How carpenters normally break the money out
A carpenter's invoice is usually labor by the hour or by the day, lumber and hardware at cost, and shop or fabrication time priced separately from on-site install. Keeping those apart is what stops the customer asking what the total covered.
Step by step
- 1Separate shop time from site time. Customers understand paying for install; they need to see the fabrication hours to understand the total.
- 2Bill lumber, sheet goods and hardware at cost on their own lines, with grade or species named. "Materials" alone invites questions.
- 3Where the work is custom, reference the drawing or spec you built to and its revision. It closes the "that isn't what I asked for" conversation.
- 4Note finishing: whether the price includes sanding, staining or paint, or whether it is leaving your hands raw.
- 5Take a deposit covering materials on custom work, and invoice the balance at install.
When to send it
Deposit at order for custom pieces, balance on installation. Hourly repair and trim work invoices on the day.
Custom work with a material deposit rarely goes bad. For builder accounts, invoice against the job number and follow their draw cycle rather than your own calendar.
Common questions
- Should I charge for the design or drawing?
- Yes, as its own line, especially if the customer might take the drawing elsewhere. Credit it against the job if they proceed.
- How much deposit on custom work?
- Enough to cover materials at minimum. Check whether your state caps deposits on home improvement contracts.
- Hourly or fixed price?
- Fixed for defined custom pieces, hourly for repair and trim work where the scope can move. Say which the invoice uses.
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