Job Cost Analysis – The Profitable Fencer

Three buckets, one quote. DIRECT is what the job physically costs. OVERHEAD is this job's share of running your business. PROFIT is what you pay yourself to carry the risk and grow. Miss any of the three and you're working for free.

Direct Costs

What the job physically consumes — nothing hidden.

Materials $

Labour hours

Hourly rate $

Labour cost: $0

Subbies $

Equipment / hire $

Travel & fuel $

Waste buffer %

Bucket 1 $0

Overheads

Your share of keeping the lights on — insurance, admin, vehicles, rego, software, marketing.

Overhead recovery %
(of direct costs)

Rule of thumb: most fencing crews sit at 20–30%. If you've never actually measured your real overhead recovery rate, start at 25% — then go measure it using your Back Costing Sheet.

Or calculate it:
Monthly fixed costs ÷ productive labour hours = $/hr overhead rate.

Bucket 2 $0

Profit Margin

This is NOT your wage. It's the reward for carrying risk and the fuel you use to grow.

Target net margin %

Healthy fencing margin: 20–30% net. Below 15% you're running too lean — one bad job wipes the year. Most fencers are quoting 15–20% under what they should be.

Linear metres (optional)

Contingency on quote %

Bucket 3 ($) $0

The Number That Matters

Target 25% margin

Total Cost

Direct + Overheads

Quote This Price

Enter metres for $/m

Profit ($)

At 25% margin

Margin Health

—

Set target above

Direct

$0 (0%)

Overheads

$0 (0%)

Profit

$0 (0%)

Breakeven

Markup on cost