Power Calculators

🛠️ Project Cost Estimate Calculator

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Fill in the details and click Calculate to see your results.

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📘 About the Project Cost Estimate

A good estimate covers more than the obvious costs. Direct costs are labour (hours × rate), materials, equipment and other items. Overhead covers a share of your running costs — rent, admin, insurance. Contingency is a buffer for the unexpected (10% is common; 15–25% for uncertain work). Profit is added on top of cost, then tax.

Use the total project cost to budget, and the quote price when bidding. To turn it into a professional quotation, use the free quote generator.

🧮 Formula

Direct cost
hours × rate + materials + equipment + other
Project cost
direct + overhead + contingency
Quote
(cost + profit) × (1 + tax)
Profit here is a markup on cost. For a margin on price, profit = cost × m ÷ (1 − m).

✏️ Worked example

Website project

You enter
Labour hours120
Labour rate per hour800
Materials50000
Equipment / tools / software10000
Other costs (travel, permits, subcontractors)5000
Overhead (%)10
Contingency (%)10
Profit margin (%)15
Tax on the quote (%)18
You get
Total quote including tax264,357.17
Total project cost194,810
Labour cost96,000
Overhead16,100
Contingency17,710
Profit29,221.5
Price before tax224,031.5
Tax40,325.67

Cost 194,810; quote 264,357.17 including tax.

Try this example →

🧭 How to use this calculator

What you enter

  • Labour hours
  • Labour rate per hour
  • Materials
  • Equipment / tools / software
  • Other costs (travel, permits, subcontractors)
  • Overhead (%)
  • Contingency (%)
  • Profit margin (%)
  • Tax on the quote (%)

What you get

  • Total quote including tax
  • Total project cost
  • Labour cost
  • Overhead
  • Contingency
  • Profit
  • Price before tax
  • Tax

💡 Estimating tips

  • Break the work into tasks and estimate each — totals from parts are more accurate than one guess.
  • Track actual hours against estimates to improve future quotes.
  • State what is not included (exclusions) on the quote.

❓ Frequently asked questions

How do I estimate project cost?

Add labour (hours × rate), materials, equipment and other direct costs, then overhead and a contingency buffer. Add profit and tax for the price you quote.

How much contingency should I add?

5–10% for well-defined work, 15–25% for projects with unknowns such as renovation or new software.

What is the difference between cost and price?

Cost is what the project costs you; price is what you charge — cost plus profit plus tax.