Architectural Flashing Supply
Start a Quote
Tier 7 · Estimating Project Management and Operations

Fabrication labor and machine time estimating

Hours of people, hours of machine and elapsed days; GAO's estimating methods and the build-up of an operation list from bends, hems, girth and pieces; AFS's limits, wages as BLS reports them, learning curves, and how to check an estimate before it leaves the desk.

4 lessons · about 39 min · 12 diagrams · 0 videos

Version 1.0.0

Builds on these modules

Related Academy lessons

Lessons

0 of 4 complete

  1. Lesson 1 · 10 min · 9 slides · 7 questions

    Fabrication labor and machine time estimating: principles and terminology

    What an estimate of fabrication time is and where it sits after the takeoff; GAO's three estimating methods; touch and support labor; setup versus run; how AFS counts work as bends, hems and pieces; and the machine-guarding boundary.

    You will be able to: Tell people hours, machine hours and elapsed days apart, name the three estimating methods and what engineering build-up adds, separate setup from run work, and state the safety boundary an estimate must respect.

    Not startedStart →

  2. Lesson 2 · 10 min · 10 slides · 7 questions

    Fabrication labor and machine time estimating: materials, standards and design constraints

    The geometry that drives shop work (bends, hems, girth, pieces), AFS's limits and thickness rules, sheet yield, what an hour of wages carries according to BLS, and the OSHA sections that bound the work.

    You will be able to: Count bends, hems, girth and pieces from a drawing, apply AFS's size and thickness limits before estimating, work out sheet yield, explain why a wage is not a loaded cost, and recognise the machine-safety standards that bound the work.

    Not startedStart →

  3. Lesson 3 · 10 min · 11 slides · 7 questions

    Fabrication labor and machine time estimating: methods and worked application

    A method from operation list to documented estimate, three worked examples on one AFS profile and one run, the time formula with the learner's own times, GAO's learning-curve examples and their conditions, and the omission check.

    You will be able to: Build a documented estimate from an operation list, work the operation count, sheet yield and piece count for a profile and a run, use a learning curve only where its conditions hold, and record assumptions and omissions.

    Not startedStart →

  4. Lesson 4 · 9 min · 9 slides · 6 questions

    Fabrication labor and machine time estimating: defects, verification and case study

    Six ways an estimate goes wrong, two counting mistakes, setup charged per piece, a wage used as a loaded cost, verification against actuals, a case study of a miscounted 63 ft run, and a twelve-point check before release.

    You will be able to: Spot and correct the common defects in a time estimate, separate a wage from a loaded cost, verify an estimate against recorded actuals, and work a miscounted run from discovery to a documented fix.

    Not startedStart →

Practical task

Build an estimating job packet for one flashing profile and one run of your own design, working only from the drawing, AFS's limits and times you record yourself: count the operations, check the limits, set up the time formula with your own timed values, and test the estimate against a defect.

Hand in

  • A decision rationale: which estimating method you used and why, and the two methods you did not use
  • A marked-up sketch of the profile showing every bend and hem, with legs and the girth stated as including or excluding hem allowance
  • An assumptions sheet with units: material, thickness, legs, hem type, run length, piece length used (126 in maximum or the stock length), and every time you recorded, each dated and labelled as your own
  • A quality checklist built from the twelve checks, answered for your profile, with the omission check against the drawing
  • A defect analysis: one plausible mistake (a miscounted piece, setup charged per piece, or a wage used as a loaded cost) with the correction and how you would verify the estimate against a timed actual

Rubric

CriterionMeets the standard when
Operation countBends are legs minus one, hems are counted apart, and the piece count follows the stated piece length.
LimitsGirth, piece length, minimum flange, segment and hem return, and the thickness rule are each checked against AFS's register before any time is used.
TimesEvery time is the learner's own, dated and with units, and no time is taken from a source that does not publish one.
Setup versus runSetup is counted once per batch and run work per piece, and the formula shows both.
AssumptionsEvery assumption is written down with units, including what is not known, such as a splice lap.
SafetyThe estimate assumes guards and locks in place and allows time for setup and adjustment.

Module quiz

10 questions drawn from a bank of 27; a new set each attempt. Pass mark 85%.

1. What cannot be cut from an AFS sheet at all?
2. When is servicing or maintenance during normal production covered by the lockout/tagout standard?
3. In BLS's June 2026 private industry figures, what share of employer compensation cost was wages and salaries?
4. What build-up weakness does the omission check guard against?
5. How many pieces does a 63 ft run need for a profile stocked in 10 ft lengths?
6. With AFS's starting values, how much flat width does one open hem use?
7. Why is a 63 ft run for a profile stocked in 10 ft lengths not 6 pieces?
8. A flat width of 6.625 in is cut from a 48 in sheet. How many strips come from it?
9. What does 29 CFR 1910.217 do about press brakes?
10. According to BLS, what do setters often do before handing a machine to an operator?