Does a stock part fit?
If an off-the-shelf bracket, clip, or fitting does the job, buy it. Custom work earns its cost when it has to fit something nothing standard will.
British Columbia
British Columbia
THE SAME SKILLED SETUP, WHETHER YOU ORDER ONE OR FIFTY
The setup costs the same for one part as for fifty, so a one-off pays for all of it.
A small custom part costs more than its size suggests because most of the work happens once per order, whatever the quantity. The drawing gets read, and the machines get set up. The metal gets bought, and the finished part gets checked and packed, whether you ordered one or forty. This guide shows where that work goes, how the price of each part drops as you order more, and which design details add shop time. It also gives six ways to bring the price down before you order.
Answer these before the order goes out. Each yes can take a whole step off the price of a one-off.
If an off-the-shelf bracket, clip, or fitting does the job, buy it. Custom work earns its cost when it has to fit something nothing standard will.
A bracket added to a duct package or another job shares the review, the setup, and the delivery that order already pays for.
If you will, order the extras now. The second one costs less than the first, and a separate order next month carries its own review and setup.
If you answered no to all three, you have a true one-off. The rest of this guide shows what you're paying for, and where you still have room to save.
Most of the shop's work happens once per order, whether you order one part or fifty. Only the cutting and folding grows with the number of parts.
| What the shop does | One bracket | Fifty brackets |
|---|---|---|
| Reads your drawing and checks the sizes | Once | Once |
| Draws the part and programs the cuts | Once | Once |
| Sets up the folding machine | Once | Once |
| Cuts and folds the metal | 1 time | 50 times |
| Checks the first part against the drawing | Once | Once |
| Labels, invoices, and ships the order | Once | Once |
Five of these six jobs take the same time for one bracket or fifty. Order one, and that bracket pays for all five on its own. Order fifty, and each bracket pays a fiftieth.
No published price list fits every shop, but one pattern holds across the trade, in British Columbia as anywhere else. The price of each part falls fast once the setup is shared. The figures below show that pattern as an illustration, not a Duct Duct Goose quote.
| How many you order | Price of each part, compared with ordering one | Why |
|---|---|---|
| One | The full price | The setup and paperwork all land on one part |
| Ten of the same part | About 40 to 50% of the single price | The setup is split ten ways |
| Fifty of the same part | About 20 to 30% of the single price | The setup barely shows on each one |
Say one custom bracket is quoted at $120. On the same pattern, ten would typically come in at about $48 to $60 each, and fifty at about $24 to $36 each. That's the pattern worked through as an illustration, not a Duct Duct Goose quote. Much of every price pays for skilled labour. In BC, a sheet metal worker earns a median of about $32 an hour. Most earn between $23 and $46. The rate a shop bills also covers its machines, software, and building. The full local, prefab, and imported comparison is in Custom Fabrication vs Prefab and Imported Parts.
Some parts cost more for a second reason. They're easy to draw and awkward to make, because the machine and the hands holding the part need room to work.
A press brake folds metal by pushing it down into a V-shaped die. A flange is the edge being folded. One too short to reach across that V can't be folded without different tooling or a change to the part.
A hole set too near a bend can stretch out of round when the metal folds. Design guides keep holes a few metal thicknesses back from the fold.
A part where every size has to be exact takes slower work and more checking. Tight tolerances belong where the part meets something, and nowhere else.
A brushed or polished finish is done by hand, and a part that fits in one hand is fiddly to hold while it's blended. A bracket behind a ceiling rarely needs one.
The flange is the one that catches people out. It looks fine on the drawing, and the problem only shows up at the brake.
Flange too short
The edge falls into the die opening, so there's nothing to bend against
Flange long enough
The metal spans the die opening, so the punch can fold it
Sheet metal comes in standard sheets, most often 4 by 8 or 4 by 10 feet. Every order is cut from one of them. When the metal is something the shop works with every day, yours comes out of a sheet already on the rack. When it isn't, a single bracket can mean buying a whole sheet, and much of it sits as offcut until another job needs it.
A common metal and gauge comes out of stock or an offcut from another job. The part pays for the metal it uses, plus a share of the waste.
An unusual grade, gauge, or finish may have to be ordered as a full sheet. A one-off can end up carrying much of that sheet's cost.
One small part, one full sheet
When the metal isn't already on the rack, a whole sheet may be bought for your part.
