-
I want to thank all the members that have upgraded your accounts. I truly appreciate your support of the site monetarily. Supporting the site keeps this site up and running as a lot of work daily goes on behind the scenes. Click to Support Signs101 ...
Hourly shop rate
- Thread starter Mark H
- Start date
I've found this to be a very useful tool. We use the calculator at least once a year to review how we are doing.
https://www.signcraft.com/libraries/docs/SPG_Hourly_rate_for_Web.pdf
https://www.signcraft.com/libraries/docs/SPG_Hourly_rate_for_Web.pdf
Estimate software, best pricing software out there. During the setup it has multiple questions that you answer, it then calculates your hourly rate based on how you answer the questions. http://www.estimatesoftware.com/
Mark H
New Member
Thanks. iIs SignCraft worth the subscription price?
Mark H
New Member
Thanks. I see they have several plans, is the QUOTING ONLY all I need to start out. Why is it so much better than SignCraft pricing guide, it costs per month what SignCraft costs for a year.
ams
New Member
In a way yes. So like a 4' X 8' 1/2" wood sign, single sided. I estimate 1 hour of employee labor for laminating, trimming and laying down the graphic. So his rate is $16/hour for wages, so I will add $20 or $25 for a fabrication charge built into the cost of the sign.
Designing, most signs I can design in 20 minutes or less, so I don't charge for design time, I make enough on the sign it's self. Customers get pissed off at extra charges not relating to their product. However after 2 revisions, I start charging $10 per revision. If it takes an hour or so to design, includes clipart, logos or anything I have to go out and search for, I charge $35 and again after 2 revisions it's $10 per revision. If it's like a menu, high detail or logo creation, I charge $20/hour or $99 flat fee with a max of 1 revision, and then $15 per revision after.
You don't make your money on fabrication or designing, those fees are to help offset your operating costs and payroll. Your money should come from installation and the price of the sign. I usually charge $550.00 for a 4' X 8' 1/2" wood sign, just handed to the customer. I make around $200 - $250 profit on it. Unless there is a mess up, sometimes only around $150 profit.
For installation, basic one man install is $55 / hour, two man is $80 / hour. Electrical or bucket truck is $95 / hour. I don't charge a trip charge within 10 miles of the shop. If it's more, it's 95 cents a mile for the van and $1.40 a mile for the bucket truck. If it's the bucket truck and the trailer both, it's $1.55 a mile.
Kottwitz-Graphics
New Member
Yes. It's my favorite trade mag... I get several freebie mags, that end up as brush pallet, or in the trash. Signcraft gets places on a shelf in chronological order. I even went out and bought back issues, and need about 15 issues for a complete set.
BillyBoy86
New Member
Gino, is there really any other way to price a job?
Gino
Premium Subscriber
So this not necessarily a yes and no question. A lot of it depends on what your doing. For example lets say that a client wants 10 12x18 parking signs. So rather than charging 2 minutes of shop labor to apply each sign, use a flat fee for that size sign.
But yes charge for artwork, install, travel, etc... You have to pay someone to do the work.
If you want a trade magazine that exemplifies and illustrates some of the best work being done in our craft along with tons of useful tools, design workshops, tips, signmaker profiles, etc. then its worth it. We barely use the pricing guide at all because of how polluted out local market has gotten with the "race to the bottom" types, but its useful for a quick glance to double check. Its the overhead calculator that has a real value for catching nearl everything that should be going into how you figure your hourly rate.
We operate in THE most expensive county in California to live and work when average wages are factored in.
Given that fact, our local prices SHOULD consistently be in the Green/Blue range in that guide and we regularly lose jobs to shops that aren't even up to the Yellow. We're lucky to get into the Green consistently without starting to lose jobs. People will sit around and complain how expensive it is live here, but not want to command what their particular work is truly worth.
We just lost a 8'x10' full color banner WITH pole pockets AND an oversized adjustable stand today to another local shop who quoted the client $275.00 for everything stand included. The stand alone is $135.00 wholesale with shipping from Sign-Mart. They are doing the banner for $1.75 per square foot. Even if they send it out to Signs365, it'll cost them $110.00 plus shipping.
Why even bother getting out of bed for that kind of stupidity?
That's just fucking dumb. I'm sorry man, I thought it was bad up here when guys are charging $6 a sqft. How can they stay open at $1.75... I know that their still making a little money but damn, that's scraping the bottom of the barrel.
Last edited:
The sample overhead sheet from EstiMate looks pretty similar as the one in SignCraft.
We should be really clear about the differences between streamlining our estimating processes, improving workflow, producing quick estimates more accurately and keeping track of our overhead costs in order calculate our shop rate. They are all related but not one in the same.
If that program does all of those things reasonably well, it might be worth the money depending on the size of your operation.
But do you turn around and sell it for $1.75 per square foot?
The work, whether we outsource its production or not has an intrinsic value just for its advertising value alone that either has to be accounted for, or why bother even being in an "advertising" related business. The throat someone cuts today might be mine, but the throat someone cuts tomorrow could be their own.
Texas_Signmaker
Very Active Signmaker
I'd be interested to see what prices you Californians get on signs compared to the rest of the country. From what limited insight that I have, I suspect you get about the same as us in Texas...despite having a cost of living many many times what ours is.
