Free calculator
Roof Estimate Calculator
Given your job costs, overhead, and target margin, what should you charge? Enter your known material, labor, and other direct costs to get a required selling price.
Price your job
Enter your job costs and pricing targets above, then select "Calculate required selling price" to see your results.
Scope & accuracy
What this calculator is -- and is not
- This is a one-time pricing calculation based on the costs and percentages you enter -- it does not save, finalize, or create a customer estimate.
- There is no built-in default cost, overhead rate, or margin. You supply every figure from your own job.
- This calculator does not add taxes, discounts, or financing -- verify those separately before issuing a customer estimate.
- It is not the Roof Replacement Cost Calculator's broad, area-based planning range -- this tool starts from your own known direct costs and prices a specific job build-up.
Margin vs. markup
Why margin and markup are not the same
A markup is profit added on top of cost. A margin is profit as a share of the final selling price. The same percentage produces two different prices: on a true job cost of $12,259.00, a 35% markup gives a selling price of $16,549.65, while a 35% margin requires a selling price of $18,860.00 -- over $2,300 more. This calculator always prices for your target margin, never a markup, since margin is what actually determines your profit share of the sale.
Minimum job price
What a minimum job price does
A minimum job price is the lowest amount you will charge for any job, no matter what the margin math produces -- useful for small jobs where a percentage-based price alone would not cover your time. It only ever raises the price: if your margin-derived price already meets or exceeds your minimum, entering a minimum changes nothing. It only takes over once it is strictly higher than the margin-derived price.
Worked example
A worked example
Say a job has $4,200.00 in material cost, $2,980.00 in labor cost, and $3,480.00 in other direct costs (tear-off, disposal, equipment, delivery, and permits) -- $10,660.00 in direct cost. Adding 15% overhead brings the true job cost to $12,259.00. Pricing for a 35% target margin requires a selling price of $18,860.00 -- an expected gross profit of $6,601.00.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What costs belong in a roofing estimate?
At minimum, material cost and labor cost. "Other direct costs" covers everything else tied directly to this job -- tear-off, disposal, equipment, delivery, and permits are common examples. This calculator does not include your business overhead in "other direct costs"; overhead is applied separately as a percentage.
What is overhead?
Overhead is the cost of running your business that is not tied to any single job -- rent, insurance, office staff, and similar. This calculator applies your overhead rate as a percentage of direct cost to arrive at your true job cost, before pricing for a margin.
What is gross margin, and how is it different from markup?
Margin is profit as a share of your selling price; markup is profit as a share of your cost. They are not interchangeable: a 35% markup on $12,259.00 in true cost gives a selling price of $16,549.65, while a 35% margin on the same true cost requires $18,860.00 -- over $2,300 more. This calculator always prices for your target margin, never markup, since margin is what determines your actual profit share of the sale.
What is a minimum job price?
A minimum job price is the lowest amount you will charge for any job, regardless of what the margin math produces -- useful for small jobs where a percentage-based price would be unrealistically low to cover your time. If your margin-derived price already meets or exceeds your minimum, the minimum has no effect; only when your minimum is strictly higher does it control the final price.
Is this the same as a customer quote?
No. This is a one-time internal pricing calculation to help you decide what to charge -- it is not a saved, finalized, or customer-facing document, and nothing you enter is stored. A customer quote or proposal is a separate, more detailed document.
What does Roofing Estimate Pro add beyond this free calculator?
Roofing Estimate Pro adds a reusable price book, material and labor line items, business-level overhead and margin defaults, saved estimates, estimate finalization, Good/Better/Best pricing options where supported, customer-ready proposals, and local browser persistence with backup and recovery -- everything this one-time calculator intentionally leaves out.
Does this calculator save or store my numbers?
No. Everything runs in your browser and nothing you enter here is saved, sent to a server, or stored in any way -- reloading the page clears the form.
Next step
Already have your measurements? Turn them into a profitable estimate.
Roofing Estimate Pro helps contractors apply true material and labor costs, include overhead, price for a target margin, save estimates on this device, and produce a customer-ready proposal -- all from measurements you already have.
Build a profitable estimate