Free Excel template · Excel for construction and trades

Free construction estimate template

For contractors and remodelers who price jobs from a takeoff. Enter what you measured, a waste allowance and how much one sheet, box or can covers; the template rounds every order up to whole units and prices it. Add crew hours and your markup, and it gives you the quote price and the margin that markup really leaves you.

cellwise-construction-estimate-template.xlsxExcel workbook · 4.5 KB · works in Excel, Google Sheets, Numbers and LibreOffice · no signup

Download free template

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	H
1	Job estimate
2	Job	Basement finish, 28 x 36 ft
3	Date	Nov 2, 2026
4
5	Material	Measured	Unit	Waste	Coverage per item	Order qty	Unit cost	Line cost
6	Drywall 1/2 in., 4x8 sheet	1840	sq ft	0.12	32	65	15.98	1038.7
7	Studs 2x4x8	142	each	0.1	1	157	4.25	667.25
8	Wall insulation (bag)	860	sq ft	0.05	40	23	52	1196
9	Vinyl plank flooring (box)	1008	sq ft	0.1	20	56	48.5	2716
10	Baseboard, 16 ft piece	128	lin ft	0.1	16	9	21	189
11	Wall paint (gallon), 2 coats	3680	sq ft	0.05	350	12	38	456
12
13
14	Labor	Hours					Rate	Line cost
15	Framing	36					58	2088
16	Insulation	10					58	580
17	Drywall hang and finish	64					58	3712
18	Flooring and trim	22					52	1144
19	Painting	30					48	1440
20

How the formulas work

Order quantity in whole units

F6=IF(B6="","",ROUNDUP(B6*(1+D6)/E6,0))

Measured quantity plus waste, divided by what one item covers, rounded up. 1,840 sq ft of drywall plus 12% is 2,060.8 sq ft, or 64.4 sheets, so you order 65. Coverage is whatever the product label says: 32 sq ft for a 4 x 8 sheet, the square feet per box for flooring, 16 for a 16 ft piece of trim. Use 1 for items you count individually, like studs.

Line cost

H6=IF(F6="","",ROUND(F6*G6,2))

Order quantity times unit cost. Because it multiplies the rounded-up quantity, the estimate prices what you will actually buy, not the fractional amount you measured. Empty rows stay blank.

Markup on direct cost

H25=ROUND(H24*G25,2)

Direct cost (materials plus labor) times your markup in G25. Put overhead and profit in the markup, or add them as separate lines above if you want them visible. The quote price in H26 is direct cost plus markup.

The margin your markup really leaves

H27=IF(H26>0,H25/H26,0)

Margin is profit divided by the selling price, so it is always smaller than the markup: 25% markup gives a 20% margin. If you think in margins, set the markup in G25 to margin / (1 - margin), for example 33.3% for a 25% margin.

Make it yours

Keep the waste allowance per line. Drywall and tile with lots of cuts need more than studs or paint.
Room for more items: row 12 is ready to use, and inserting rows inside rows 6 to 12 widens the Materials SUM automatically. Copy the formulas in F and H into any new row.
If you pay sales tax on materials, add a Tax line under Materials (materials times your local rate) so it is inside the direct cost before markup.
Save a copy of the estimate before you send the quote, then reuse it as the budget column of your job cost report.

FAQ

How do I calculate materials with waste in Excel?

Multiply the measured quantity by 1 plus the waste percentage, divide by the coverage of one unit, and wrap it in ROUNDUP: =ROUNDUP(B6*(1+D6)/E6,0).

What is the difference between markup and margin?

Markup is profit as a percentage of cost; margin is profit as a percentage of the price. On a $1,000 cost with a $250 markup, the markup is 25% and the margin is $250 / $1,250 = 20%.

How do I add a ceiling or floor to the estimate?

Measure it as length x width in square feet and add it as its own line, with the coverage of the product you are using in the Coverage column.

Functions used

Related guides

More free templates

Updated November 2, 2026