SHOP COST 353 



Shop Cost. The shop cost of the various classes of work is a 

 variable quantity, depending upon the equipment and capacity of the 

 shop, the number of pieces made alike, the familiarity of the shop men 

 with the particular class of work, and with the cost of labor. The costs 

 given below are the average costs for a shop with a capacity of about 

 1000 tons per month that has made a specialty of mill building work. 

 The costs given are based on a charge of 40 cents per hour for the 

 number of hours actually consumed in getting out the contract. This 

 charge is assumed to cover the cost of management, cost of operation 

 and maintenance, as well as the cost of labor. The cost of management 

 in a small shop is very small, but in a large concern it may amount to 

 as much as 35 to 40 per cent of all the other charges combined. For 

 this reason small structural shops can often fabricate light structural 

 steel for a less cost than the large shops. The prices given are about 

 an average of those used by the agents of the company above, and have 

 been checked against actual costs for the greater part. 



Columns. In lots of at least six, the shop cost of columns is about 

 as follows : Columns made of two channels and two plates, or two 

 channels laced cost about o . 80 to 0.70 cents per lb., for columns weigh- 

 ing from 600 to 1000 Ibs. each; columns made of 4-angles laced cost 

 from 0.80 to i.io cents per lb. ; columns made of two channels and 

 one I. beam, or three channels cost from o . 65 to o . 90 cents per lb. ; 

 columns made of single I beams, or single angles cost about 0.50 cents 

 per lb. ; and Z-bar columns cost from o . 70 to o . 90 cents per lb. 



Plain cast columns cost from 1.50 to 0.75 cents per lb., for col- 

 umns weighing from 500 to 2500 Ibs., in lots of at least six. 



Roof Trusses. In lots of at least six, the shop cost of ordinary 

 riveted roof trusses in which the ends of the members are cut off at 

 right angles is about as follows: Trusses weighing 1000 Ibs. each, 1.15 

 to 1.25 cents per lb. ; trusses weighing 1500 Ibs. each, 0.90 to i.oo 

 cents per lb. ; trusses weighing 2500 Ibs. each, 0.75 to 0.85 cents per 

 lb. ; and trusses weighing 3500 to 7500 Ibs. 0.60 to 0.75 cents per lb. 

 Pin connected trusses cost from o.io to 0.20 cents per lb. more than 

 riveted trusses. 



