Auto repair & detailing
Ceramic Coating Cost Calculator
Cost a ceramic coating where the preparation, not the coating itself, is most of the work.
Result
A planning estimate, not a quote. Access, the age of the equipment, what is found once it is opened up and local labour rates all move the real figure, sometimes a long way.
Get a Free Business AuditWhat moves the number
- Paint correction hours before coating, which dominate the job and vary with paint condition.
- Panel count and complexity, since trim, glass and wheels may be coated separately.
- Cure time, which occupies a bay after the work is finished.
Where this one goes wrong
Pricing the coating and underestimating the correction. The coating locks in whatever is underneath it, so the preparation is not optional, and a coating quoted without seeing the paint is a quote for unknown hours.
Before you quote
- Paint depth measured before correction, particularly on a repainted panel.
- Whether the customer expects every defect to be removed.
- Whether the bay can be kept dust-free and at temperature while it cures.
Questions
About this calculator
Why is the correction most of the price?
Because a coating is optically clear and permanent for its lifespan. Whatever swirls or defects are in the paint when it is applied stay visible and sealed underneath, so the preparation is the work.
Can a coating be quoted without seeing the vehicle?
Not reliably. Paint condition determines the correction hours and cannot be judged from photographs, so a fixed price given sight unseen is a guess with your margin attached.
What should the customer be told about durability?
What the manufacturer states and what maintenance it requires to get there. A coating that is never maintained will not last its rated life, and the expectation has to be set before the sale rather than at the first complaint.
The formula
total = hours x people x rate + parts + call-out, then sales tax
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How to use this calculator
- Hours on site (h). Enter your own figure; the page starts at 2.2 h.
- People needed. Enter your own figure; the page starts at 1.
- Labour rate charged ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $135.
- Parts and materials ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $180.
- Call-out or diagnostic fee ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $95.
- Sales tax (%). Leave at zero if you are quoting before tax.
The result updates as you type, so you can try a figure, see what it does to estimated total, and change it back. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere or saved.
A worked example
These are the figures the calculator opens with. Every number in the results column below is produced by the same calculation the page runs, so you can follow it through before putting your own figures in.
What goes in
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Hours on site | 2.2 h |
| People needed | 1 |
| Labour rate charged | $135 |
| Parts and materials | $180 |
| Call-out or diagnostic fee | $95 |
| Sales tax | 0% |
What comes out
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Estimated total main result | $572 |
| Labour | $297 |
| Before tax | $572 |
| Sales tax | $0 |
About $572: $297 of labour, $180 of parts and a $95 call-out.
How sensitive the answer is
Holding everything else steady and changing only labour rate charged, this is what happens to estimated total. It is worth knowing which of your inputs the answer actually hinges on, and which barely move it.
| Labour rate charged ($) | Estimated total |
|---|---|
| $68 | $424.60 |
| $101 | $497.20 |
| $135 example above | $572 |
| $203 | $721.60 |
| $270 | $869 |
Every other input is held at the example value while this one changes, which is not how a real job behaves. Treat it as a guide to which number matters most, not as five separate quotes.
What each figure means
- Hours on site (h)
- Measured in h, between 0 and 400, starting at 2.2 h.
- People needed
- A number, between 0 and 40, starting at 1.
- Labour rate charged ($)
- A money amount, starting at $135.
- Parts and materials ($)
- A money amount, starting at $180.
- Call-out or diagnostic fee ($)
- A money amount, starting at $95.
- Sales tax (%)
- Leave at zero if you are quoting before tax.
What the results tell you
| Result | What it is |
|---|---|
| Estimated total | The headline result. A money figure. |
| Labour | A money figure. |
| Before tax | A money figure. |
| Sales tax | A money figure. |
Estimating is the easy part
The jobs you never hear about cost more than the ones you mis-measure. BDEVY builds the marketing, systems and automation that bring them in.