Press Brakes

Shannon Treger, KD Machinery · Reviewed 2026-08-12

Sizing a press brake comes down to two numbers: the tonnage needed for the thickest material you will bend across the longest bend you will make, and a bed long enough to take that bend. Get those right and everything else follows. Most used press brakes KD lists fall between $28,900 and $79,990.

Most of the 426 press brakes KD has listed fall between $28,900 and $79,990, with asking prices across the group running from $6,500 to $549,990.

How much tonnage do you actually need?

This is the calculation that decides the machine, and it is worth doing before you look at a single listing. Buy short on tonnage and the machine will not make your part; buy long and you have paid for capacity that sits idle.

For air bending mild steel — the most common case — the tonnage required per foot of bend is roughly:

tons per foot = 575 × (material thickness in inches)² ÷ (die opening in inches)

The die opening is normally about eight times the material thickness for air bending, which gives a working table:

Multiply by the length of the bend in feet. A 1/4" mild steel bend across 10 feet needs roughly 18 × 10 = 180 tons, so you would be shopping at 200 tons and up.

Three adjustments matter:

• Material. Stainless needs roughly half again as much tonnage as mild steel. Most aluminium needs about half.
• Forming method. The figures above are for air bending. Bottoming can need three to five times as much, and coining eight to ten times. If you are not sure which you will use, size for air bending and talk to us before assuming.
• Headroom. Size to the heaviest job you genuinely expect, not the average one, and leave some margin. Tonnage is the one thing you cannot add later.

If you would rather not calculate it, tell us the material, thickness and bend length and we will size it with you. That is a call we take every week.

These figures are a general guide to sizing, not a specification. Tonnage requirements vary with the grade and temper of your material, your tooling, and the method you form by. Please verify any calculation against your own material and tooling before purchasing — K.D. Capital Equipment does not guarantee the accuracy of the figures on this page and accepts no responsibility for a machine bought on the basis of them.

What bed length do you need?

The bed has to be longer than your longest bend, with room for the tooling. This is the other specification we record on every press brake we list, and together with capacity it is how the machines are named — an "175 Ton x 12’" is a 175-ton machine with a 12-foot bed.

Two things buyers get caught by. First, a longer bed does not mean more usable tonnage across its whole length — tonnage is rated for distributed load, and concentrating it in a short section of a long bed can overload the ram. If you are making short heavy bends on a long machine, ask.

Second, distance between housings limits what you can pass through the machine sideways, which matters for boxes and long formed sections. We record it on most machines, and it is worth checking when your parts have flanges that need somewhere to go.

What does a used press brake cost?

Across the 426 press brakes KD has listed with a published price, most fall between $28,900 and $79,990, with the full range running from $6,500 to $549,990.

Price tracks tonnage more closely than it tracks anything else, and because we have listed enough machines in every size class, we can show that directly:

That table is more useful than a comparison of brands, and there is a reason we lead with it. Ranked purely on price, the Amada machines we have listed look like the cheap option at a median of $34,990 against $49,500 for Accurpress. But the Amada machines are a median of 88 tons and built around 1999, while the Accurpress machines are a median of 150 tons and built around 2002. The brand comparison was mostly measuring what size of machine each brand happens to be represented by in our stock, not what the brands are worth. Size first, then brand.

Every figure here is an asking price from KD’s own listings, not a record of final transaction values.

Should you rule out an older machine?

No. Older press brakes are still good machines. This is a solid, heavily built machine class, and a well-kept brake from the 1980s or 1990s can bend just as accurately as a new one. The median machine we have listed was built in 2005, and we have handled Cincinnati and Amada machines going back to the 1970s and 1980s that are still working for a living.

What generally changes with age is the control and the gauging rather than the frame and the ram. An older machine with a modern retrofitted control can be an excellent buy. A newer machine with a control nobody supports any more is a worse one.

So judge the machine, not the year — and if you are weighing an older brake against a newer one at a similar price, ask us which we would rather own.

What should you check on the control and back gauge?

