Why Cutting and Costing Separately Doubles Your Work
Most cutting list tools stop once they've given you a layout. To price the job, you open a second tool — a spreadsheet, a standalone calculator, or a pad of paper — and type in the same widths, heights and sheet counts all over again. Every time the design changes, you update it twice: once in the cutting plan, once in the quote. It's slow, and it's exactly where numbers quietly drift out of sync — a panel gets resized in the cut list and nobody updates the quote to match.
What a Carpentry Quote Must Include
A complete carpentry quote has six blocks of cost. Leaving any of them out is the most common reason a job ends up costing more than expected.
Materials & sheet stock
Melamine, MDF, plywood or solid timber — cost varies by finish and supplier, but should always be calculated by the full sheet, not just by part, since you normally buy whole sheets even if you only use part of one.
Hardware & fittings
Hinges, cam locks, drawer runners, handles and edge banding are easy to forget because they're bought by the bag or the roll, not per part. A two-door wardrobe alone can need 4 hinges, 12 cam locks and 6 metres of edging — a cost that adds up fast if it isn't tracked from the start.
Labour
Calculated as cutting hours plus assembly hours, multiplied by your hourly rate. This is the block most often underestimated: on-site fitting, assembly and finishing time nearly always run longer than planned.
Other costs
Travel or site visits, contingency (typically 5–15% of the subtotal), and consumables like screws, glue or edge tape that aren't billed per part.
Margin and VAT/GST
The margin is applied to the total cost to get the client price, and VAT or GST is applied afterwards, on that final price — never on the raw materials cost.
Client price = Total cost ÷ (1 − Margin%)
Total incl. VAT/GST = Client price × (1 + VAT/GST%)
VAT and GST Rates — IE, UK, AU & NZ
The rate you apply depends on where you're trading, and most of these countries have reduced rates for specific situations. Treat the figures below as a starting point, not tax advice — always confirm the applicable rate with your accountant before you quote.
| Country | Standard rate | Source |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 20% VAT | FreeAgent UK VAT rates, September 2026 |
| Ireland | 23% VAT | vatcalculator.irish, September 2026 |
| Australia | 10% GST | Australian Taxation Office, September 2026 |
| New Zealand | 15% GST | NZ tax guides (dfkorb360.co.nz, vatinfo.org), September 2026 |
Worked Example — a Two-Door Wardrobe
Let's price a 800×2000×580mm wardrobe with two hinged doors, using UK figures.
| Concept | Detail | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Materials | 3 sheets of 18mm melamine (~£35/sheet) | £105.00 |
| Hardware | 4 hinges + runners + edging | £18.50 |
| Labour | 3h cutting + 4h assembly × £35/h | £245.00 |
| Contingency (10%) | £36.85 | |
| Total cost | £405.35 | |
| Margin applied (20%) | Client price: £506.69 | |
| Total incl. VAT (20%) | £608.03 |
Sheet price based on the £25–£45 range for an 18mm sheet we sourced for our cut list optimizer guide; labour rate based on typical UK self-employed joiner rates (see below). Adjust every figure to your own rates before sending a real quote — the calculator makes every price editable.
Labour Rates — IE, UK, AU & NZ
These are general reference points, not a rate to copy — always use your own hourly rate.
| Country | Typical rate | Source |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | Self-employed joiners typically £30–£45/h | MyJobQuote / Digital Tradies, September 2026 |
| Ireland | Reported pay averages roughly €20–€25/h | Indeed / PayScale / Jobted Ireland, September 2026 |
| Australia | Self-employed carpenters around AU$45–48/h | PayScale (self-employed), September 2026 |
| New Zealand | Reported pay averages roughly NZ$31–36/h | PayScale / Indeed / ERI, September 2026 |
The Irish and New Zealand figures above come from average pay data rather than self-employed billing rates, so self-employed tradespeople in those markets typically charge more than these numbers — use them as a rough reference point only, not a rate to quote.
Why the Standalone Calculators Out There Don't Solve This
There's no shortage of carpentry costing tools — WoodworkCalc, Price A Job in the UK, contractorplus.app for contractors more broadly. All of them will total up a quote. None of them are connected to a cutting plan.
| Tool | What it does | What's missing |
|---|---|---|
| WoodworkCalc | Standalone materials/cost calculator | No link to a cut list — measurements are typed in by hand |
| Price A Job (UK) | General trade job pricing and quoting | Not carpentry- or cutting-specific; no board optimisation |
| contractorplus.app | General contractor estimating & invoicing | Built for broad contracting work, not tied to a cutting plan either |
With all three, you optimise your cutting plan somewhere else first, then re-enter the same dimensions by hand into the calculator. Our quote calculator skips that step — it reads directly from the cutting plan you've already built.
How the Integration Actually Works
Optimise your cut list
Run your parts through the free cut list optimiser to get your sheet layout.
Import your parts with one click
The quote calculator pulls in the sheets and parts straight from your optimised plan — no retyping dimensions.
Add hardware and labour
Hinges, runners, edging and your hourly rate, with every price editable.
Set your margin and VAT/GST
Choose your margin and tax rate; the client price updates as you go.
Export a professional PDF quote
A clean, two-page quote ready to send to your client.
Quote your next job in minutes
Optimise the cut, then price it — in the same place. Free to use.
▶ Open the quote calculatorFAQ
How much does a made-to-measure wardrobe cost?
It depends on size, material and finish, but a simple two-door wardrobe typically runs a few hundred pounds or euros in materials and labour before tax — see our worked example above for one realistic breakdown. Larger wardrobes with premium finishes can cost significantly more.
How do I work out labour cost for a carpentry job?
Add up your cutting hours and your assembly hours, then multiply by your hourly rate. Make sure to include on-site fitting and finishing time as well as workshop time — it's the part most quotes underestimate.
What VAT or GST rate applies to carpentry work?
It depends on where you're trading — see the rate table above for the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. Some renovation or home-improvement work qualifies for a reduced rate in certain countries — always confirm the applicable rate with your accountant before quoting.
How do I put together a professional quote for a client?
A professional quote should show the full breakdown (materials, hardware, labour, other costs), the margin applied, VAT/GST, and both your contact details and your client's, in a clear, well laid-out document — a PDF is the standard.
Is the quote calculator free to use?
Yes. The basic materials calculator has no limits. Advanced features — automatic import from your cutting plan, detailed hardware costing, labour, and PDF export — are available with a daily free allowance, and unlimited on the Premium plan.