Looking to calculate the cost of waterjet cutting?
Look no further than this comprehensive guide, complete with a detailed breakdown of all the factors that go into determining the cost per hour of operation.
From the depreciation of equipment to the cost of consumables and direct labor expenses, this article covers it all.
And with a handy online calculator to help you crunch the numbers, you can easily determine the cost of your next waterjet cutting project.
So whether you’re a business owner looking to improve your bottom line or a hobbyist looking to take your cutting skills to the next level, this article is a must-read.
So why wait? Dive into the world of waterjet cutting costs today and start saving money on your next project!
Note:
The water-cutting cost mentioned in this article is calculated in China’s yuan (currency unit). You can replace the currency according to the actual situation, but the method of calculating the water-cutting cost is the same.

1. Depreciation of water cutting equipment
The average purchase price of a waterjet cutting machine is calculated as 2.75 million yuan.
The normal service life is 10 years.
The actual number of working days per year is 300, the average use time per day is 10 hours, and the accumulated working time in 10 years is 30,000 hours.
The average replacement cycle of important parts is 3,000 hours, and the cost is about 36,500 yuan.
The equipment purchase cost and replacement cost are (2.75 + 3.65 x 30,000 / 3,000 =) 31.15 million yuan.
Therefore, the equipment depreciation is about 103.8 yuan per hour.

2. Cost of consumables
A: Vulnerable parts | Service life /consumption | Unit price (yuan) | Cost per hour (yuan) |
Cylinder | 5000hr | 19872 | 3.97 |
Head | 5000hr | 8567.5 | 1.71 |
Valve components | 2000hr | 287.5 | 0.14 |
Cushion and head | 2000hr | 394.6 | 0.19 |
End part | 2000hr | 607.7 | 0.3 |
Check spring | 2000hr | 23 | 0.01 |
Drain valve assembly | 3000hr | 1939.10 /set | 0.64 |
Hydraulic filter | 3000hr | 1093.6 | 0.36 |
Piston guide ring | 3000hr | 284.5 | 0.09 |
Sand knife tube | >150hr | 3000 | 20 |
Sapphire nozzle | >100hr | 193.5 /piece | 1.94 |
Diamond nozzle | >700hr | 6254.4 /piece | 8.93 |
Nozzle tube | 70 hr | 524.7 | 7.49 |
High-pressure sealing assembly | >700hr | 1166.8 /set | 1.66 |
Needle valve | >70hr | 469.6 /set | 6.71 |
Needle valve seat | 45 hr | 241.9 | 5.37 |
Back pressure ring | 200hr | 133.3 | 0.66 |
Piston seal assembly | >3000hr | 359.6 / set | 0.11 |
Hydraulic seal assembly | >2000hr | 1927.9 /set | 0.96 |
Hydraulic oil | 3000hr | 14500 / time | 4.83 |
B: Materials, water and electricity | Service life /consumption | Unit price (yuan) | Cost per hour (yuan) |
Water | <400kg/hr | 2.75 | 1.1 |
Electric | <25kw/hr | 0.9 | 22.5 |
Abrasive materials | <24kg/hr | 0.7 | 14.4 |
Total: 104.07 yuan/hour
3. Direct expenses

There are 6 operators of the waterjet cutting machine, with a total monthly salary of 1800 yuan per person. In 10 years, it amounts to 1.296 million yuan.
Therefore, the labor cost per machine hour is 43.2 yuan.
4. Total cost
The sum of all the above costs is the waterjet cutting cost, which is:
103.8 + 104.07 + 43.2 = 251.07 yuan per hour.
In other words, the actual waterjet cutting cost per hour is 251.07 yuan or around 35 US dollars.
Due to different material costs around the world, the final price may vary.
However, you can use the online water cutting cost calculator mentioned below for calculation.
Waterjet cost calculator
To help you calculate water cutting cost more comprehensively, we have developed the following water cutting cost calculator. There are several points that require special attention:
The currency unit of the calculator is yuan. You can enter the amount in other currencies in the calculator without affecting the final result. However, you must keep all monetary units consistent.
The cost per hour of different consumables varies with the service life. You can refer to the table data in this article for calculation.
Cost calculation example of abrasive waterjet cutting
The following cost calculation example of abrasive waterjet cutting can also serve as a reference for calculating the cutting cost of a waterjet machine. It is based on cutting mild steel with a thickness of 10mm.
