Material & installation percentages
Where these numbers come from, and how to back-check them against your historical jobs.
The material and installation percentages are applied to your subtotal to estimate cost. They should come from real historical data, not a guess.
Pull your last 5–10 completed jobs. Total the material invoices, divide by the job subtotal, and you have your real material percentage. Do the same for install labor. Round to the nearest half-percent and use that as your default.
Re-check these numbers once a year. Material costs drift, hardware suppliers change, and your installation efficiency improves with experience.