HVAC Pricing Calculator: Markup, Margin, Flat Rate

This free HVAC pricing calculator from LiveFixPro turns the costs of one job and the margin you want into a flat-rate price, with the gross margin and markup shown beside it.

It's made for HVAC contractors, owners and office managers who price jobs from their own numbers. Every result comes from what you type. The tool needs only business totals for a job, so there's no reason to enter customer details. It runs in your browser, and nothing you enter is uploaded or stored. These figures are estimates from the numbers you enter. They are not a quote for a customer and not advice on what to charge.

What the calculator asks for

• Job name (optional). A label such as "condenser swap". Use a job label only, not a customer's name or personal details.

• Parts cost. What the parts for the job cost you.

• Labor hours. The hours you expect the job to take.

• Loaded labor cost per hour. Wages plus payroll costs and benefits.

• Overhead rate per hour. Truck, insurance, office and tools.

• Target margin (%). The margin you want on the job, from 0 to 90.

• Price you charge today (optional). Add it to check your current price against your target.

What you get back

• Total job cost (parts, labor and overhead)

• Flat-rate price at your target margin

• Gross profit on that price

• Gross margin

• Markup on cost

Total job cost is the parts cost plus the labor hours multiplied by your labor cost and overhead rate per hour. The flat-rate price is that job cost divided by 1 minus your target margin.

If you add the price you charge today, you also get a check: a line saying your margin at that price is at or above your target, or a warning that it's below your target or below your job cost, along with the price that reaches your target. If a field is blank or out of range, the tool tells you what to fix.

Use Download CSV to keep the numbers, Print for a paper copy and Clear to start again.

Margin vs markup for HVAC jobs

Margin is profit divided by the price. Markup is profit divided by your cost. Both describe the same job, but the markup number comes out higher than the margin number. The calculator shows both side by side. Mixing the two up is an easy way to end up with a price that doesn't reach the margin you meant.

Before you rely on a price

• Use your own current numbers for parts, loaded labor and overhead.

• Build in anything else you want counted. The calculator has only the inputs listed above, so other costs need to be part of your own figures.

• Treat the result as an estimate. It doesn't know your local market, your competitors or what customers will accept. It is not a forecast.

Want help with your phones or your Google Ads?

Pricing is one side of the business; the phone ringing is the other. See what unanswered calls may be costing you with the free Missed Call Revenue Calculator, or learn about Google Ads help for contractors. Book a free consult and we'll talk through how calls reach you today and what would fit. Anything we set up is scoped on the consult.

LiveFixPro is not affiliated with or endorsed by Google.

FAQ

How does the HVAC pricing calculator work out a flat-rate price?

It adds your parts cost to your labor hours multiplied by your loaded labor cost and overhead rate per hour. That total is the job cost. It then divides the job cost by 1 minus your target margin to get the flat-rate price.

How do you calculate HVAC markup?

Markup is profit divided by cost: markup = (price - cost) / cost. Margin is profit divided by price: margin = (price - cost) / price. Here, cost is your job cost and price is the flat-rate price. The calculator works out both from your own numbers.

What is the difference between margin and markup?

Margin is profit divided by the price. Markup is profit divided by your cost. The same job shows a higher markup number than margin number, and the calculator shows both.

What do I put in the overhead rate per hour?

The field says truck, insurance, office and tools. Enter your own hourly figure for those costs, because the calculator doesn't supply one. Anything else you want counted has to be built into your own numbers.

Does the calculator tell me what to charge?

No. It applies your numbers and your target margin to give an estimate. It doesn't know your local market or your competitors. Estimates only, not a forecast.

Is anything I type uploaded or stored?

No. It runs in your browser, and nothing you enter is uploaded or stored. Download the CSV or print your result before you close the page.

Price your next job

Use the calculator above with your own numbers, and book a free consult if you'd like help getting more of your HVAC calls answered.

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