Welding cost calculator

Know your true cost per inch

Compare manual MIG against cobot welding on a per-inch basis: labor rate, travel speed, arc-on time, deposition, and rework. Instant comparison, your numbers.

01

Enter material & labor costs

Gas, wire, and hourly rate.

02

Set your manual parameters

Travel speed, arc-on time, deposition rate, and rework.

03

See the comparison

Cost per inch, cost per foot, throughput, and annual savings.

Material & Labor Costs

$25.00

Fully loaded or base hourly wage

$0.08 per CF
$1.50 per lb
35 CFH

Typical MIG: 25-45 CFH

Manual Welding

15 IPM

Inches per minute while welding

25%

Industry avg: 20-30% for manual

6 lbs/hr

Wire deposited per arc-on hour

8%

Percentage of welds requiring rework

Cobot Welder (Typical Performance)

Travel Speed25 IPM
Arc-On Time65%
Deposition Rate8 lbs/hr
Rework Rate2%
Note: These are typical cobot MIG welding values based on real-world production data. Actual performance varies by application.

Annual Estimate

2080 hrs

2080 = standard single shift

Estimated Cost Savings

73%

lower cost per inch with a cobot

Cost Per Inch Comparison

ManualCobot
Labor$0.1111$0.0256
Shielding Gas$0.00$0.00
Wire / Electrode$0.0100$0.00
Subtotal / inch$0.1242$0.0355
+ Rework (8% / 2%)$0.00$0.00
Total / inch$0.1342$0.0362
Total / foot$1.61$0.4346

Throughput: Inches Welded Per Hour

Manual Welder225 in/hr
Cobot Welder975 in/hr

Throughput Gain

4.3x

more inches per hour

Cobot Annual Output

169,000 ft

vs 39,000 ft manual

Annual Cost to Weld the Same Inches

Based on 2,080 hours/year at manual throughput (468,000 inches)

Manual Welding$62,787
Cobot Welding$16,950

Estimated Annual Savings

$45,837

Note: This comparison uses only consumable and labor costs per inch of weld. It does not include cobot equipment cost, benefits, overtime, or turnover savings. Run a full ROI analysis to see the complete picture.

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