Job price calculator for trades
Add up materials, crew time and overhead, pick the margin you want to keep, and get the price to quote. Shows markup and margin side by side.
The 30% mistake
Mark a $1,000 job up 30% and you charge $1,300, but your margin is only 23%. Margin is profit as a share of the price; markup is profit as a share of your cost.
| To keep this margin | Mark costs up by | $1,000 cost is quoted at |
|---|---|---|
| 20% | 25.0% | $1,250.00 |
| 25% | 33.3% | $1,333.33 |
| 30% | 42.9% | $1,428.57 |
| 33.3% | 50.0% | $1,500.00 |
| 40% | 66.7% | $1,666.67 |
| 50% | 100.0% | $2,000.00 |
Pricing a job, answered.
What’s the difference between markup and margin?
Markup is profit divided by your cost. Margin is profit divided by the price. A 50% markup is a 33.3% margin; to keep a 30% margin you need a 42.9% markup.
What should go into the cost?
Materials, equipment rental, dump fees, crew hours at their true hourly cost (wage plus payroll costs), and a share of overhead like trucks, insurance, phones and the office.
What overhead percentage should I use?
Add up a year of costs that aren’t tied to one job and divide by a year of job costs. Many small trade businesses land between 10% and 25%; use your own numbers.
Do I add tax on top?
Yes. This price is before tax. Add GST, and PST where it applies to your work, on the invoice. Ask your accountant which applies to your trade.
Built for BC trades.
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Calculations run in your browser; nothing you type is saved. Results are estimates, not accounting advice.