Adding Parts to a Quote

Each quote contains one or more parts — the individual components you're quoting to manufacture. Every part can include a material, a sequence of manufacturing operations (the routing), and any off-the-shelf purchased items.

Adding a Part

Open a quote and scroll to the Parts section.
Click Add Part.
Forge creates a new part and navigates you to the part detail page.

The Parts section header shows the total number of parts and the combined cost across all parts.

Part Information

The Part Info section captures the basics:

Part Number — your internal or client-provided part number (required). As you type, Forge searches your quote history for matching parts. Select a match to copy its details. If a reused part's operations were quoted at equipment rates that have since changed, Forge asks whether to keep the originally quoted rates or refresh them all to the current rates. Keeping is the default, so reusing a part never silently changes its price.
Part Name — a descriptive name for the part (required).
Description — optional longer description.
Quantity — how many units of this part the client needs. This drives cost calculations (setup costs are spread across the quantity, cycle time is multiplied by it).
Notes — click "Add Notes" for internal notes about this part. These stay inside Forge and are never shown to the client.
Client-facing note — click "Add client-facing note" for a note that appears under this part on the quote PDF sent to the client. Use it to flag a part-specific condition, such as "machined except the internal keyway" or a finish exclusion.

File Uploads and AI Analysis

The right side of the Part Info section is a file manager where you can upload drawings, 3D models, and reference documents. Supported formats include PDF, images, STEP, and STL files.

STEP and STL models open in an interactive 3D viewer. For STEP files, a badge in the bottom-left corner shows the part's overall size, with an in / mm switch to change the unit. Click the box icon in the top-left corner to draw the bounding box on the model, with the length of each side labelled.

For PDF drawings, click Analyze to have Forge AI read the part information off the drawing: part number, name, quantity, material type and shape (resolved against your material catalog), and the raw stock size when the drawing states one. Fields Forge AI filled are marked with a sparkle icon that stays until you edit the value or accept the suggestions; see Forge AI Suggestions on Quotes.

Material

The Material section defines the raw material for the part. Click the section header to expand it.

Material Source

Section 1 asks who provides the material. Pick one of three options:

Sourced — you will purchase the material from a supplier.
Client Supplied — the client is providing the material. Cost fields are zeroed automatically.
Inventory — pull the material from your own stock. Forge uses the inventory item's recorded cost.

When the source is Sourced, a compact Lead Time (Business Days) field appears next to the toggle. Enter how many business days the material takes to arrive once the client places the PO. Forge feeds this into the quote's earliest lead time. Leave it blank and Forge falls back to your company default lead time.

Processing Mode

Regardless of source, Section 3 asks how the material will be processed. Three tabs:

Saw Cut — the material will be cut to length. For Sourced and Client Supplied, you enter stock dimensions and cut length, and Forge calculates how many bars you need and the cost per piece including scrap.
Standard Stock — use standard-length stock as-is (e.g., 12-foot bars). Forge calculates how many pieces fit per bar. The Material Summary below the dimensions reads as one sum: Material Purchased (bars × bar length) = Used in Parts (quantity × part length) + Waste. Hover the info icon on Waste to see it itemised as saw kerfs, the end-waste stub on each bar, and the drop left on the last bar; a large drop is a usable remnant, not scrap. Min. Length to Order (parts + kerf + end waste on each bar) is the exact length to ask a supplier for when the drop on standard bars is excessive; it is not part of the sum above.
Other — a custom workflow. For Sourced and Client Supplied, enter a description and unit cost directly.

When Inventory is the source, each processing tab first asks you to pick the stocked item:

Saw Cut (Inventory) — pick the stocked bar, enter the length you need cut. Don't forget to add a cutting operation in the Operations section so the labor and blade time are accounted for.
Standard Stock (Inventory) — pick the stocked item; it's used at its own stock dimensions, no extra fields.
Other (Inventory) — pick the stocked item and describe any custom processing in the Processing notes field.

Switching sources mid-edit preserves your tab selection and shared fields (material type, shape, scrap rate). Fields that don't apply to the new source are cleared.

Material Type and Shape

For Saw Cut and Standard Stock modes:

Material Type — select from your configured material types (e.g., Aluminum 6061, Stainless Steel 304, Mild Steel 1018). Material types are managed in Settings.
Material Shape — select the cross-section shape (e.g., Round Bar, Flat Bar, Plate, Sheet, Square Tubing, Hex Bar). The shape determines which dimension fields appear.

