Electrical
Electrical Job Profit Calculator
Test whether one electrical quote covers its crew time, materials, permits and allocated overhead before committing the job.
Result
Permit turnaround and inspection wait time are real costs even when they carry no invoice line. If a job ties up a van for a day waiting on an inspector, add that time to labour hours.
See lead follow-upWhat moves the number
- Include every paid crew hour across rough-in, inspection and completion visits.
- Use current purchase costs for the exact equipment specified.
- Assign permit charges and job-related return visits to this estimate.
Where this one goes wrong
A short installation can occupy several visits because the utility, inspector and customer are not available together. Missing those hours makes the quote look profitable while consuming the capacity needed for another job.
Questions
About this calculator
Is this the same as monthly company profit?
No. It examines one quoted scope with its allocated costs. Unassigned office expenses and idle capacity still need reconciliation in the business accounts.
What does profit per labour hour help compare?
It exposes jobs that consume many crew hours for little contribution. Compare similar cost definitions before preferring a panel project over several service calls.
How should I handle uncertain access?
Run a second case with the additional hours and materials you can identify. Define exclusions or a documented variation process instead of hiding uncertainty inside an unexplained price increase.
Put this calculator on your site
Free to embed. Paste this where you want it to appear. It stays up to date automatically because it loads from BDEVY.
Please keep the attribution line. It is the only thing we ask in return.
How to use this calculator
- Price quoted ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $3,200.
- Labour hours (hrs). Enter your own figure; the page starts at 14 hrs.
- Burdened labour cost per hour ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $48.
- Materials cost ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $950.
- Permit and inspection cost ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $220.
- Overhead allocation ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $480.
The result updates as you type, so you can try a figure, see what it does to gross profit, 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 |
|---|---|
| Price quoted | $3,200 |
| Labour hours | 14 hrs |
| Burdened labour cost per hour | $48 |
| Materials cost | $950 |
| Permit and inspection cost | $220 |
| Overhead allocation | $480 |
What comes out
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Gross profit main result | $878 |
| Gross margin | 27.4% |
| Profit per labour hour | $62.71 |
| Total job cost | $2,322 |
This job earns $878 at a 27.4% margin, $62.71 per labour hour. Compare that against your service-call work before taking more of it.
How sensitive the answer is
Holding everything else steady and changing only price quoted, this is what happens to gross profit. It is worth knowing which of your inputs the answer actually hinges on, and which barely move it.
| Price quoted ($) | Gross profit |
|---|---|
| $1,600 | -$722 |
| $2,400 | $78 |
| $3,200 example above | $878 |
| $4,800 | $2,478 |
| $6,400 | $4,078 |
Every other input is held at the example value while this one changes, which is not how a real job behaves. Treat it as a guide to which number matters most, not as five separate quotes.
What each figure means
- Price quoted ($)
- A money amount, starting at $3,200.
- Labour hours (hrs)
- Measured in hrs, between 0 and 2000, starting at 14 hrs.
- Burdened labour cost per hour ($)
- A money amount, starting at $48.
- Materials cost ($)
- A money amount, starting at $950.
- Permit and inspection cost ($)
- A money amount, starting at $220.
- Overhead allocation ($)
- A money amount, starting at $480.
What the results tell you
| Result | What it is |
|---|---|
| Gross profit | The headline result. A money figure. |
| Gross margin | A percentage. |
| Profit per labour hour | A money figure. |
| Total job cost | A money figure. |
Before you rely on this number
Conductor sizing, voltage drop and load figures are governed by code, and the code takes precedence over any calculator. Ambient temperature, conduit fill, continuous load factors and the specific installation all change the answer. Treat this as a first pass, not a design.
Keep going
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