What to buy for the job
Material estimate
List the materials a job needs, separate from the client quotation, so purchase and the price you quoted stay in step.
The client quotation is the price you charge. The material estimate is what has to reach the site. Mixing them is how a missing sheet becomes your loss.
Quotation formats for India
Open a trade, read the sample lines, then replace the rates with yours.
- Quotation maker for contractors
- Estimate maker for site work
- Invoice and quotation maker
- Free quotation maker
- Contractor quotation format
- Carpenter quotation maker
- Electrician estimate
- Plumber quotation
- Painter estimate
- Furniture quotation
- Construction estimate
- Material estimate
- Quotation format for India
- Estimate format for India
- Quotation formats for every trade
What is a material estimate?
The client quotation is the price you charge. The material estimate is what has to reach the site. Mixing them is how a missing sheet becomes your loss.
WorkQuote keeps a material list for that checklist and an estimate for the client PDF. Put both on the same project after you sign in.
What should a material estimate include?
Description, quantity to buy, and whether it has reached site. The sample is the buying list behind a wardrobe: boards, laminate, and hardware.
Labour is not a purchase, so it stays off this list and on the client estimate. If the cutting will waste a sheet, buy that extra and put it on the list. Do not show the client your shop bill unless that is the deal.
How to keep the buying list
Buying list
What to purchase, in quantities the shop can pack. This is not the selling rate on the client PDF.
Site checklist
Mark what has reached site. The list is for the delivery, not only for a price.
Wastage sheets
If the cut needs an extra board, the list should say so. The quotation sheet count is not always the purchase count.
Separate from the selling price
The client sees the rate you charge. Your purchase rate stays on this list unless you chose to share it.
Labour stays off
Making charges are not a delivery. They belong on the quotation, next to the material you are billing for.
Sample material list
| 18mm BWR plywood | 6 sheets to buy | Site list |
| 0.8mm laminate | 4 sheets to buy | Site list |
| Hinges and channels | 1 set to buy | Site list |
A buying list, not the client price. Labour stays on the quotation.
How to create a material estimate
1. Write the client price on an estimate
That PDF is what they approve. Use selling rates there.
2. Write purchases on a material list
Same project, separate list. Check items off as they reach site.
3. Sign in so both stay together
Guest work lives in the browser. The account copy is what you can open on the next visit.
Questions
Should the client see the shop bill?
Only if that is the deal. The material list is for you. The quotation PDF is for them.
What about wastage on boards?
Buy the extra sheet if the cutting needs it, and put that quantity on the list. Do not rely on the quotation sheet count if you already know the cut will waste one.
Can I track what has reached site?
Yes. The material list is meant as the site checklist, not only as a price.