Use the Machining Costing Task Pane on the right side of the SolidWorks software window to set the input values for determining the cost of manufacturing a machined part.
To display this Task Pane, in a machined part, click Machining Costing 
(Tools toolbar) or .
Machining Template
| Template |
Sets an existing machining template from File Locations. |
| Launch Template Editor |
Opens the Costing Template Editor for creating or editing Costing templates. |
Material
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Class |
Sets the class of material based on the material that was set for the part. This is automatically selected if the part has a material already applied. |
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Name |
Sets the material based on the material of the part. This is automatically selected if the part has a material already applied. |
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Material cost |
Displays the cost defined for the material at the selected thickness in the template. If you override Material cost, the text box appears in yellow and you can click Reset to Template Default. |
Stock Body
| Type |
Important: The stock body selection is critical. It determines the types of machining operations used to remove material from parts.
Select one of the following:- Block
- Provides cost estimates based on manufacturing the part from a block of material. If you select Block, the softare assumes that milling and drilling operations are used to create the finished part. The initial block dimensions are for the tightest fitting block around the model.
- Plate
- Provides cost estimates based on manufacturing the part from a stock plate of material. If you select Plate, the softare assumes that a combination of 2D machining operations such as waterjet, laser, and plasma cutting, as well as milling and drilling operations are used to create the finished part. Through cuts and cuts that define the outside boundary of the part are cut using a 2D cutting method such as waterjet, laser, or plasma. Blind geometry, such as pockets, chamfers, or holes are cut using milling or drilling operations.
The stock plate size is determined by the largest surface area of the part. When you select Plate, the plate Size and Thickness from template are displayed. If no thickness values in the template match the part thickness, the closest thickness value in the template is selected, and a warning icon  indicates that the thicknesses differ.
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| Input specific size |
(Applies to Block stock bodies.) Sets the X, Y, and Z block dimensions to add stock to the tightest fitting stock faces. |
| Position |
(Applies to Block stock bodies when Input specific size is selected and when you add stock to the tightest fitting stock face.) Sets the block offset values (-X, -Y, -Z and +X, +Y, +Z). It does not affect the overall block dimensions. For example, if you change X from 100mm to 120mm, then the -X and +X values are set to 10mm and are editable. |
| Additional stock on |
(Applies to Block stock bodies and when Input specific size is cleared.) Sets the block offset values (-X, -Y, -Z and +X, +Y, +Z). It does not affect the overall block dimensions. You can also drag the handles in the graphics area to set the block size.
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| Preview stock |
Shows a preview of the stock body in the graphics area. |
Quantity
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Total number of parts |
Quantity of parts to be manufactured. |
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Lot size |
Quantity of parts to be manufactured per run. |
Shop Rate
| Shop rate |
Sets a cost per hour to determine the cost of all manufacturing operations regardless of what machine is used. This value overrides all costs related to machines and labor in the machining template. Use Shop Rate if all you have is a shop rate for manufacturing processes. For example, a manufacturing vendor may tell you that their shop rate is $100/hour instead of telling you their rates for individual processes, such as milling and drilling. You can also set the Shop Rate as a default value in the machining template.
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Markup/Discount
| Cost adjustment |
Adjusts the material cost or the total cost using a percentage factor. A negative value creates a discount, and a positive value creates a markup. For example, you can increase the cost by 15% of the material cost which gets added to the total cost. The 15% will reduce the cost with a negative percentage. Select one of the following:- % of Total Cost
- Increases the cost of manufacturing based on a percentage of the total cost.
- % of Material Cost
- Increases the cost of manufacturing based on a percentage of the material cost.
Use this option if you get a discount on material or the total cost of a manufactured part. If you are a manufacturer, use this option to set your profit margin over your actual costs.
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