Knowledge · Surface finish
Powder coating explained: how area, colour and quantity make the price
The price for powder coating comes from four things: the area of your part (outer size × 2, holes count), the total area per colour (cheaper per square metre from 2 m², no colour change fee from 10 m²), the sheet thickness and a small surcharge for parts under 0.2 m². Every RAL Classic colour costs the same. The calculator shows the exact amount as soon as you pick a colour.
Process
From the blank to the finished surface
Powder coating is the add-on to laser cutting and bending: in the calculator you choose a RAL colour and gloss level per line item, and the extra appears in the quote immediately. After cutting, deburring and bending, the parts travel a few kilometres to our coating partner. There they are cleaned and pre-treated, electrostatically coated with powder and baked at around 200 °C.
The result is a closed, scratch-resistant layer with no runs or sags – on both sides, on every edge and in every cut-out. Why the process usually beats wet paint is explained on Powder coating. This page is about the question that matters before you order: what drives the price, and what can you influence yourself?
× 2
outer rectangle, both sides
from 2 m²
first discount tier per colour
from 10 m²
colour change fee waived
216
RAL Classic colours, one price
Area
The rectangle counts – holes save nothing
Length × width × 2
Each part is measured by its smallest enclosing rectangle: length times width, times two for front and back. A 500 × 200 mm part gives 0.2 m² – no matter how much of it is cut out.
Bent parts: the flat pattern counts
For bent parts the flat sheet before bending is used, i.e. the flat pattern. A U-channel costs the same to coat as the flat strip it was bent from.
Small parts under 0.2 m²
Hanging, unhooking, checking: an 80 × 40 mm bracket takes hardly less time than a plate. That is why parts under 0.2 m² carry a small fixed surcharge per piece.
Volume tiers
Counted per colour, not per part
The price per square metre depends on how much area in one colour your order contains – across all line items and materials. Ten aluminium brackets and two steel plates in RAL 7016 count together. As soon as the total reaches a tier, the lower rate applies to every part in that colour.
On top comes the colour change fee, once per colour: the line has to be cleaned and the powder swapped, whether one part or a hundred are coated. From 10 m² in one colour it is waived. Two colours in one order therefore mean two colour changes and two separate tiers.
| Area per colour | Effect |
|---|---|
| under 2 m² | single parts and small batches |
| from 2 m² | first tier: the price per m² drops noticeably |
| from 5 m² | small series |
| from 10 m² | in addition, the colour change fee is waived |
| from 30 m² | series |
| from 50 m² | larger series |
| from 100 m² | large orders – roughly a quarter of the single-part rate per m² |
Material + thickness
Pre-treatment and oven time
Every material gets its own pre-treatment
- Aluminium: chrome-free pre-treatment, exterior powder – the most economical material to coat.
- Steel (S235, S355, DC01, HB 400): chemically degreased and additionally primed so the layer bonds permanently to bare steel. The primer is included in the price.
- Stainless steel: degreased like steel, but without primer – it does not rust.
- Galvanised steel: the zinc layer is lightly roughened (“sweep blasted”) so the powder bonds. Slightly dearer than bare steel.
Thick sheets need longer in the oven
The powder only cures once the sheet itself reaches curing temperature. Up to 3 mm that is quick; 4 and 5 mm cost slightly more. Above that the surcharge grows for every 2 mm (or part thereof) – a 12 mm plate occupies the oven about twice as long as a 5 mm sheet of the same size. So choose the thickness for function, not “one step up to be safe”.
Which thicknesses are available per material is listed under design limits.
Possible
What you can choose in the calculator
- Every RAL Classic colour at the same price, including effect and metallic shades such as RAL 9006 or RAL 9007.
- Gloss level of your choice: matt, satin or gloss.
- Weatherproof exterior powder on every part – even if it lives indoors. There is no cheaper “interior” build-up, and no surprises outside.
- Coated on both sides, edges and cut-outs included.
- Aluminium, steel, stainless steel, galvanised steel – each with its own pre-treatment. Steel is primed as well.
- Flat blanks and bent parts in one order – the coating is calculated the same way for both.
Not possible
What the calculator deliberately does not offer
- Textured powders (fine or coarse texture): only the smooth finish is available.
- Corten steel: the material lives off its rust patina – coating it makes no sense, so the calculator rejects the combination.
- Clear coat, special build-ups, masking of individual areas: not via the calculator. If you need it, put it in the enquiry.
- Parts with no way to hang them: every part needs a hole of at least 4 mm diameter, ideally close to an edge or corner.
Saving
Four levers in your own hands
One colour per order
Every additional colour brings its own colour change fee and its own, smaller tier. Mixing anthracite and black pays for both – settling on RAL 7016 gets you to the next tier sooner.
Bundle parts instead of reordering
The tier applies per order. Two orders of 1.5 m² each both stay below 2 m²; one order of 3 m² sits in the second tier and pays the colour change fee only once.
Make use of the rectangle
Because the outer size counts, a long arm sticking out of a small plate costs disproportionately. A compact outline or two separate parts are often cheaper to coat – and easier to hang.
Plan a hanging hole
A hole of 4 mm or more close to an edge or corner, somewhere that will not be visible later. Without it the coater has to improvise – that costs time and may end in a surcharge.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about powder coating
Why does the area include holes and cut-outs?
The coater hangs the part, sprays both sides and bakes it – the effort depends on the space the part occupies in the oven and on the rack, not on the material left after cutting. That is why the outer rectangle times two applies. A grille therefore costs the same as a solid plate of the same size.
When do volume discounts on powder coating start?
From 2 m² total area in one colour the price per square metre drops, with further tiers at 5, 10, 30, 50 and 100 m². From 10 m² per colour the colour change fee is waived as well. The area is counted per colour across all parts and materials in an order – you see the tier in the calculator the moment you change quantities.
What is the colour change fee?
For every colour the line has to be cleaned and the powder swapped. This flat fee applies once per colour and order, regardless of quantity. Two parts in two colours pay it twice, twenty parts in one colour pay it once. From 10 m² in one colour it is waived entirely.
Why do small parts carry a surcharge?
A part under 0.2 m² takes almost as much handling – hanging, unhooking, checking – as a large one. That is why each small part carries a small fixed surcharge on top of the area price. For very small parts it makes up most of the coating price.
Does sheet thickness matter for powder coating?
Yes. Up to 3 mm the lowest rate applies, 4 and 5 mm sit slightly above. Thicker sheets need longer in the oven to reach curing temperature – for every 2 mm (or part thereof) above 5 mm a surcharge is added to the per-m² price. The calculator applies it automatically based on the thickness you choose for laser cutting.
Can I have indoor parts coated more cheaply?
No, and that is deliberate: only weatherproof exterior powder is used. The difference to a pure interior powder would be small, and in return every part is UV- and weather-resistant – even if it ends up outside after all.
How long does powder coating take?
Allow roughly two weeks on top of manufacturing: after laser cutting and bending the parts go to our local coating partner, whose turnaround is around ten working days. The exact delivery time is shown in the calculator and in your order confirmation.
Pick a colour, see the price – no enquiry needed.
Upload your file, choose RAL colour and gloss level per line item, and the calculator shows cutting, bending and coating as three separate net amounts. Change the quantity and watch the tier.
Delivery from 2 working days · Minimum order value €30 net · Express on request