Window Cleaning Profit Margin Calculator: Margin and Markup Per Job
Work out the profit margin, markup, and gross profit on a window cleaning job from the price you charge and what it costs to deliver — the numbers that tell you whether your pricing covers labor, supplies, and the equipment-and-overhead base behind the business.
Adjust the inputs and select Calculate for a full breakdown.
Compare Common Scenarios
How the numbers shift across typical situations for this calculator:
| Scenario | Profit margin | Markup | Profit |
|---|---|---|---|
| $250 job · $85 cost (66%) | 66.00% | 194.12% | $165.00 |
| $120 storefront · $35 cost | 70.83% | 242.86% | $85.00 |
| $500 multi-story home · $180 cost | 64.00% | 177.78% | $320.00 |
| $180 job · $120 cost (thin) | 33.33% | 50.00% | $60.00 |
How This Calculator Works
Enter the price charged and the direct cost to deliver the job (labor plus supplies). The calculator returns gross profit, the margin as a percent of price, and the markup as a percent of cost. Keep fixed overhead out of the job cost — the margin has to cover equipment, vehicle, insurance, and marketing.
The Formula
Profit Margin and Markup
Markup = (Revenue − Cost) / Cost × 100 — the same profit measured against cost instead of revenue
Worked Example
A $250 job costing $85 to deliver (labor plus supplies) earns $165 gross profit — a 66% margin and a 194% markup. Window cleaning has very low material costs (mostly water and solution), so margins per job look strong, and the main variable cost is labor time. But the gross profit must cover the equipment (ladders, water-fed poles, squeegees), vehicle and fuel, liability insurance (essential — working at height and around glass carries risk), and marketing — and accurate time and access assessment, since high or hard-to-reach windows take much longer.
Key Insight
Window cleaning is an attractive low-overhead service business — supplies are cheap, startup cost is modest, and per-job margins are high — but profitability depends on pricing labor accurately and covering the right overhead. The dominant variable cost is time, and time varies enormously with access: ground-floor storefronts are quick, while multi-story homes, high commercial glass, hard water spots, or screens to remove take far longer, so quoting must reflect the actual difficulty, not just window count. The overhead the margin must cover includes equipment (water-fed pole systems for high work are a real investment), vehicle, and especially liability insurance, since working at height and around breakable glass carries genuine risk. Recurring contracts are the prize: storefronts, offices, and routes of regular residential clients give predictable revenue with low per-job acquisition cost, and route density (jobs close together) cuts unbilled travel time. A 66% gross margin per job is healthy, but ensure the margin across realistic job volume covers equipment, vehicle, insurance, and marketing with profit on top — and price each job on honest time and access, so the jobs that turn out harder than they looked still profit.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is window cleaning profit margin calculated?
Gross profit is the price minus job cost; margin is gross profit divided by the price, times 100. A $250 job costing $85 has $165 profit — a 66% margin and a 194% markup.
What should I include in the job cost?
Direct costs only: labor for the time on site and supplies (water, cleaning solution, consumables). Keep fixed overhead (equipment, vehicle, insurance, marketing) out of the job cost — but make sure your margin across all jobs covers that overhead with profit left over.
Why is access so important to pricing?
Because time is the main cost, and access drives time. Ground-floor storefronts are quick; multi-story homes, high commercial glass, hard water spots, and screens to remove take much longer. Quote on the actual difficulty and reach, not just the number of windows, or hard jobs will erode your margin.
Why does insurance matter for window cleaning?
Working at height (ladders, poles, multi-story) and around breakable glass carries real risk of injury and property damage, so liability insurance is essential — and often required for commercial contracts. It's a fixed overhead the margin must cover, and skipping it risks both lawsuits and lost bookings.
How do I improve window cleaning margins?
Price jobs on realistic time and access, build recurring contracts (storefronts, offices, regular residential routes) for steady low-acquisition revenue, and increase route density to cut unbilled travel time. Efficient equipment (water-fed poles for high work) and tight scheduling let you do more jobs per day.
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Methodology & Review
Gross profit is the price minus the job cost; margin is gross profit as a percent of the price; markup is gross profit as a percent of cost. Job cost should include labor and supplies (water, solution, consumables) for that job; it excludes fixed overhead (equipment, vehicle, insurance, marketing), which the margin must also cover.
Written by Ugo Candido · Last updated May 22, 2026.