Pricing and business
Day rate to rate per m² and per hour
- where
- equivalent rate per m² (£/m²)
- day rate (£)
- area you can tile in a day (m²/day)
- equivalent hourly rate (£/hour)
- working hours in the day
Explain this equation
Turns the day rate you need into a price per m² for a particular kind of job, and into an hourly rate. Use it to check a square-metre quote still pays your day rate.
D is what you need to earn per day. P is how much of this kind of work you can finish in a day; it changes a lot between an open floor and a cut-up bathroom wall. h is the length of your working day.
If you lay P square metres in a day and want D for that day, each square metre must earn D divided by P. The hourly rate is the same idea spread over the hours.
Sense check: £250 a day at 10 m² a day is £25/m². If the job only allows 5 m² a day, the rate doubles to £50/m².
Watch out: use your own output figures for similar work, not a general average.
Converts the day rate you need into a price per m² for a particular kind of job, and into an hourly rate.
Enter your values to see the result.
Good to know
Daily output varies a great deal with the job: a commonly quoted UK figure for floor tiling is around 8–12 m² a day, but small-format, mosaic, herringbone, natural stone, large-format and heavily cut areas can be far slower. Use your own records for similar jobs. Price prep, levelling, tanking and grouting days separately or reduce P to suit.
Common mistake
Using one m² rate for every job. A small, cut-up bathroom wall may only manage a third of the output of an open floor, so the same m² rate earns a third of the day rate.
Limits
Labour only. Add materials, travel and extras separately.
Sources
Results are calculations from the published methods and manufacturer figures shown, and depend on the data you enter. Always follow the tile, adhesive and grout manufacturers’ instructions, BS 5385 and the Tile Association guidance. Coverage rates vary by product and substrate. Check prices and VAT rules with your own records and HMRC.