What Is the Average Cost Per Hour to Perform Body Shop Work?

What Is the Average Cost Per Hour to Perform Body Work?

What is the average cost per hour to perform body work, average cost of materials, and average cost per hour to prep and paint a car?

Asked by David Hartley, classic car owner

Question answered by Mark Clark, former PBE jobber store owner and 24-year contributor to BodyShop Business.

I believe by average cost per hour you mean door rate. I operate on the assumption that the average door rate across the country is between $42 and $44 per hour. The average cost for material might look like this: at $43 per hour, the typical RO would be $1,650. If paint and material on the estimate was around 10 percent, the answer is $165. Of that, 24 percent is clear cost, 32 percent is color cost, 12 percent is sand and mask
cost, and 18 percent is everything else (filler, compound, tack rags, pull pins, etc.)

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