Steel is only part of a counter's price
A bigger counter uses more steel, but the ends, sink, and splash take the same work at any length. So a counter twice as long usually costs less than twice as much.
British Columbia
British Columbia
WHAT CHANGES THE PRICE OF A CUSTOM STAINLESS COUNTER
Every seam, finished end, sink, and splash adds work for a welder, so two counters the same size can be priced far apart.
A stainless steel countertop cost depends less on its size than on the work its details add. The steel is only part of the price. Much of the rest pays for the folding, welding, and finishing that turn a flat sheet into a counter for your kitchen. This guide goes through each detail, what it adds, and where you can save without giving up what the kitchen needs.
A plain counter that fits on one sheet is quick to make. Each detail below adds steps, so check your counter against them before you ask for a price.
| The detail on your counter | What it adds to the work | How to keep it down |
|---|---|---|
| Longer than the longest standard sheet, about 3 metres | A seam, welded and ground smooth, or a joint made on site | Place the seam where it's hidden, or split the run at a corner |
| Ends that show, with no wall beside them | Each open end is folded and finished like the front | Put the counter against a wall or equipment where you can |
| A sink welded into the top | Cutting, fitting, welding, and blending around the bowl | Use a drop-in sink unless the sink is for washing or prepping food |
| A backsplash taller than about 125 mm (5 inches), or a side splash, a short stainless wall at the end | More steel to fold, plus welded corners where the splashes meet | Keep the tall splash to the wet areas |
| A finish brighter than brushed, or a higher grade | Extra polishing time, or a more expensive steel such as 316 | Save mirror finishes for the counters customers see |
Grade and finish have guides of their own. The steel's own cost is in what stainless adds to a fabrication price. The higher grade is weighed up in 304 vs 316 stainless steel.
Searching for a price per square foot is a fair place to start, but it hides where the money goes. Size sets how much steel you pay for, and the details set the labour hours.
A bigger counter uses more steel, but the ends, sink, and splash take the same work at any length. So a counter twice as long usually costs less than twice as much.
If a counter has an open end, that end gets folded and finished whether the counter is 1 metre long or 3. On a short counter, that work is a bigger share of the price.
If a sink is welded in, the welding and blending take about as long on a small counter as on a long one. Per square foot, the small counter looks expensive.
Stainless comes in standard sheets about 1.2 metres wide and 2.4 or 3 metres long. A counter longer than the sheet needs a seam, and where it goes changes the work.
| How the counter is joined | How it's made | Commonly used for | What it adds |
|---|---|---|---|
| One piece, no seam | Cut and folded from a single sheet | Counters up to about 3 metres long | Nothing extra |
| A seam welded in our shop | Two pieces welded, then ground and brushed until the weld blends in | Long runs that can still travel and fit through the doors in one piece | Welding and finishing time along the seam |
| A joint made on site | Sections built separately, with matching edges prepared in our shop, then joined in place | Long or L-shaped counters too big to deliver or carry in whole | Edge preparation, joining hardware, and work by whoever sets the counter |
Measure the doors, halls, and stairs the counter will travel through, not only the wall it sits against. A 4-metre top that won't turn the corner into the kitchen has to be built in sections. Planning that from the start costs less than finding out on delivery day.
The edges of a counter take most of the folding. Each choice below suits a different spot in a kitchen.
| Part of the counter | Common options | Commonly used for | What adds work |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ends | Plain end against a wall, or a finished end that shows | Finished ends on islands and counters that stop in the open | Each finished end is folded and dressed like the front |
| Front edge | Square edge, raised marine edge, or rounded edge | Marine edges around sinks and wet work, where a lip keeps spills on the top. Rounded edges where staff lean against the counter | A raised or rounded edge takes more forming than a square one |
| Backsplash | None, a low splash of about 115 to 125 mm, or a tall splash of about 250 mm | Low splashes along a wall, tall ones where water splashes, such as behind a sink | A taller splash uses more steel, and its top edge is folded back |
| Side splash | A short wall of stainless at the end of the counter | Ends that meet a wall or sit beside a fryer or range | Welded corners where it meets the backsplash |
Every hole in a counter is cut, edged, and checked against the part that drops into it. The way a sink is fitted makes the biggest difference.
If the sink has its own rim, we cut the opening to its template, and the sink sits in it. This is the quicker option, as long as you send the sink's model number.
If the bowl is welded in, there's no rim for food to collect under. The welding and blending around the bowl add hours, so save it for sinks where food is washed or prepped.
If a faucet, a soap pump, or a piece of equipment needs a hole, mark where it goes on the sketch. A hole planned on the drawing costs less than one cut on site.
If the counter beside a sink needs to drain, it's formed with a slight slope toward the bowl. Our stainless steel drain boards are made the same way.
The backing under the stainless sets how solid the counter feels. Gauge is the number used for sheet thickness, and a lower number means thicker steel.
If the counter sits on cabinets or a base, a wood underlay gives the stainless a flat, solid backing. It's glued under the top and adds a little material and time.