Our materials and finishes page lists the metals we work in. If your spec allows a choice, ask which gauge the shop keeps in stock.
Every one of these cuts a step, shares a step, or makes a step faster. None of them asks you to accept a worse part.
Send the bracket with the custom duct fittings or other parts on the same job. One request, one review, and one delivery cover the lot.
If you'll need a second one for the next unit or the next site, order it today. Each extra part shares the setup the first one paid for.
A PDF drawing or a DWG or DXF file goes straight to programming. A photo or sketch has to be drawn first, and a drawing fee applies, credited when you order.
Choose a metal and thickness that gets used every day, if the spec leaves it open. The bracket then comes out of stock instead of a sheet bought for it.
Keep tight tolerances where the part meets something, and leave the rest at a normal tolerance. Save the brushed finish for faces people will look at.
A part formed from one sheet often needs less welding and less finishing than one built from pieces. Ask whether yours can be folded, where the spec allows.
Not every lever fits every part. A bracket that carries a load may need the welds and the heavier gauge, so check with whoever owns the design before you change it. Where a part does need joining, our welding and assembly work covers it.
Each of these adds a step, a round of questions, or a second order. One line in the request heads off most of them. Where a reliable published figure exists, the extra cost is given as an illustration, not a Duct Duct Goose quote.
| The mistake | What it costs you | Estimated extra cost | What to send instead |
|---|---|---|---|
| One part now, one next month | Two reviews, two setups, and two deliveries | A second full one-off price | Both parts on one order |
| A photo of a worn part, no sizes | A round of questions, or a drawing fee before pricing | A drawing fee, credited when you order, plus a few days of back and forth | The key sizes measured, or the part itself to copy from |
| "Make it exactly like the original" | Extra questions, and an exact copy may not be possible | Depends on the part, so no fair range exists | A part that does the same job, with the sizes that matter |
| A tight tolerance on every dimension | Slower work and more checking on every edge | More time at the brake and more checking, by an amount that depends on the part | Tight tolerances only where the part meets something |
| A brushed finish on a hidden part | Hand finishing nobody will ever see | Hand finishing hours, by an amount that depends on the part | "Mill finish is fine" written on the order |
| "A couple" as the quantity | A price for one, then a second price later | Each part priced as a one-off, about twice the per-part price of an order of ten | The exact number, spares included |
A photo still helps as context next to the sizes. The difference between a photo and a drawing has its own guide, Why Photos Are Different From Fabrication Drawings.
A single bracket goes through the same checks as a full package. A wrong bracket stalls an install just as surely as a wrong duct run.
Reading the request. Our custom metal fabricators check the sizes, the metal, and the quantity, then ask about anything missing before pricing it.
Drawing it, if you can't. From a photo or a hand sketch, we can draw the part for you. A drawing fee applies, and it's credited back when you order.
Pricing it. We quote from PDF drawings, DWG or DXF files, photos with the tape showing, or a hand sketch.
Building it. Custom fittings are typically ready 1 to 2 days after the drawings are approved and the deposit is in. The time depends on the size of the order, and stainless kitchen work typically takes 1 to 2 weeks.
Checking it before it leaves. The critical sizes are measured again on the finished part before it leaves Pitt Meadows.
If something doesn't fit and the mistake was ours, Duct Duct Goose fixes or remakes it at no charge. That holds for one bracket or a full package.
A custom one-off earns its price when it saves the job something bigger. When nothing on site depends on it, a stock part or a looser spec is often the better buy.
Sometimes the cheapest part is the one you don't have made. If a stock bracket or fitting does the job, buy it, and save custom work for the part that has to fit where nothing else will. We'll tell you when that's the case. We'd rather lose the order than make you a part you could buy for less elsewhere and charge you more for it.
Tick these before the request goes out, and the first reply comes back as a price instead of a question. More guides on what moves a price sit in Custom Fabrication Cost Guides. The full quote checklist lives in What Duct Duct Goose Needs to Quote Custom Metalwork.
Whether it's one bracket with a full drawing or three odd parts on a napkin sketch, send it over. We'll tell you what's driving the price, what could bring it down, and what can ride along with the rest of your order.
Standard ductwork and fittings price instantly on WebDuct, with a company account. Stainless, kitchen exhaust, production parts, 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.
