What is the rate for welds in a repair shop these days?

[Dick2]

Back in the early 50's when we got an electric welder, we thought prices were high when a repair shop charged $1 for each rod used (or part thereof) on an arc weld. If the shop used 5 rods, the charge was $5. The shop charged more if they had to "V" out to do the weld.

Anybody know what the rate is now?
 

[js305]

I guess I really shouldn't answer this, since I don't usually go to a welding shop and have things done. But...I do know a man who does most of the custom welding for a lot of the farmers in the area and his "rates" consist of standing back and eyeballing the job, eyeballing the customer, and doing an estimate based on what he can get by with. Or, if it's after the fact (customer simply left the item(s) and said fix it) he charges what he thinks it oughta cost.

Don't get me wrong, this guy can do stuff in his country shop that would rival anything anywhere. He has been there a long long time and is well respected for his abilities.
 

[retired farmer]

My machine shop charges $80.00 an hour.
 

[Wile E]

Most shops charge a minimum of $50 per hour. They will charge on a per job basis, so if it Really only took the guy 2 hours but the shop foreman quoted $150 then they are getting $75 per hour. That my friends is the new math you hear so much about. Productivity means something.
The same goes for Car/truck/tractor repair, machine shops, welding shops, HVAC too.
 

[Puddles]

I think it will vary from one location to the other. I can see it being anywhere from $50.00 to $200.00 and hour.
 

[Lanse]

$1 per rod them... Must be like $10 now. I'd work for that, assuming it wasnt a project that took a week to put together and an hour to weld out...

From what I know, anything under $40-$50 and hour is "too cheap" and the prices climb from there, up to $80-$90 per hour...

Its rare for me to take on a "customer" job, I usually make things myself and sell them when I do profitable jobs... I usually try to double or preferably triple my investment in steel...
 

[SDE]

I took a steel hydraulic line in for repair and and they had a minimun charge. If it only took a minute, you still had to pay that amount, which I think was $35 for the first 1/2 hour.
SDE
 

[Buzzman72]

Back when I was a kid--in the 1960's--my grand-dad was charging 1940's pricing for the welding he did for the local farmers...and even then, he was "robbin' 'em blind," according to some of 'em. He probably lost money on every welding job he ever did.
 

[Buzzman72]

Back when I was a kid--in the 1960's--my grand-dad was charging 1940's pricing for the welding he did for the local farmers...and even then, he was "robbin' 'em blind," according to some of 'em. He probably lost money on every welding job he ever did.
 

[Welding man]

I charge a flat $50.00 per hour for everything do. Welding, Mechanic work, Machine work, steam cleaning, painting and design work. Probably lose a little on some welding jobs but it all evens out at the end of the week.Not trying to get rich,just make a living.Everything I have is paid for and has been for many years. Low overhead means low prices.
 

[showcrop]

What I've been seeing is if they come to your location it is min. half day charge. So he is getting about $90.00 per hour x4 is around $350.00
 

[WGM]

I'd say you're working for free.
 

[Welding man]

I guess it is all about where you are located and what the customer is willing to pay to get a job done.About all the independent repair shops in my area working on cars and trucks and under 100 HP tractors charge about what I charge.You might be surprised at how many miles someone will drive and how much fuel they will burn to save $10.00 bucks an hour. I've been in business for over 35 years and have made a good living at it. I could have charged more and had less work. Now I have a 30 day backlog. 80% of my work is repeat customers. I take care of them and they take care of me.You can go broke by charging too much or too little. The secret is to know when to stop in both directions.
 

[Bob Huntress]

HVAC is a totally different animal, as we have two seperate price schedules. We have a price for those with PM contracts (Regular costumers) and a seperate one for those who only call when something breaks. Some companies only give the PM price while they are actually doing PM"s, but it is common enough that as long as a repairman is regularly doing the place"s PM"s they extend the price to most of the labor for them. It isn"t like there is much maintenance for the bead that will prevent the welder from having to repair the job later, other than don"t overload it.
 

[mkirsch]