Guides
Quoting an HVAC contractor business job: template and real numbers
An HVAC contractor quote template in fourteen blocks, with worked dollar figures, the exclusions list, and the arithmetic that turns each line into a price.
What to take away
- Quoting an HVAC contractor job is a scope document with a number attached. Most disputes are about the scope half.
- The quote template below has fourteen blocks, each one there because a job went wrong without it.
- The exclusions list saves the most money and is the block most firms leave out.
- The worked example prices a 3-ton change-out at $10,080. Comparable installed jobs typically quote between $8,000 and $15,000.
- Market rates in this article are labeled typical ranges, not quotes. Swap in your supplier quote, burdened rate and permit fee before you send anything.
- Write the template once. Estimators fill blocks instead of composing paragraphs.
Which figures are real and which move
The table below gives typical US market figures for 2026. Every row is labeled so you can tell a range from a quote. Equipment cost, labor burden and permit fees move by market, season and supplier agreement.
A figure copied from an article is a guess with your name on it. The arithmetic that replaces it is in how to price HVAC contractor services for a fair margin. Whatever total it produces has to clear the break-even model for HVAC firms.
Which figures are real
| Figure behind a quote line | Typical 2026 range | What moves it |
|---|---|---|
| Burdened field labor | $95 to $140 an hour | State workers' comp rate, payroll tax, truck and insurance load |
| Crew day rate | $1,000 to $1,400 | Crew size, drive time, local licensing |
| Residential mechanical permit | $85 to $350 | Metro plan review, inspection count, valuation method |
| Refrigerant handling labor | $75 to $125 an hour | EPA 608 certified technician, recovery machine time |
| Duct modification, per run | $150 to $450 | Access, material, startup static pressure |
Two federal rules fix figures that do not move. EPA Section 608 certification is required before anyone handles regulated refrigerant. New residential split systems manufactured or imported after January 1, 2025 must use an A2L refrigerant, R-454B or R-32.
The fourteen blocks
- Header.Legal business name, license number as it appears on the register, address, quote number, date.
- Validity.How long the price stands. Equipment pricing moves, and an open-ended quote is a promise you did not intend to make.
- Customer and site.Address, building type, zone, and the person who can authorize a change.
- What was observed.Existing equipment and its data plate age, plus the duct system, venting and electrical supply. Note the condensate route and access.
- What was measured, or not.Name the readings you took and the ones you could not. A quote written without an ACCA Manual J load calculation should say so.
- Recommended scope.Written as work performed, not as a parts list.
- Equipment and materials.Model designations exactly as the manufacturer prints them, quantities, and a note that substitutions need written agreement.
- What is included.Permit application, inspection attendance, startup readings, cleanup and disposal. Refrigerant recovery belongs on this line too.
- What is excluded.Its own section below.
- Allowances.Named unknowns with a trigger condition and a stated amount.
- Price and structure.Total, fixed or unit based, and what triggers a change order.
- Payment terms.Deposit, progress points, final payment on completion of the listed work.
- Warranty.Your workmanship terms and the manufacturer's product warranty, stated separately, with the registration step named. Carrier, Trane and Lennox condition longer parts coverage on registration, commonly within 60 to 90 days.
- Acceptance.Signature, date, and the version of the scope being accepted.
Worked example: a 3-ton change-out in a 1,800 sq ft house
Scope line, written the way it should read:
Remove and dispose of the existing air handler and outdoor unit. Recover refrigerant in accordance with federal requirements. Install a 3-ton, 14.3 SEER2 split system, matching coil and 80,000 BTU/h 96% AFUE furnace, per the manufacturer's installation instructions.
Replace line set, set a new pad, reconnect to the existing electrical disconnect, reroute condensate to the floor drain. Pull mechanical permit and attend inspection. Start the system, record static pressure and temperature split, and hand over the readings.
Pricing block, same job, illustrative figures:
Worked example 3-ton change-out
| Line | Basis | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Equipment | 3-ton, 14.3 SEER2 condenser, matching coil, 80,000 BTU/h 96% AFUE furnace | $6,400 |
| Labor | 20 hours at $120 per hour burdened rate | $2,400 |
| Permit | Residential mechanical permit | $180 |
| Materials | Line set, pad, condensate fittings | $750 |
| Allowance | Unknown: duct leakage. Trigger: static pressure above 0.5 in. w.c. after startup | $350 |
| Total | $10,080 |
Worked 3-ton change-out pricing
- $6,400 | Equipment and materials
- $2,300 | Field labor, 2 crew days
- $645 | Permit and inspection
- $285 | Refrigerant recovery and handling
- $450 | Duct modification allowance
- $10,080 | Total, fixed subject to allowance
3 SEER2 condenser, a matching coil and an 80,000 BTU/h furnace at 96% AFUE. That bundle typically costs $4,500 to $7,000 at supplier level in most markets, which leaves the margin in the labor and overhead lines. The labor line assumes 20 hours at a burdened rate of $120 per hour, within the typical range in the table above.
