How to Source Brackets and Mounts
Bracket and mount RFQ checklist: choose formed, machined or welded construction, then specify material, hole patterns, bends, hardware, finish and load.
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Brackets are among the most-quoted parts in manufacturing and the easiest to overpay for. The same bracket can be a laser-cut and bent sheet part for a few dollars, a machined block for ten times that, or a small weldment somewhere in between, and the model usually decides which without anyone meaning it to. A bracket modeled as a solid block and sent to a machine shop gets a machined price.
A good bracket RFQ says what the bracket holds and how precisely, then lets the construction follow: formed sheet for most light and medium loads, machined for precise locating features, welded for heavy or large mounts. State the hole patterns that must line up with other parts, the finish and the quantity, and invite the shop to propose a cheaper construction.
RFQ checklist
13 things to settle on the drawing or in the request before you ask for bracket quotes. Print it and tick it off against the print, or copy it into the RFQ.
Function and construction
What the bracket carries: load, direction, vibration, and any stiffness or deflection limit
Load decides thickness and construction. Without it the shop copies the model or builds heavy.
Construction allowed: formed sheet, machined, welded, or the shop's choice
Leaving construction open invites the cheapest process that meets the function.
Mating parts and interfaces: what bolts to it and what it bolts to
Knowing the interfaces lets the shop tell which features must be precise and which can move.
Material and geometry
Material, temper and thickness (for example 5052-H32 at 3 mm, A36 plate at 6 mm, 304 stainless at 3 mm)
5052 bends tightly; 6061-T6 cracks on tight bends unless the radius is generous. Hot-rolled plate carries mill scale that finishes differently from cold-rolled sheet.
Hole patterns that must match other parts, with position tolerances from a datum
Hole-to-hole on one face is laser accurate; holes on different flanges depend on the bends. Datum the pattern on the face where it matters.
Bend radius and bend relief, or permission to use the shop's standard tooling
Standard tooling is fastest and cheapest, and the shop builds its flat pattern from its own bend data.
Slots for adjustment wherever exact hole position is not needed
A slot absorbs tolerance cheaply and makes installation easier.
Threaded features: tapped holes, self-clinching nuts or studs, or weld nuts, with part numbers
Sheet too thin to hold a tapped thread needs inserts or clinch nuts; call out which.
Welds, if welded: weld symbols, and whether welds are ground
Weld size and grinding set the labor on a welded bracket.
Finish, quantity and packaging
Finish: powder coat, zinc plate, galvanize, anodize, chem film, passivate, or bare and oiled
At low volume the finish can cost as much as the bracket, with lot charges. Zinc plating on steel and chem film or anodize on aluminum are the usual low-cost options.
Masking of threads, grounding surfaces and mating faces
Coating in threads and on bonding faces causes rework at assembly.
Quantity, annual volume, and left and right hand versions
At high volume a stamping or progressive die can undercut laser and brake. Mirror-image parts are separate part numbers and separate setups.
Part marking and packaging: part number, bagged by set or by count
Kitting brackets into sets saves assembly time but costs labor at the shop.
What to send with the RFQ
- A STEP model and a PDF drawing with hole patterns, material, finish and quantity.
- A note on the load and function, and the parts it mounts.
- A flat pattern DXF for reference only, if it is a sheet part.
- A hardware list with part numbers.
- Annual volume and release sizes.
Lead times
| Prototype or first parts | 3 days to 2 weeks for laser-cut and formed brackets; add about a week for finishing. |
|---|---|
| Production or repeat orders | 2-5 weeks for repeat lots; 6-12 weeks when stamping tooling is built for high volume. |
Typical of U.S. job shops, from order or approved drawing to shipment; confirm with the shop for your part.
What drives the cost
- Construction: machined from solid costs several times formed sheet for the same function.
- Finish lot charges on small quantities.
- Welds and weld grinding on welded brackets.
- Hardware insertion and tapped holes.
- Tight tolerances across bends.
- Material: stainless costs more to buy, cut and finish than steel or aluminum.
Common mistakes
- Sending a model designed as a machined block when a bent sheet part would do.
- Tight hole positions across bends instead of slots or a datum on one flange.
- Tapped threads in sheet too thin to hold them.
- Forgetting that left and right hand versions are separate parts.
- Specifying stainless where painted steel or aluminum suits the environment.
Questions to ask the shop
- Would you make this as formed sheet, machined or welded, and what does each cost?
- What bend radius and minimum flange do your tools give in this thickness?
- Do you finish in-house, and what is the minimum lot charge?
- At what quantity would stamping make sense?
Typical processes
Typical materials
Charts and calculators
Frequently asked questions
- Sheet metal or machined bracket?
- Sheet metal for most brackets that hold things in place: it is cheaper by a wide margin and quick. Machine when the bracket locates something precisely (dowel holes, flat mounting faces within hundredths of a millimeter), when it is thick and compact, or when you need one or two and a block of aluminum is on the shelf.
- Which finish is cheapest for steel brackets?
- Zinc plating with a clear trivalent passivate is usually the lowest-cost corrosion protection for small steel parts used indoors. Powder coat costs more but looks better and covers larger parts; hot-dip galvanizing suits outdoor structural brackets.
- How thick should a bracket be?
- Thickness follows load and stiffness, so check it with a quick calculation or FEA. Light equipment mounts are often 2-3 mm (about 0.08-0.12") steel or 3 mm aluminum; brackets carrying motors or structural loads go much thicker or add gussets. A flange or return bend often stiffens a bracket more than extra thickness does.
Build the RFQ: attach the print and this checklist
Attach the drawing (PDF) and the model (STEP), and put your answers to the checklist in the description. A Noramark sourcing specialist matches the request with U.S. shops that make brackets and mounts and contacts you within 1 business day.
