Welding Rates and Cost Guide

Almost nobody in Metro Vancouver publishes welding rates. We checked the local shops and mobile welders before writing this page and found no published hourly rate anywhere in the market. So here is what the wider Canadian market actually charges, what a minimum call-out normally covers, and what a small repair typically comes to.

Example Welding Costs

Researched Canadian market ranges, before tax. Actual cost depends on access, preparation and what the metal turns out to be once it is cleaned back.

What Changes the Cost

• Shop or on site. Mobile carries a 20 to 30 percent premium across this market, before travel.
• Access. Welding at ground level with the piece on a bench is fast. Welding overhead, in a trench, on a roof or under a vehicle is not.
• Preparation. Rusted, painted, galvanized or previously repaired metal all take time to get back to something weldable.
• Material. Mild steel is straightforward. Aluminium and stainless take more setup, more skill and more care.
• Fit-up. If the parts do not meet, somebody has to make them meet. That is fabrication, not welding.
• Finish. Grinding a weld flush, then priming and painting it, is often as long as the weld.
• Hot work restrictions. Occupied buildings, fire watch requirements and permits all add time.

Shop Fabrication Compared With Repair

Repair work is billed by the hour because nobody knows what is under the paint until it is cleaned off. New fabrication is quoted as a project, from drawings or dimensions, because the scope is knowable in advance. If you are asking for something to be made rather than fixed, ask for a project price, not an hourly estimate.

As a rough sanity check on fabricated work, published Canadian rates for supplied fabricated steel sit around $8 to $20 per kilogram depending on complexity and finish. That is a useful benchmark for structural and industrial work, and much less useful for architectural pieces where the labour is in the detail rather than the weight.

How to Keep a Welding Job Within Budget

• Bring the piece to the shop if it can be removed. This is the single biggest saving available.
• Group jobs. Three repairs on one visit cost far less than three visits.
• Clean the area and clear access before we arrive.
• Send a photo first. Half the time it tells us the job is simpler than described, and occasionally it tells us it is not a welding job at all.
• Say what the part does. A cosmetic crack and a structural one get repaired differently.
• Book normal hours if you can.

When the Price Goes Up

• Aluminium and stainless repairs, which need more setup and more skill
• Overhead, confined-space or awkward-position welding
• Cast iron and unknown alloys, which may not be weldable at all
• Galvanized material, which has to be ground back and needs ventilation
• Anything requiring a fire watch or hot-work permit
• Repairs where the surrounding structure has to be supported before cutting

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a mobile welder cost per hour in Vancouver?

No mobile welder in Metro Vancouver publishes a rate. Across the Canadian market, mobile welding generally bills $110 to $175 per hour, which is 20 to 30 percent above a shop rate of $85 to $135. Emergency and after-hours work runs $150 to $200 per hour. Most welders apply a minimum of one to two billable hours.

Why is there a minimum charge?

Because the fixed part of the job does not shrink. Loading, travelling, setting up, preparing the joint, welding, dressing it and packing up is at least an hour of work even when the weld itself is minutes. Charging by actual arc time would mean charging almost nothing for most of the job.

Is it cheaper to bring the piece to you?

Considerably. Shop work avoids the mobile premium and the travel entirely, and the work goes faster on a bench with the right equipment. If the item can be removed and transported, that is almost always the cheaper route.

Do you charge for travel?

Travel is normal practice across this market, usually built into the minimum charge for local work. No Canadian welder publishes a travel rate, so we confirm it with you before we come out rather than surprising you afterwards.

Can you weld aluminium or stainless?

Both cost more per hour than mild steel because of the setup and the technique involved. Tell us the material when you enquire, because it changes both the price and whether the repair is worth doing.

Do these rates include tax?

No. All rates on this page are before tax. Applicable taxes are shown on your invoice.

What We Need to Give You an Exact Price

The more of this you can send, the tighter the quote comes back and the fewer rounds it takes.

• A photo of what needs welding, close up and from a distance
• What the part does and whether it is structural
• The material if you know it: steel, aluminium, stainless, cast
• Whether it can be brought to the shop or has to be done on site
• The location and any access constraints
• Whether it is urgent or can wait for a normal visit

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Pricing guide updated: August 2026. Figures are planning ranges in Canadian dollars, before tax.