Construction labour cost calculator by trade
This labour cost calculator for construction estimates how many man-days of masons, helpers, carpenters, bar benders, painters and water carriers a job needs, and what they cost. Enter work quantities — cubic metres of brickwork, square metres of plaster or formwork, tonnes of steel — and it applies output norms (man-days per unit) and the daily or hourly wage of each trade, then adds overhead and profit.
The default norms come from published analyses of rates in the CPWD format, so you can see where each number comes from and change any of them to match your gang’s actual output. It also tells you roughly how many workers of each trade you need to finish in a given number of days.
For a whole-house budget with labour as one share of the cost, use the house construction cost calculator; this page is for pricing and planning the labour itself.
How to use the Construction Labour Cost Calculator
- Choose square metres and cubic metres, or square feet and cubic feet, and your currency.
- Add a row for each work item and enter its quantity. Use “Man-days for one trade” for work you already know in days, or “Labour-only contract rate” for items a sub-contractor prices per unit.
- Enter today’s wage for each trade, per day or per hour with hours per day.
- Set overhead and profit, a productivity percentage if your crew is faster or slower than the norms, and the number of working days.
- Read the cost and man-days by trade and by item, adjust norms if needed, and copy the estimate or download a CSV.
Construction Labour Cost Calculator features
Trade-wise man-days
Mason, carpenter, bar bender, painter, helper, bhisti and mate, each with its own wage.
Sourced output norms
Norms from CPWD DAR 2023 and a state PWD analysis of rates, editable per item and trade.
Three ways to enter work
Quantities with norms, man-days directly, or a labour-only rate per unit.
Crew planning
Workers needed per trade to finish in the days you set, rounded up.
Overheads and productivity
Contractor overhead and profit percentage and a productivity factor applied to every norm.
How labour cost is calculated
Man-days = quantity × output norm ÷ productivity, and labour cost = Σ man-days × daily wage + overhead and profit. Worked example: 10 m³ of 1:6 brickwork in walls above plinth uses 0.82 mason-days, 1.31 helper-days and 0.18 bhisti-days per m³. That is 8.2 mason-days × ₹857 = ₹7,027, 13.1 helper-days × ₹736 = ₹9,642 and 1.8 bhisti-days × ₹816 = ₹1,469: ₹18,138 in wages, or ₹20,858 with 15% overhead and profit. To finish in 5 days you need 2 masons, 3 helpers and 1 bhisti.
Default output norms and their sources
APPWD AR 2018 is the Arunachal Pradesh PWD Analysis of Rates for building works, which follows the CPWD format. Analyses of rates assume normal conditions and give indicative coefficients: height, access, weather, specification and crew skill all change real output, so treat the defaults as a starting point and use your own records when you have them.
| Work (per unit) | Skilled | Helpers | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brickwork 1:6, walls above plinth (m³) | mason 0.82 | helper 1.31, bhisti 0.18 | APPWD AR 2018 E0289 + E0294 |
| 12 mm cement plaster (m²) | mason 0.067 | coolie 0.075, bhisti 0.092 | CPWD DAR 2023 item 13.1 |
| Slab formwork (m²) | carpenter 0.444 | beldar 0.444 | APPWD AR 2018 E0226 |
| Reinforcement (tonne) | bar bender 10 | beldar 10 | APPWD AR 2018 E0241 |
| Concrete, mixer (m³) | mason 0.10, mate 0.04 | helper 1.50, bhisti 0.27 | APPWD AR 2018 E0125 |
| Vitrified tiles (m²) | mason 0.20 | skilled beldar 0.20 | APPWD AR 2018 E0792 |
| Emulsion paint, 2 coats (m²) | painter 0.054 | coolie 0.054 | APPWD AR 2018 E1004 |
Wages, overheads and other countries
The default wages are the Delhi rates used in CPWD’s Analysis of Rates 2023 (minimum wages from 1 April 2023): ₹857 a day for a mason or carpenter, ₹816 for a painter, bhisti or mate and ₹736 for a beldar or coolie. CPWD adds 1% water charges and 15% contractor’s profit and overheads, which is why overhead defaults to 15%. Minimum wages are revised regularly, so enter current ones.
In the UK or Australia, choose £ or A$, switch wages to per hour and enter local hourly rates; the norms describe manual Indian site methods, so lower the productivity figure or edit norms for mechanised work. Related tools: the plaster calculator for materials and the plinth area calculator for areas.
Construction Labour Cost Calculator FAQ
How do I calculate labour cost in construction?
Work out the quantity of each item, multiply by the man-days per unit for each trade, multiply the man-days by each trade’s daily wage, add them up, and add overhead and profit. The calculator does each step and shows it by trade and by item.
What is the mason to helper ratio?
It depends on the work. For brickwork the norms above give about 1.6 helpers per mason; for plastering about 1.1 coolies plus a water carrier per mason; for tiling about 1 to 1.
How many bricks can a mason lay in a day?
At 0.82 mason-days per m³ of brickwork above plinth, one mason with helpers lays about 1.2 m³ a day — roughly 600 standard bricks. Output falls on thin walls, corners and at height.
What is labour cost per sq ft for house construction?
Labour-only contracts in India are often quoted per sq ft of built-up area. Enter that as a “Labour-only contract rate” row with the area as quantity, or build it up by trade here to check a quote.
Can I use hourly rates?
Yes. Set “Wages are” to per hour and enter hours per day; the daily wage is hourly rate × hours.
Are these the legal minimum wages?
No. They are example rates from a 2023 schedule. Check the minimum wage currently notified for your state or country and pay at least that.