What carpentry work really costs, and what to charge over it
For the carpentry jobs quoted most: the benchmark cost of actually doing the work, and the sell rates that land a floor, healthy or premium margin, on the national card and on every regional card. All ex GST, derived from Sumitt's 2026 rate cards. Type your own rate into the checker to see where you sit.
← The full indexCarpentry: the benchmarks
| Job | Cost | Floor | Healthy | Premium | Healthy, by region | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merbau deckper m² · benchmark scope: 25 m2 merbau deck | $264 | $311 | $378 | $441 | $360 to $427Adelaide / SA metro → Darwin / NT | Check your rate |
| Treated-pine deckper m² · benchmark scope: 25 m2 treated pine deck | $214 | $251 | $305 | $356 | $291 to $346Adelaide / SA metro → Darwin / NT | Check your rate |
The healthy rate, card by card
The same reference scope priced on each regional rate card, ex GST, at the healthy margin. Each card carries its own material and labour factor against the national average.
| Rate card | Materials | Labour | Merbau deck | Treated-pine deck |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia-wide average (default) | 1.00 | 1.00 | $378 | $305 |
| Sydney / NSW metro | 1.06 | 1.14 | $413 | $333 |
| Melbourne / VIC metro | 1.00 | 1.00 | $378 | $305 |
| Brisbane / SEQ | 1.04 | 1.06 | $395 | $319 |
| Perth / WA metro | 1.03 | 1.02 | $388 | $313 |
| Adelaide / SA metro | 0.96 | 0.94 | $360 | $291 |
| Canberra / ACT | 1.05 | 1.12 | $407 | $328 |
| Hobart / TAS | 1.00 | 0.96 | $372 | $301 |
| Darwin / NT | 1.15 | 1.10 | $427 | $346 |
| Regional (freight + travel) | 1.08 | 1.03 | $401 | $325 |
Method.Every figure is derived, not surveyed: Sumitt’s 2026 regional rate cards (the original eleven trades recalibrated July 2026 against named-supplier pricing; carpentry, roofing, bricklaying and rendering calibrated on their addition in August 2026) are priced over the reference scope shown under each job by the same deterministic takeoff engine the app quotes with, then grossed up to each margin level. All figures ex GST. Regional spread uses the same rate cards’ material and labour factors. No AI, no user data, and nothing here reflects what any Sumitt user charges.
These are the current edition’s figures; the edition label and its publication date are on the index. Rates are guidance for your own pricing, not gospel and not advice; your costs are the ones that matter, and every derived number stays editable inside Sumitt.