A metal fabrication shop bid the job at 18%. It closed at 3.5%. Here’s every step where the profit left — and what stops it from happening on your next job.

The invoice went out on a Friday. $340,000 job. Six weeks of work. The crew hit the delivery date.

Forty-three days later, the number came back: $12,000 net. 3.5% margin. The shop quoted 18%.

It shouldn’t surprise you — industry research shows fabrication shops lose money on 20 to 30% of their jobs without realizing it. And in 2026, with construction and fabrication wages running 6 to 8% higher than last year, the math is getting harder to hide. The $49,000 didn’t disappear at closeout. It left in three specific places while the crew was still on site and there was still time to catch it.

Nobody saw it until it was gone.

You’re not the problem. The operating model is.

Here’s exactly where the $49,000 went.

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