If the counter sits on legs or open frames, metal channels fixed under the top keep it stiff. Like a wood backing, they add a little material and time.
If a pot is dropped on bare stainless, the top rings like a drum. Makers commonly add a coating under the top to quiet it, which adds a little to the price.
Commercial tops are usually 14 gauge (about 2 mm) or 16 gauge (about 1.6 mm). If a top needs to be stronger, ask about bracing underneath before paying for thicker steel.
A food counter has to be easy to keep clean, and that shapes how it's built. The health inspector for your area has the final say.
| What's asked | Where it comes from | What it adds to the work |
|---|---|---|
| Food contact surfaces that are durable and easily cleaned | BC's Food Premises Regulation, section 16 | Nothing extra, because stainless is durable and easy to clean |
| Seams and joints in the food area that are sealed and smooth | NSF/ANSI 2, the food equipment standard | Seams are welded and ground smooth, which adds finishing time |
| Inside corners that are rounded, not sharp | NSF/ANSI 2 | Corners where a splash meets the top get a small curve, which takes more care than a sharp fold |
Planning a full kitchen? The food-service stainless checklist covers the counters, sinks, tables, and shelving together, so nothing is ordered twice or missed.
Two counters of the same size show how the details move the work. The hours are assumed, and the wage is the Government of Canada's Job Bank median for a welder in the Lower Mainland.
| Example in Canadian dollars, hours assumed, not a Duct Duct Goose quote | Counter A | Counter B |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 2.4 metres long, 760 mm deep | 2.4 metres long, 760 mm deep |
| Ends | Both against walls | One against a wall, one finished |
| Front edge | Square | Raised marine edge |
| Backsplash | Low splash along the back | Tall splash with a side splash |
| Sink | None | One bowl welded in |
| Hours to make it, assumed | 6 | 15 |
| Wage cost at $37.50 an hour, not a Duct Duct Goose quote | $225.00 | $562.50 |
Two counters the same length, seen from above
Illustration with hours assumed. The details add the extra time.
Counter A
Counter B
Both bars use the assumed hours from the worked example on this page. Orange marks each detail that adds work.
Counter B takes about two and a half times the hours of Counter A, on the same length of steel. A billed rate also covers machines, the building, and overhead, so the gap on a quote is wider. The sink bowl adds its own cost on top.
Most price surprises on a counter come from a detail nobody wrote down. Each fix below takes a minute when you send the request.
| What was sent | Why it raises the price | Send this instead |
|---|---|---|
| The sizes of the old counter | The old one may not have fit, so the price has to allow for sizes nobody has checked | Wall-to-wall sizes taken in the space, with a photo |
| No note on which ends show | Every end gets priced as finished, to be safe | A sketch marking each end as against a wall or open |
| A sink "to match the old one" | The opening can't be sized, so the price has to allow for any sink | The sink's model number, or its cut-out template |
| A mirror finish on a prep counter | Polishing the whole top adds hours nobody sees | Brushed on prep counters, polish only where guests look |
| One long counter with a seam in the middle of the work area | A seam where people work every day has to be ground perfectly flat, which takes longest | The seam placed at a sink, a corner, or under equipment |
These steps run the same for a single prep counter or a full kitchen run. We agree the price with you before any steel is cut.
Send what you have. Sizes, a sketch, a photo of the space, and the sink and equipment model numbers.
We draw it if you need us to. We can turn a sketch into a fabrication drawing for a fee. The fee is credited if you place the order. Drawing fees and design assist explains when it applies.
You approve the drawing and pay the deposit. That's when the counter goes into the schedule.
We build it. Stainless kitchen pieces are typically ready 1 to 2 weeks after approval and the deposit. The time depends on the size of the order.
We deliver it, or you pick it up. On larger orders, we help unload, and your own crew sets the counter in place.
Our custom stainless countertop fabrication page covers the counters we make and the kitchens they go into.
A custom counter is built to fit one space. When a standard size already fits, a stock table is the better buy.
If a standard worktable fits your space, buy it from a restaurant equipment supplier. We'll tell you so, even if it means we don't build it. Our stainless steel food prep tables are for the spots a stock size can't fill.
With these in the request, the first price needs fewer changes later. It also saves a round of questions.
Not sure what else a request needs? What Duct Duct Goose needs to quote custom metalwork covers it, and more cost guides sit in Custom Fabrication Cost Guides.
Clean drawings or a rough sketch on graph paper are both a good start. We'll tell you what's missing and which details are driving the price before we quote.
Standard ductwork and fittings price instantly on WebDuct, the online pricing and ordering portal, with a company account. Stainless counters, kitchen exhaust, installs, and other custom work start with a request or a call.
At Duct Duct Goose, we specialize in sheet metal fabrication and stainless steel services for commercial and industrial applications, including HVAC systems, ducts, and custom metalwork. Please note that we do not offer services for automotive-related projects, such as vehicle parts, repairs, or modifications.