Dimensions

Dimension fields change based on the selected shape:

Round Bar — outer diameter (OD) and length
Flat Bar — thickness, width, and length
Plate/Sheet — thickness, width, and length
Tubing — OD, wall thickness, and length
Hex Bar — across-flats dimension and length

Toggle between Imperial and Metric units as needed.

Cost Fields

Unit Cost — the cost per unit of material (per bar, per piece, per pound, depending on mode).
Markup: a percentage or fixed amount added to the material cost. Click the markup value (marked with a pencil) to change it.
Scrap Rate % — expected material waste (e.g., 5% for saw kerfs and offcuts). This increases the quantity needed.
Client Supplied — if Section 1 is set to Client Supplied, cost fields are zeroed and hidden automatically.

Operations (Routing)

The Operations section defines the sequence of manufacturing steps. Each operation is a card that you can drag to reorder.

Internal Operations

An internal operation is work done in your shop. Each one has:

Process — the type of work (e.g., CNC Milling, Turning, Welding). Select from your configured processes.
Equipment — which machine this operation runs on (e.g., Haas VF-2). Equipment is optional but helps with production planning later.
Time and Rate — three time categories, each with a time (hours:minutes) and an hourly rate:
- Programming — CAM programming time. This is a batch cost (not multiplied by quantity).
- Setup — machine setup time. Also a batch cost.
- Cycle — per-part run time. This is multiplied by the part quantity.

The rate defaults to the process's hourly rate but can be overridden per operation.

When the equipment has an hourly cost, the rate is calculated as cost plus markup, and the rate field is locked. Click the Cost or Markup value under the rate (marked with a pencil) to change it. The rate updates right away.

Outside Operations

An outside operation is work sent to a subcontractor (e.g., heat treating, anodizing, plating). Each one has:

Name — a label for the operation (e.g., "Anodize Type III").
Estimated Cost — the subcontractor's price. Choose whether it's a Lot cost (fixed total) or Per Unit cost (multiplied by quantity).
Shipping Cost — freight to and from the subcontractor.
Markup % — your markup on the outsourced cost.
Lead Time — expected turnaround in business days.
Notes — any special instructions for the subcontractor.

Adding and Reordering Operations

Click Add Internal Operation or Add Outside Operation to append a new operation to the routing.
Drag the handle on the left of any operation card to reorder the sequence.
Click the trash icon to remove an operation.

Purchased Items

The Purchased Items section covers off-the-shelf components that you buy and include with the part (e.g., fasteners, bearings, seals, electronics).

Each purchased item has:

Item Number — supplier part number or catalog number.
Description — what the item is.
Quantity — how many are needed. Choose between:
- Per Unit — the quantity is per part (multiplied by the part quantity).
- Lot — the quantity is a fixed total for the entire order.
Unit Price — the cost per item.
Markup or Billable %: pick one with the toggle inside the field. Markup raises the price above your cost. Billable bills only a share of the cost to the client: 50 bills half, 0 absorbs the item, which suits something you buy for the job but partly keep in the shop. Only one applies at a time, so switching resets the other (markup to 0, billable to 100). The line total shows what goes on the quote and its PDF; when you bill part of the item, its full cost appears underneath, and the job's cost analysis still counts that full cost.
Lead Time — expected business days to receive the item.
Client Supplied — check this if the client is providing the item. Cost becomes zero.
Notes — click to add notes about the item.

How these settings combine:

Client Supplied wins: the client provides the item, so nothing is billed whatever the Billable %.
Where the item comes from and how much of it you bill are independent: an item taken from inventory can still be billed in full, in part, or not at all.

Set the sourcing to Inventory when the shop already has the item (a cutting tool, a tap, a fixture). Pick a tracked inventory item, or type a name that isn't in the list and choose:

Not tracked: the item stays a name and a price on this quote. Nothing is added to Inventory.
Add to inventory: creates the inventory item on the spot, with the quantity on hand if you know it, and links this line to it.

Either way, an item taken from inventory never delays the earliest lead time or the job ETA, and it's never listed as something to order.

Part Summary

At the bottom of each part card (on the quote overview page), you'll see:

Op Time — total hours across all operations
Outside Lead Time — total lead time for outside operations (shown only if there are outside ops)
Per Unit — the cost to produce one unit of this part
Total — the total cost for this part (unit cost multiplied by quantity, plus batch costs)

Duplicating and Deleting Parts

From the quote overview page, hover over a part card to see action buttons:

Edit — open the part detail page to make changes.
Duplicate — create a copy of the part with all its materials, operations, and purchased items.
Delete — remove the part from the quote (requires confirmation).

You can also change the quantity directly from the quote overview page by clicking the quantity value on any part card.