Plumbing Bid Calculator

Put together a bid that actually makes money, enter materials, loaded labor, permits, overhead recovery, and your target margin to get a recommended bid price for a repipe or water heater install, with an itemized cost breakdown and a bid checker. Uses the cost-plus divisor method. Free, no signup.

Use calculatorHow it works

Calculator

Bid Calculator

Free
Installation5 hrs labor14.0% net target

Recommended bid price

$1,865

21.7% gross · 14.2% net · 45-52% gross on installs

Exact $1,860.47 · rounded to nearest $5

Meets industry margin target
Net profit at this price$265
Direct cost
$1,460Labor + materials + fees
Overhead recovery
$140$28,000 ÷ 200 jobs
Total job cost
$1,600Direct + overhead, your break-even floor
Gross margin
21.7%Plumbing service: 55-62% gross · Install: 45-52%
Net margin
14.2%PHCC benchmark net margin: 15-25%
Markup on cost
16.6%14.0% net needs 16.3% markup
  • Labor (loaded): $200
  • Materials: $450
  • Equipment: $650
  • Permits & fees: $75
  • Travel / dispatch: $50
  • Service call fee: $35
  • Overhead recovery: $140
  • Net profit: $265

Loaded labor: $40.00/hr

Enter a quote to check

Service call gross
55-62%
Install gross
45-52%
Material waste
10-15% repipes
Overhead recovery
28-35% of direct

Typical overhead recovery: 28-35% of direct costs

  • Pick the job type

    Choose the work you are bidding, service, repair, install, or project. Defaults for hours, materials, and margin adjust to match that category.

  • Enter materials, labor, and job costs

    Add loaded labor hours and rate, wholesale materials (with a waste allowance), equipment, permits, subs, and travel. These are your direct costs, what the job actually costs you.

  • Add overhead recovery and target margin

    Recover fixed costs as a percentage of direct cost, per job, or per labor hour, then set the net margin you want to keep on the bid.

  • Get your bid price

    See the recommended bid using the divisor method, an itemized cost breakdown, gross and net margin, and a checker to test whether a bid you have in mind clears your costs.

How it works

  1. 1

    Pick the job type

    Choose the work you are bidding, service, repair, install, or project. Defaults for hours, materials, and margin adjust to match that category.

  2. 2

    Enter materials, labor, and job costs

    Add loaded labor hours and rate, wholesale materials (with a waste allowance), equipment, permits, subs, and travel. These are your direct costs, what the job actually costs you.

  3. 3

    Add overhead recovery and target margin

    Recover fixed costs as a percentage of direct cost, per job, or per labor hour, then set the net margin you want to keep on the bid.

  4. 4

    Get your bid price

    See the recommended bid using the divisor method, an itemized cost breakdown, gross and net margin, and a checker to test whether a bid you have in mind clears your costs.

How plumbing contractors build a bid that wins and still profits

A bid that is too high loses the job; a bid that is too low wins work you lose money on. The fix is not guessing, it is cost-plus bidding: total up your direct costs (materials, loaded labor, permits, subs), add overhead recovery, then price to a target margin. Do that consistently and you can bid aggressively without giving away your profit.

This calculator uses the same cost-plus workflow plumbing estimators rely on, with the divisor method for margin, price = (direct cost + overhead) ÷ (1 − commission% − target net margin%), not simple markup, which quietly under-prices the job. It shows an itemized breakdown so you can see exactly where the bid goes, and a bid checker so you can validate a number before you send it. Pair it with the Job Pricing and Labor Rate calculators to lock in the loaded rate behind every bid.

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Worth asking before you book

Bid Calculator FAQs

Add your direct costs, loaded labor (hours × burdened rate) + materials (include 5-15% waste) + equipment + permits + subs + travel. Add overhead recovery (commonly 25-35% of direct cost). Then divide the total by (1 − commission% − target net margin%). The result is the lowest bid that still hits your profit target.
They run the same cost-plus engine, the difference is framing. The Bid Calculator opens on larger install and project work and speaks in bid terms, while the Job Pricing Calculator defaults to everyday service and repair pricing. Use whichever matches the job in front of you; the math is identical.
Margin, applied with the divisor method. A 25% markup on cost is only a 20% margin on the bid price, mixing them up is the most common way contractors underbid. This calculator divides by (1 − margin) so your target margin is the margin you actually keep.
Yes. Every tool on CloseCrew is free for contractors, no account required. Use it with the Labor Rate and Profit Margin calculators so the loaded rate and margin behind your bids are accurate.
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