Learn how to set, measure, and apply construction productivity rates to bid smarter, plan better, and protect margins â with practical steps and examples.
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If your crews work hard but your margins still wobble, youâre likely missing one thing: solid productivity rates. Not guesses. Not âwhat we did on that one job.â Actual output per labour-hour by task, crew, and conditions. When you lock these in, you price jobs with confidence, plan weeks ahead without chaos, and spot slippage before it eats your profit. In this guide, weâll break down what productivity rates are, how to build baselines, how to measure in the field without slowing crews, and how to use rates to bid, plan, and control your projects.
Many contractors price using memory or book values, then wonder why âthe sameâ job finishes long or over budget. In general, crew output for common tasks can swing 20â40 percent between sites just from access, weather, or coordination. Without clear definitions and units, you canât compare or improve.
Define productivity as output per labour-hour (or crew-hour). Make it task-specific with a clear unit:
Include all time that makes the task possible â setup, handling, and clean-down â not just âtool-onâ time. Thatâs your true rate.
| Rate Type | Definition | Unit | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base rate | Tool-on, steady-state production | m²/LH | 10 m²/LH of block-laying on straight runs |
| Allowanced rate | Base plus setup/handling/clean-up | m²/LH | 7 m²/LH including mix, moves, tidy |
| Adjusted rate | Allowanced plus site factors | m²/LH | 5â6 m²/LH on scaffold in winter |
A 6-person framing crew installs 400 m² of sheathing in an 8-hour day.
Document the conditions: ground floor, good access, dry weather. That becomes a useful baseline.
Contractors often have scattered notes and memories, not a usable set of rates. Commonly, 60â80 percent of labour cost on repeatable work sits in a short list of tasks. Without baselines for those, estimates float and schedules slip.
Price check: 480 m² of internal blockwork at 6.0 m²/LH â 80 LH.
Foremen hate clipboards, and crews hate being timed. Yet itâs common for teams to lose 30â60 minutes per person per day to waits, rework, and material hunts. Without simple capture, you donât see it until the job is behind.
Keep it light and consistent.
Practical methods:
If you need to turn site notes into client-facing paperwork fast (e.g., a variation), use Donizo to voice-record scope, quantities, and photos, generate a professional proposal, send it for e-signature, and convert it to an invoice when accepted. That shortens the capture-to-cash loop= and keeps your field notes connected to revenue.
A âgood weather, ground floor, wide-accessâ rate wonât hold on Level 6 with tight logistics. In general, weather, access, height, and crew mix are the big drivers. Without adjustments, rates look wrong and blame lands on the wrong people.
Add simple, transparent modifiers to your allowanced baseline. Donât overcomplicate.
Create a one-line playbook per trade:
Keep the math easy: Adjusted LH = Quantity / Baseline rate, then apply a single factor for conditions.
Baseline drywall boarding = 5.0 m²/LH. Scope = 700 m² on Level 5, tight corridors, winter.
This saves you from a baked-in shortfall before you start.
Bids without rates become wishful thinking, lookaheads turn into hope, and monthly reviews arrive too late. Contractors often report big swings at month-end because production wasnât checked weekly.
Use your rates at three points: estimate, plan, and control.
In general, contractors who review production weekly avoid late surprises and can claw back time mid-project versus waiting for month-end reports.
You price 1,200 LM of skirting at 2.0 LM/LH â 600 LH. With a 2-person trim crew (16 LH/day), thatâs 37.5 crew-days.
Even good contractors trip over the same pitfalls: book rates that donât fit, forgetting setup time, mixing units, or chasing speed over flow. Itâs common to see 15â25 percent misses from these alone.
| Feature | Current State | Improvement |
|---|---|---|
| Daily data | None or ad hoc | 5-minute foreman note: quantity, LH, blockers |
| Units | Mixed or unclear | Standard units per task, written on the rate sheet |
| Conditions | Assumed away | One-line factors per trade applied in estimate and plan |
| Variations | Slow paperwork | Use Donizo voice-to-proposal, send for e-sign, convert to invoice |
| Reviews | Month-end only | Weekly earned vs actual check with corrective actions |
Thereâs no universal number. Build your own from recent jobs with clear units and included scope. As a starting point, many contractors use ranges like 5â8 m²/LH for drywall boarding in corridors, 5â7 m²/LH for internal blockwork, and 6â10 m²/LH for sheathing on open runs â then adjust for conditions.
Quarterly works for most small to mid contractors. Update sooner if you change crew mix, tools, or typical job type. Avoid changing after a single outlier job.
Keep it light: one quantity, total labour-hours, two lines of notes, and a photo. Let the foreman dictate a 30-second voice note. Many teams find voice is faster and more accurate than forms.
Use them as a sanity check, not a backbone. Your site access, labour mix, and logistics are different. Itâs common to see 15â25 percent gaps between book values and real outputs on small contractorsâ work.
Use Donizo to capture site details by voice, generate a professional proposal for variations, send it for e-signature, and convert accepted proposals to invoices in one click. Many contractors find this trims 2â3 hours a week from admin and reduces back-and-forth because clients see clear scope and photos fast.
Productivity rates arenât paperwork â theyâre your edge. Define clear units, include setup time, measure lightly every day, and adjust for conditions. Use rates to price, plan by crew-days, and control with weekly earned vs actual reviews. When variations pop up, record the facts and turn them into revenue quickly. Tools like Donizo let you voice-record scope on site, generate proposals your client can e-sign, and convert approvals to invoices â keeping your production insights connected to cash. Start with 10 core tasks, set baselines, and youâll feel the difference in weeks, not months.