Contractor Markup & Pricing Benchmark
Typical markup and margin ranges by trade, plus the labor multiplier and pricing-tier guidance. Use it as a sanity check — then price your own job with the markup calculator.
Typical markup & margin by trade
| Trade / job type | Typical markup | Resulting margin |
|---|---|---|
| Remodeling (kitchen/bath) | 35–50% | 26–33% |
| General contracting (new build) | 15–25% | 13–20% |
| Painting | 30–50% | 23–33% |
| Electrical | 40–60% | 29–38% |
| Plumbing | 40–60% | 29–38% |
| Roofing | 25–40% | 20–29% |
| Concrete / flatwork | 25–40% | 20–29% |
| Subcontractor passthrough | 10–20% | 9–17% |
Ranges are typical industry guidance, not guarantees — your true number depends on your overhead, market, and risk. Markup is a % of cost; the margin column is the resulting % of the selling price.
The labor multiplier
A worker's true cost is 1.4–1.7× their base wage once you add payroll taxes, workers' comp, benefits, and overhead. Bidding off the raw wage is the fastest way to lose money. Compute yours with the fully-burdened labor rate calculator.
Budget / Standard / Premium tiers
Most jobs price into three tiers. As a rough guide vs. your standard estimate: Budget ≈ 0.70–0.85× (value materials, tighter scope), Standard = 1.0×, Premium ≈ 1.20–1.60× (higher-grade materials, more finish detail, faster timeline). Presenting all three lets the client self-select and protects your margin.
Price a whole job, not just one number
ContractorIQ builds the full line-item estimate — materials, labor, and tiers — from a photo or a description.