The back gauge positions the part for each bend, and its axis count tells you what it can do — a two-axis gauge moves in and out and up and down, while more axes let it handle stepped and angled parts. Not every press brake has one: manual and older machines can be gauged by hand or not at all, and for simple repeat work that can be perfectly adequate.

We will be straight with you about our own listings here. Where a machine has a back gauge we should be listing it, and we do not always. If a listing does not mention one, it is worth asking rather than assuming — the machine may well have it. Quote the reference number and we will confirm.

On the control: if your shop already runs a particular control family, that is a real reason to weight your search, because it is what your operators already know. Delem, Cybelec, ETS and the builders’ own controls all appear regularly in the used market. An unsupported control on an otherwise sound machine is one of the few things that genuinely dates a press brake, and it is also one of the more straightforward things to retrofit.

What should you check before buying?

A press brake is checked differently from a turning machine — there is no spindle to listen to and no turret to index. What matters here is the ram, the bed and everything that keeps them parallel:

• Ram and bed condition. The two surfaces that set your bend, and the first thing to look along.
• Crowning. Whether the machine can compensate for deflection across the bed, and whether that system still works. Without it, a long bend comes out inconsistent end to middle.
• Cylinders and seals. Leaks and drift are the common hydraulic complaints, and drift shows up as bends that will not repeat.
• Gib wear. Wear here lets the ram move where it should not, and it is what separates a machine that still holds an angle from one that nearly does.
• Tooling — included, and in what condition. Worn punches and dies will undo an otherwise good machine.

On that last point: establish what tooling comes with the machine. Punches and dies are a significant cost in their own right, and a brake sold with a full tooling package and one sold bare are very different purchases at the same headline price. It is one of the most common reasons two otherwise identical listings differ on price.

Frequently asked questions

How do I calculate the tonnage I need for a press brake?

For air bending mild steel, tons per foot is roughly 575 times the material thickness squared, divided by the die opening — with the die opening typically eight times the material thickness. A quarter-inch bend across ten feet needs about 180 tons. Stainless needs about half again as much; aluminium about half.

What size press brake do I need for 1/4 inch steel?

About 18 tons per foot of bend in mild steel, so a 10-foot bend needs roughly 180 tons and you would shop at 200 tons and up. Size to the heaviest job you genuinely expect rather than the average one, because tonnage is the one thing you cannot add later.

How much does a used press brake cost?

Most of the 426 press brakes KD has listed with a price fall between $28,900 and $79,990. Price tracks capacity closely: under 60 ton machines run to a median of about $22,500, 100 to 199 ton machines about $49,990, and 400 ton and up about $142,000.

Is an older press brake worth buying?

Yes. Press brakes are solid, heavily built machines and a well-kept brake from the 1980s or 1990s can bend as accurately as a new one. What ages is usually the control and gauging rather than the frame and ram, and a control can be retrofitted.

Does the machine come with tooling?

Ask, every time. Punches and dies are a significant cost on their own, so a brake sold with a full tooling package and one sold bare are very different purchases at the same headline price. It is one of the most common reasons two similar listings differ on price.

Do all press brakes have a back gauge?

No. Manual and older machines may be gauged by hand or not at all, which can be perfectly adequate for simple repeat work. Where a machine does have one, the axis count tells you what it can handle. If a listing does not mention a gauge, ask with the reference number rather than assuming.

Key facts

• KD has listed 526 press brakes, with 77 available now.
• Most fall between $28,900 and $79,990 asking, across 426 priced machines.
• Price tracks capacity: under 60 ton runs about $22,500, 400 ton and up about $142,000.
• Capacity and bed length are recorded on almost every press brake KD lists.
• The median machine was built in 2005, and KD has handled machines from the 1950s.
• Amada, Accurpress and Cincinnati are the makes KD has handled most.

What is in stock at KD right now

Browse current inventory, or start from a related category or a machine we are listing today:

• 2012 Amada HFEM2-1303
• 2014 Accurpress 412012
• 2002 Trumpf TrumaBend V170
• 2004 Bystronic Beyeler PR250-IPC

Figures on this page are asking prices from KD’s own listings, indicative only, and not a valuation of any particular machine. Specifications and prices change – please confirm anything you intend to rely on with us before purchasing.