Defensible fully-burdened hourly rates, Workers' Comp modifiers, fringes, and overtime multipliers for commercial estimators.
A common pitfall in commercial subcontracting is billing journeymen at raw hourly base wages or using generic residential markups. In commercial construction, every direct labor hour incurs mandatory statutory taxes, specialized trade Workers' Compensation, liability floaters, and bona fide benefits. General Contractors and institutional owners require formal substantiation under AIA G702 / G703 Application for Payment guidelines.
Baseline national averages based on open-shop commercial prevailing standards.
| CSI Division & Trade | WC Code | Base Wage | Taxes + WC + GL | Fringes | Burdened Rate | Multiplier | 1.5x Overtime | Dedicated Tool |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Div 26 Commercial Electrical | WC 5190 (5.8%) | $48.50 | $8.40 (17.3%) | $14.15 | $71.05 / hr | 146.5% | $97.73 / hr | Calculator → |
| Div 07 Commercial Roofing | WC 5551 (12.4%) | $42.00 | $9.20 (21.9%) | $11.80 | $63.00 / hr | 150.0% | $86.70 / hr | Calculator → |
| Div 23 Mechanical HVAC | WC 5537 (6.1%) | $49.00 | $8.50 (17.3%) | $14.60 | $72.10 / hr | 147.1% | $99.30 / hr | Calculator → |
| Div 22 Commercial Plumbing | WC 5183 (5.9%) | $47.50 | $9.27 (19.5%) | $13.85 | $70.62 / hr | 148.7% | $97.02 / hr | Calculator → |
| Div 03 Concrete & Civil | WC 5221 (8.4%) | $44.00 | $9.83 (22.3%) | $13.15 | $68.42 / hr | 155.5% | $93.90 / hr | Calculator → |
Apply local wage index scaling against national benchmarks when bidding outside your home market.
Route all commercial preconstruction takeoffs and RFQs in your 5-digit ZIP to your estimating team.