Free Excel template · Excel for auto repair
Free auto repair estimate template
For service writers and shop owners who want an estimate that adds up the same way every time. Enter the labor operations with book hours and the parts with your cost, and the template prices each part from your markup matrix, adds shop supplies with a cap and tax on parts, and shows the total. Below the total it shows what the parts cost you and the margin they leave, so you can see the job before you call the customer.
Preview and try it
This is the template's sheet, calculated by the same engine as the Cellwise app. Change any number to see the formulas react before you download.
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Repair estimate | ||||||
| 2 | Customer | Jordan K. | Labor rate | 145 | |||
| 3 | Vehicle | 2017 compact SUV, 98,400 miles | Shop supplies % of labor | 0.08 | |||
| 4 | Estimate date | Nov 2, 2026 | Shop supplies cap | 40 | |||
| 5 | Sales tax rate on parts | 0.07 | |||||
| 6 | |||||||
| 7 | Labor operation | Hours | Rate | Labor | |||
| 8 | Replace front brake pads and rotors | 1.8 | 145 | 261 | |||
| 9 | Replace rear brake pads | 1.2 | 145 | 174 | |||
| 10 | Flush and fill brake fluid | 0.8 | 145 | 116 | |||
| 11 | Diagnose ABS warning light | 1 | 145 | 145 | |||
| 12 | |||||||
| 13 | Labor total | 696 | |||||
| 14 | |||||||
| 15 | Part | Qty | Unit cost | Markup | Unit price | Line price | |
| 16 | Front brake rotor | 2 | 68.4 | 0.6 | 109.44 | 218.88 | |
| 17 | Front ceramic pad set | 1 | 52.1 | 0.6 | 83.36 | 83.36 | |
| 18 | Rear ceramic pad set | 1 | 41.8 | 0.6 | 66.88 | 66.88 | |
| 19 | Brake fluid, 1 qt | 2 | 9.25 | 1 | 18.5 | 37 | |
| 20 | Caliper hardware kit | 2 | 12.6 | 1 | 25.2 | 50.4 |
How the formulas work
Labor line: hours times your rate
Book hours for the operation times the labor rate. The rate in column F reads the shop rate in G2, so a rate change updates every line. Type over a single F cell if one operation is billed at a different rate, such as diagnostics.
Markup from the parts matrix
Most shops mark cheap parts up more than expensive ones. VLOOKUP with TRUE finds the last "cost from" value in A34:A37 that is not more than the part cost: a $9.25 quart of fluid gets 100%, a $68.40 rotor 60%, a $112.50 sensor 45%. The matrix must stay sorted smallest first for TRUE to work.
Unit price and line price
Cost times 1 plus the markup, rounded to cents. The line price in column G multiplies by quantity: two rotors at $109.44 is $218.88.
Shop supplies with a cap
A percentage of labor for rags, cleaners and small hardware, never more than the cap in G4. Here 8% of $696 is $55.68, so MIN charges the $40 cap. Set G3 to 0 if you do not charge shop supplies.
What the parts really earn you
Parts profit divided by the parts price is your parts margin. Mixed markups make it hard to guess: on this job the blended margin is 37.6%. If it drifts down, look at the matrix tiers for your most common parts.
Make it yours
- Get the customer's approval on the estimate total before work starts, and add a new estimate line (not a change to an old one) when a tech finds more work.
- Sales tax rules on parts, labor and shop supplies vary by state. Enter your own rate in G5, and if your state taxes labor too, add a tax line for it.
- Keep the markup matrix in one place. If you change a tier, every part on the estimate re-prices automatically.
- Room for more: rows 12 and 22 are spare lines, and inserting rows inside the labor or parts block widens the SUM. Copy the formulas in F and G (and E for parts) into any new row.
FAQ
How do I calculate a repair estimate in Excel?
Add up labor (book hours times your labor rate) and parts (cost times 1 plus markup, times quantity), then add shop supplies and tax. In this template that is =G13+G23+G25+G26.
What is a parts markup matrix?
A table of markups by part cost: low-cost parts get a higher markup and expensive ones a lower one. In Excel, keep the tiers sorted smallest first and use =VLOOKUP(cost,matrix,2,TRUE) to pick the markup for each part.
What is the difference between parts markup and parts margin?
Markup is profit divided by your cost; margin is profit divided by the selling price. A $100 part sold for $160 has a 60% markup and a 37.5% margin.
Functions used
IFPicks a result from a testROUNDRounds to digitsSUMAdds numbersVLOOKUPVertical lookupMINSmallest numberSUMPRODUCTMultiply then add
Related guides
- How to calculate markup in Excel
- How to calculate profit margin in Excel
- VLOOKUP not working: 7 causes and fixes
- Absolute vs relative cell references in Excel
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