The allowance row is the one to copy. It names the unknown, states the observable condition that triggers it, and settles the argument before anyone is in an attic.
The exclusions list
Write this once and reuse it. Everything on it is something a customer can reasonably assume is included unless told otherwise.
- Duct sealing, resizing or replacement beyond the connections listed. Trigger: a priced change order, agreed in writing, before work proceeds.
- Electrical work beyond reconnecting to the existing disconnect. Trigger: a priced change order, agreed in writing, before work proceeds.
- Drywall repair or patching. Triggera priced change order, agreed in writing, before work proceeds.
- Additional duct runs or modifications beyond the connections listed. Trigger: a priced change order, agreed in writing, before work proceeds.
- Permit upgrades or additional inspections. Triggera priced change order, agreed in writing, before work proceeds.
- Abatement of hazardous materials. Triggera priced change order, agreed in writing, before work proceeds.
- Structural modifications. Triggera priced change order, agreed in writing, before work proceeds.
- Testing and balancing beyond startup readings. Triggera priced change order, agreed in writing, before work proceeds.
- Thermostat or control upgrades. Triggera priced change order, agreed in writing, before work proceeds.
Reusable exclusions list
- Duct sealing, resizing or replacement beyond connections
- Electrical service upgrades, panel work or new circuits
- Venting, flue or chimney modification
- Gas piping alteration
- Structural work, framing, attic decking or roof repair
- Drywall, paint, insulation and finish restoration
- Asbestos, mold or hazardous material encountered
- Work an inspector requires not identified at survey
Follow each exclusion with what happens if it turns out to be needed: a priced change order, agreed in writing, before the work proceeds.
Two claims to keep out of the document
Two claims do not belong in the document: a savings figure you cannot support for that building, and a comparison against another firm's system. Both are advertising claims, and the FTC advertising guidance for small businesses sets out that support has to exist before the claim is made.
A SEER2 rating belongs to the matched system and comes from AHRI-certified testing, so attribute it to the manufacturer and name the model pairing. What the system delivers in that house depends on the duct work, the envelope and the installation. Commissioning readings are worth more to you than any rating.
Keeping the template alive
Three habits. Refresh the figures whenever the inputs behind them move. Add an exclusion every time a job teaches you one. Retire an allowance that has never been triggered, because it makes your quotes look expensive for nothing.
The stocked parts and instruments that set what your labor line can cover come from the equipment checklist for new owners. The vehicle and instrument time the quote assumes is described in the equipment and setup guide.
The record standard behind the supplier quotes and job costs that fill the table is the one in the IRS recordkeeping guidance. The IRS generally asks for records supporting a return to be kept three years, and employment tax records four years.
Median annual pay for heating, air conditioning and refrigeration mechanics and installers was $57,300 in the May 2023 occupational survey. Check the wage assumption inside the burdened day rate against the Bureau of Labor Statistics wage tables. Where the whole structure comes from is the HVAC pricing and profit guide.
Common questions
Should the quote show a labor rate?
Only if you want to negotiate about it. Most firms quote installed scope and hold the rate internally, which keeps the conversation on what is being done rather than how long it takes.
How long should a quote stay valid?
Long enough for a reasonable decision and short enough that a supplier price change does not fall on you. A 30-day window is typical on a residential change-out. Print the expiration date on the document rather than deciding case by case.
Is a deposit standard on a change-out?
Deposits are common and they are regulated differently in different places. Typical residential deposits run 10 to 30 percent, and some states cap what you can collect before work starts.
California limits a home improvement down payment to $1,000 or 10 percent of the contract price, whichever is less. Ask your state contractor licensing body what is permitted where you work before you write a deposit policy into the template.
What if the customer wants the equipment only, supplied by someone else?
Decide the policy in advance and put it in the template. Installing equipment you did not supply changes who carries the warranty and who gets called when it fails. That conversation goes better before the job than after it.
