently asked questions