Balford publishes a cost breakdown for comparing deep-drawn-part quotations

Balford has published a quotation guide for buyers sourcing deep-drawn cups, shells and housings. The guide separates blank yield, draw and ironing stages, press time, annealing, secondary operations, finishing, inspection and tooling recovery, so two quotations can be checked on the same basis before a supplier is selected. It is available at What Drives The Unit Price Of A Deep Drawn Part?.

The publication follows a common procurement problem: one quote presents a single piece price while another separates the one-time die from the recurring part cost. Neither is automatically cheaper. The guide asks buyers to state annual volume, order batch, material grade and temper, wall requirement, surface finish and documentation package, then compare the forming route and every external operation explicitly. It also identifies bulk heat treatment and finishing as partner operations where they are required.

What should a buyer compare when quoting a deep-drawn part?

A buyer should compare a deep-drawn part quotation line by line: blank size and material yield; number of draw, redraw and ironing stages; press time; annealing; secondary operations; finishing; inspection, packaging and one-time tooling. The comparison must also use the same annual volume, batch size, material grade, temper, wall requirement, surface finish and documentation package; otherwise the quoted piece price is not like-for-like. A drawn-shell or drawn-housing piece price is normally built around the forming route, not the finished outline alone. Blank and redraw requirements are reviewed against presses from 25 t to 350 t and a maximum draw diameter of 250 mm, subject to the actual geometry and material. Ask the supplier to show tooling separately, then calculate the all-in cost by dividing the one-time tooling charge by the quantity actually planned to be ordered. Finally, confirm which operations are outsourced and whether their cost, minimum lot charge and lead time are included.

Keep one-time and recurring costs in separate columns

• Material: blank or strip area, thickness, density, purchase price and nesting yield.
• Forming: blanking, first draw, redraws, trimming, piercing and ironing as separate process steps where they affect press time.
• External processing: annealing, plating, passivation, painting and other partner operations, with minimum lot charge and lead time shown.
• Quality and delivery: inspection method, PPAP evidence, packaging and freight scope.
• Tooling: the one-time die charge, ownership or exclusivity terms, and the quantity used to amortise it.

Which questions should be settled before comparing prices?

Is the tooling included, amortised or quoted separately?

A total unit price can hide a different tooling assumption. Put the one-time charge in its own column and divide it by the quantity the buyer actually intends to order. A forecast is useful, but it is not the same as a committed order.

Do both quotations include the same forming and finishing route?

A supplier that assumes one draw may be pricing a part another supplier expects to redraw or iron. The same applies when annealing, plating, passivation or machining is omitted from one quote. Name the route and the external operation before comparing the total.

What changes if the drawing or annual volume changes?

Record the drawing revision, annual volume, batch size and programme life on the comparison sheet. Ask how the price changes if the forecast halves or if a functional dimension moves after first article; that answer exposes which costs are truly volume-driven and which are fixed.

Read the deep-drawn-part unit-price guide

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