Introduction

Ever priced a job that looked fine on paper, then the crew lagged and your margin evaporated? That’s usually a production rate problem. Production rates are the backbone of accurate bids, realistic programmes, and sensible crew sizing. In this guide, we’ll break down what production rates really are, how to build them from your own work, how to adjust for real-world conditions, and how to apply them to pricing and scheduling. Along the way, I’ll share the field-tested steps I use with crews so your rates hold up on site, not just in a spreadsheet. You’ll finish with a set of rates you trust—and know how to keep them sharp.

Table of Contents

• Key Takeaways
• What Production Rates Are And Why They Matter
• Set Your Baseline: A Five-Step Field Method
• Adjust For Real-World Conditions
• Use Rates To Price, Schedule, And Size Crews
• Track And Improve: From Daily Output To Company Standards
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Conclusion

Key Takeaways

• Build rates from your own jobs; don’t rely only on book values. In general, 3–5 measured jobs per task gives a dependable baseline.
• Adjust rates for reality: access, height, weather, learning curve, and inspection hold points commonly shift output by 10–30%.
• Apply rates directly: Quantity ÷ Rate = Duration. Duration × Crew Cost = Labour Allowance. Keep it simple and consistent.
• Track daily output and causes of delay. Many contractors find small logistics fixes can lift output by 10–20% without adding people.
• Capture the measured scope by voice and turn it into a proposal quickly. Tools like Donizo help you go from site notes to signed work faster.

What Production Rates Are And Why They Matter

Production rates define how fast your team converts materials into finished work. Think “metres of trench per day”, “square metres painted per hour”, or “linear metres of skirting fitted per day”. If your rate is wrong, your price, programme, and cashflow follow it off a cliff.

Problem

• Many contractors copy rates from a book or an old job and never verify them. Then site conditions change and the hours explode.
• It’s common for crews to lose time to poor staging, unclear drawings, or shared access. In general, these can cut output by 15–30% if ignored.

Solution

• Define each task clearly, pick the right unit, and measure your actual output over several days and jobs.
• Separate rates by context: ground floor vs. above second storey, occupied vs. empty, new build vs. retrofit.

Example

• Task: Paint new plaster walls in a school corridor. Unit: square metres. Baseline context: ground floor, clear access, taped edges provided, good lighting. Measured rate: 120–160 m² per painter per day under baseline conditions.

Set Your Baseline: A Five-Step Field Method

Step 1: Pick The Task And Unit

• Choose one clearly scoped task at a time (e.g., “lay 600 x 600 porcelain tile including grout”).
• Select the unit you’ll always use (m², lm, m³, fixtures, doors).

Step 2: Define The Baseline Conditions

• Access, height, substrate, staging, material type, and finish level.
• Write it down. If your baseline is vague, your rate will wander.

Step 3: Measure On Live Work

• Track start/stop time, crew size, and quantity completed each day.
• Exclude non-productive time you can’t eliminate (e.g., lunch), but note delays you could fix (e.g., material fetches).
• In general, measuring over 3–5 days smooths out noise and gives a stable daily average.

Step 4: Calculate The Rate

• Daily output per person = Quantity completed ÷ People ÷ Days.
• Baseline rate = median of your measured days. Median handles “one bad day” better than a simple average.

Step 5: Record The Context And Photos

• Capture a few photos and notes so you remember what “baseline” looked like.
• Use voice notes on site to describe details quickly. With Donizo, those voice notes can become a clear, professional proposal for the same type of work, then sent for e-signature.

In general, contractors who collect even basic field data for two weeks can trim estimating time by 20–30% on repeat work because they stop second-guessing allowances.

Tools You’ll Need

• Measure wheel, laser, or cloud point if available
• Simple time sheet (paper or phone form)
• Spreadsheet for rates library
• Phone camera for context photos

Real-World Example: Stud Framing

• Crew: 3 carpenters
• Scope: 70 lm of 92 mm metal stud walls to 2.7 m height, ground floor, straight runs, single layer board later
• Days worked: 1.5
• Output: 70 lm ÷ 1.5 days = 46.7 lm/day crew; per person = 15.6 lm/day
• Baseline rate recorded: 15–18 lm/person/day for similar conditions

Adjust For Real-World Conditions

Problem

Your baseline won’t hold everywhere. Stairs, lifts, tight sites, occupied areas, or winter weather all bite into output. Many contractors forget to derate and end up chasing hours.

Solution

Create adjustment factors you apply consistently. You’re not guessing—you’re planning for conditions you know will slow you down.

Common Adjustment Ranges (use your own data where possible)

• Access and Height: In general, above second storey without lift can reduce output by 10–25% due to handling and travel time.
• Congested/Occupied Areas: Commonly, productivity drops 15–30% to protect finishes, work out of hours, and coordinate.
• Weather (External): In general, light rain or wind can reduce exterior painting and roofing output by 10–20%; heavy weather by 30–50%.
• Learning Curve/New Crew Mix: Many contractors report a 15–25% improvement from day 1 to day 3 on repetitive tasks as the crew settles in.
• Inspections/Hold Points: Commonly add 5–10% time where frequent checks are required.

