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.)