What should I charge per hour?
Work back from what you want to take home, your overhead and the hours you can really bill.
Before taxes on your own income. Billable hours are fewer than hours worked: driving, quoting and paperwork are not billable.
FREE CALCULATORS
Pricing and markup for every trade, plus the sums for HVAC, plumbing, electrical, building, outdoor work, cleaning, systems, garage doors and appliances. Free, no sign-in, and nothing you type leaves your browser.
Work back from what you want to take home, your overhead and the hours you can really bill.
Before taxes on your own income. Billable hours are fewer than hours worked: driving, quoting and paperwork are not billable.
What to charge for parts and materials, and what you actually keep.
Markup is on cost; margin is on the price. A 35% markup is a 26% margin.
Labor, materials with markup, and sales tax, added up.
Sales tax rules differ by state and by what you sell. Leave it at 0 if you are unsure and check with your accountant.
Sensible heat moved by an airflow and temperature difference.
Uses BTU/h = 1.08 × CFM × ΔT at standard air. A field check, not a load calculation: sizing a system needs a proper load calculation and the manufacturer’s data.
How much voltage a run of wire loses under load.
Single-phase: 2 × K × amps × length ÷ circular mils. The 3% figure is a common design guide, not a requirement for every circuit. Conductor sizing must follow the code in your jurisdiction.
How much water a length of pipe holds, to plan flushing, draining or fill.
Inside diameter, not nominal size: it varies with pipe material and schedule.
Gallons of paint for the walls, after doors and windows.
Takes 20 sq ft off for each door or window and leaves the ceiling out. Use the coverage on the can; rough or dark surfaces need more.
Area plus waste, rounded up to whole boxes.
Use 10% for simple rooms and 15% or more for diagonal layouts, small rooms and patterned tile.
How many sheets to cover a wall or ceiling area.
Subtract large openings first. Taping compound and screws depend on the finish level.
Cubic yards for a pour, or bags for a small job.
Ready-mix is ordered in cubic yards, usually with a minimum load. Bags suit pours under about a yard.
Roof area from the footprint and pitch, in squares and bundles.
One square is 100 sq ft. Add starter, ridge and valley materials separately. Complex roofs waste more.
How many boards cover a deck.
Allows a 1/8 inch gap between boards. Add framing, fasteners and railings separately.
Posts and sections for a straight run.
Add gate posts and corner posts as needed. Check local rules on height and boundary.
Cubic yards to cover an area to a depth.
Order a little extra for settling. Gravel and soil are sold by the ton in many places; ask your supplier.
How many zones a set of heads needs on your water supply.
Measure available flow at the supply with a bucket test or a flow gauge. Keep a safety margin under the maximum.
Gallons in a rectangular pool, for dosing and fill.
Rectangles only. For round or kidney shapes use the manufacturer’s volume. Dose chemicals by the product label.
Tons of asphalt for an area and thickness.
Assumes about 145 lb per cubic foot compacted. Plants quote by the ton, so confirm their density and add for waste.
For work priced by size: cleaning, pressure washing, painting, lawn cutting.
Use your own measured production rate, not a guess. Add travel, supplies and disposal fees if they apply.
How much concentrate goes into a tank or bucket.
Always follow the product label and safety data sheet. The label rate is the rule, not this tool.
Watts to carry what must run, including motor start-up.
Motors draw several times their running watts for a moment at start-up. Transfer switches and installation must follow the code.
A rough array size from a customer’s electricity use.
A first estimate. Real designs depend on roof, shade, orientation, utility rules and a proper site survey.
Grains of hardness a household removes.
Test the hardness on site. Add 1 grain per gallon for each 1 ppm of iron where the maker advises.
Gallons in the water column of a well casing.
Uses 0.0408 × diameter² gallons per foot. It is storage, not the well’s yield, which needs a flow test.
Direct costs plus contingency, overhead and profit.
Overhead and profit are taken as shares of the price, so 12% and 10% leave 78% to cover direct costs and contingency.
How long a spring should last at how often the door is used.
Rated cycles are on the spring label or maker’s data; 10,000 is common for standard springs. Heavy use or wear shortens life. Springs are under high tension: replace them only with the right tools and training.
Opening area and the trim and weatherstrip you need around it.
Weatherstrip is two sides plus the top. Panel height varies by door: check the manufacturer’s sections.
A rule-of-thumb check to talk through with the customer.
A common guide: repair if the cost is under about half the price of new and the appliance is under about 70% of its typical life. A guide only: the customer’s situation, parts and efficiency matter.
What an appliance costs to run, to compare old and new.
Use the nameplate or the measured draw. Many appliances cycle on and off, so average hours matter more than the clock.
These calculators give estimates for planning. They are not engineering, code-compliance, tax or legal advice. Check results against the applicable code, manufacturer data and a qualified professional before you rely on them.
In Field2Firm the price, the invoice and the books come from the same record.
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