Quick Mitigation Wins

• Stage materials within 10–15 metres of the workface; in general this recovers 10–20% lost time on repetitive tasks.
• Pre-assemble or pre-cut where safe and compliant.
• Confirm access windows and coordinate with other trades daily.

Example

• Baseline tiling: 18 m²/tiler/day
• Job conditions: level 3 (no lift for part of programme), occupied below, strict clean-up
• Adjustments applied: access -15%, occupied -10% → effective rate ≈ 18 × 0.75 = 13.5 m²/day

Use Rates To Price, Schedule, And Size Crews

Problem

Good rates on a shelf don’t help if they never make it into your numbers or programme. Many contractors estimate by “feel”, then discover the programme is unrealistic.

Solution

Run everything through one simple chain: Quantity → Rate → Duration → Cost → Price.

Estimating Labour

• Duration (person-days) = Quantity ÷ Rate per person
• Labour cost = Duration × Day cost per person
• Add materials, plant, prelims, overhead, and margin on top.

Example

• Paint 1,200 m² at 140 m²/painter/day baseline
• Duration = 1,200 ÷ 140 = 8.6 painter-days → with 3 painters ≈ 2.9 working days
• Labour cost = 8.6 × £240/day = £2,064 (before overheads and margin)

Scheduling And Crew Sizing

• Programme duration (days) = Person-days ÷ Crew size
• Required crew = Person-days ÷ Target days

Example

• Framing 300 lm at 16 lm/person/day → 18.75 person-days
• Target 5 working days → 18.75 ÷ 5 ≈ 3.75 → staff with 4 carpenters

In general, aligning programme durations to measured rates reduces mid-job re-sequencing by 20–30% because handovers stop colliding.

Turn Measured Scope Into Clear Proposals

• Capture the scope while you’re on site using voice and photos.
• Use Donizo to convert those notes into a branded PDF proposal, send it to the client, and collect a legally binding e-signature.
• When accepted, convert to an invoice in one click and track payments if you’re on a paid plan—keeping the admin lean while you focus on delivery.

Track And Improve: From Daily Output To Company Standards

Problem

Rates decay if you don’t maintain them. New tools, different materials, and changing site setups all affect output. If you don’t track, you end up repeating the same mistakes.

Solution

Close the loop: capture daily output, review weekly, and update the rates library with context.

What To Track Daily (Simple Is Best)

• Quantity completed by task
• Crew size and hours
• Major delays (material staging, design change, shared access)
• Photos of setup and finish

In general, crews that note top-three delays each day find 1–2 quick fixes that lift weekly output by 10–15% without extra labour.

Weekly Review Template

• Compare planned vs. actual output for two key tasks
• Identify the biggest variance and its cause
• Decide one change for next week (staging, access, tooling, sequence)

Quick Impact Table

Example

• Drylining gang improved from 110 m²/day to 135 m²/day in two weeks by staging boards closer and setting a daily target. That’s roughly a 20–25% uplift without adding heads—common when logistics are sorted.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s A “Good” Production Rate For My Trade?

There’s no universal number. Start with a sensible baseline from your own jobs. In general, you’ll see typical ranges like 10–20 m²/tiler/day, 100–160 m²/painter/day, or 12–18 lm/carpenter/day for skirting under baseline conditions. Measure your work, then adjust for access, height, and occupancy.

How Many Jobs Should I Measure Before Trusting A Rate?

In general, 3–5 jobs or 5–10 solid days of measurement per task gives you a dependable median. Keep adding data and refresh the baseline yearly or when materials or methods change.

How Do I Apply Weather And Access Adjustments Without Guessing?

Create standard bands for your business. For example: exterior in light rain/wind: -10–20%; heavy weather: -30–50%; above second storey without lift: -10–25%. Tune the bands using your own recorded outputs.

Can I Use Production Rates For Small One-Off Jobs?

Yes—especially for repetitive tasks like doors, fixtures, or small patches. For tiny tasks, include a set-up allowance (commonly 30–60 minutes) because set-up dominates the time on small jobs.

How Does Donizo Fit Into This?

Use your measured rates to scope work on site by voice in Donizo. It turns those notes and photos into a professional proposal you can email immediately, collect a legally binding e-signature, and, once accepted, convert to an invoice in one click. That reduces admin and helps you get from walk-through to signed job faster.

Conclusion

Reliable production rates turn uncertainty into control. Measure a clear baseline on live work, adjust for real-world conditions, and run those rates straight into your pricing and programme. Review weekly, fix the simple bottlenecks, and keep your library current. When you’re ready to turn that scoped work into a clean proposal, record the details by voice and let Donizo generate and send a branded PDF for e-signature—then convert to an invoice when the client accepts. Fewer guesses, fewer surprises, better margins.