Plumbing
Material Cost Calculator
Total material cost for a job including the fittings, consumables and waste that estimates usually miss.
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
- Fittings, which on a complex run can exceed the pipe cost.
- Waste and offcuts, which are real on any run cut to length.
- Consumables: solder, flux, sealant, straps, sleeves and fixings.
Where this one goes wrong
Counting pipe and fixtures and forgetting the fittings. On a bathroom or a repipe the fitting count is large and the individual prices are small, which is exactly how it gets left out.
Questions
About this calculator
How much waste should I allow?
Enough to cover offcuts and mistakes, which varies with the complexity of the run. It is worth measuring on a few real jobs rather than adopting a percentage.
Do consumables matter?
Individually no, collectively yes. Across a year they are a meaningful cost and they almost never appear on an estimate.
How should material price movement be handled?
With an expiry date on the quote. Copper in particular moves, and a quote accepted months later at the old price is your loss.
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 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 $140.
- Call-out or diagnostic fee ($). 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 h |
| People needed | 1 |
| Labour rate charged | $135 |
| Parts and materials | $140 |
| Call-out or diagnostic fee | $95 |
| Sales tax | 0% |
What comes out
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Estimated total main result | $505 |
| Labour | $270 |
| Before tax | $505 |
| Sales tax | $0 |
About $505: $270 of labour, $140 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 | $371 |
| $101 | $437 |
| $135 example above | $505 |
| $203 | $641 |
| $270 | $775 |
Every other input is held at the example value while this one changes, which is not how a real job behaves. Treat it as a guide to which number matters most, not as five separate quotes.
What each figure means
- Hours on site (h)
- Measured in h, between 0 and 400, starting at 2 h.
- People needed
- A number, between 0 and 40, starting at 1.
- Labour rate charged ($)
- A money amount, starting at $135.
- Parts and materials ($)
- A money amount, starting at $140.
- Call-out or diagnostic fee ($)
- 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. |
Before you rely on this number
Pipe sizing, flow and pressure figures depend on the actual fittings, the run, the material and local code. Code requirements vary by jurisdiction and override any general calculation, so check what applies where the work is happening.
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.