Labour cost calculator
Turn a quantity of work into days on site and a labour cost. Pick a trade for a typical output rate, then adjust it to what your team really achieves.
- Labour cost
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- Days on site (gang)
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- Person-days
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Days are rounded up to the next half day. Output rates are typical starting points, not standards: use your own.
How to estimate labour
- Measure the quantity: bricks, blocks, m² of board or plaster, metres of skirting.
- Choose an output rate: how much one person completes in a full working day, including setting up and clearing away.
- Divide quantity by output to get person-days, then by the gang size to get days on site.
- Multiply days by gang size and day rate, and add anything else the job costs you to send people (travel, parking, tool hire).
Typical output rates
These are common rules of thumb for straightforward work, as a starting point only. Real output depends on access, height, weather, the detail and the team.
| Work | Typical output per person per day |
|---|---|
| Bricklaying, plain walling | 300–500 bricks |
| Blockwork, 100 mm blocks | 80–120 blocks |
| Fixing plasterboard | 25–35 m² |
| Skim plastering | 30–40 m² |
| Wall tiling (standard sizes) | 6–10 m² |
| Painting walls, per coat | 40–60 m² |
A bricklaying gang is often two bricklayers and a labourer: include the labourer as part of the gang at their own rate, or add their cost through the add-ons percentage.
Worked example
2,000 bricks at 450 per bricklayer per day is 4.4 person-days. With two bricklayers that is 2.2 days, rounded up to 2.5 days. At £220 a day each, labour is 2.5 × 2 × £220 = £1,100.
From labour cost to price
Labour cost is not your price. Add materials, plant, overheads and profit with the profit calculator, and VAT with the VAT calculator. Quantities for the job come from the brick, concrete and paint calculators.
Questions
What is a fair day rate for a builder in the UK?
It varies by trade and region, and is usually higher in London and the South East. Check local rates and what the job demands rather than relying on national averages.
Should I quote by the day or by the job?
Homeowners usually prefer a fixed price. Estimate days carefully, add a contingency for unknowns, and agree in writing how extra work will be charged.
Why round up to half days?
Part days still cost travel and set-up time. Rounding up keeps the estimate honest.
Results are estimates for planning and ordering. Check quantities with your supplier and product data sheets, and anything structural or regulated with a qualified professional. See our terms.