Do I need separate price books per trade or customer type?

Usually one price book with sections works better than multiple books. Group by job type: plumbing, heating, drainage. Filter by complexity rather than customer type.

Should my price book prices include or exclude VAT?

Exclude VAT in the price book -- add it at quote stage if you are VAT-registered. Mixing VAT into line prices causes problems when VAT status changes.

How do I price one-off jobs that are not in my price book?

Build the quote manually for that job, then decide whether to save the lines. If you will ever do this type of work again, add it. If it is genuinely unusual, leave it out.

How to build a price book that makes quoting boring (in a good way)

A Price Book is your memory outside your head: standard lines, realistic labour bands, materials allowances, and wording that stops disputes. Once it exists, quoting is pulling lines rather than starting from a blank screen at 9pm after a 10-hour day. This guide shows how to build one that you will actually use.

Why most trades do not have a price book

Because building one feels like admin, and most tradesmen got into the trade to do the work. The paradox: the tradesmen who take one afternoon to build a basic price book save hundreds of hours a year on quoting.

The other reason is that prices change -- which is true, but a price book that needs quarterly updating is still better than no price book. You do not need perfection; you need a usable starting point.

Start with your top 20 jobs -- not a blank slate

Open your last 20 invoices. What jobs come up most? These are your price book foundation. For a tiler: floor tiles per m², wall tiles per m², bathroom suite, kitchen splashback, wetroom waterproofing. For a plumber: boiler service, full boiler swap, bathroom suite, radiator replacement.

For each job type: what labour hours does a typical one take? What materials go into a standard version? What are the common add-ons? Write it down -- that is the skeleton of a price book entry.

Labour: bands by job complexity, not a single rate
Materials: typical specification, typical quantity per unit
Markup: your standard materials margin, already baked in
Inclusions: what comes with this line by default
Exclusions: what is never included -- surfaces assumptions clearly

How to structure a price book entry

Each line needs: a name (customer-facing or internal), a unit (m², hours, each, fixed), a price, and any notes about what is included or excluded.

Keep two views if your tool allows it: the customer-facing label ('Floor tiling -- standard specification') and the internal detail ('Floor tiles at £18/m² supply plus 1hr labour per m²'). Both serve different purposes.

Fixed lines vs variable lines

Fixed lines have a consistent price: 'Boiler service -- £120 including flue check and efficiency test'. Variable lines scale: 'Wall tiling -- £X per m²'. Templates bundle fixed and variable lines for a type of job: a bathroom renovation template might be a fixed call-out plus variable m² plus options.

Labour vs materials vs markup: keep them separate

When labour and materials are bundled, you cannot adjust one without the other. A customer asking for a cheaper option, or a job where the specification changes, becomes a full requote.

If you keep them separate internally, you can quote a range (standard vs premium spec) quickly by swapping the materials component. Your labour stays the same; the tile grade changes.

Labour rate: your actual cost per hour including overhead and holiday
Materials cost: trade price -- check against recent invoices, not memory
Markup: applied to materials, covers your time and risk
Total: what the customer pays -- labour + materials + markup

Name lines how customers read them

Internally you can be terse: 'floor prep SL 25m²'. On the customer PDF: 'Floor preparation and self-levelling compound -- 25m²'. The same information, different register.

Customer-facing line names that use plain English reduce questions, reduce disputes, and make your quote look more professional than the bloke who sent a handwritten total. That is a competitive advantage.

Avoid jargon: 'anti-fracture membrane' might be 'floor uncoupling system' in customer copy
Include the deliverable: not 'grout' but 'grout and finish to all joints'
Mention the grade where it is a selling point: 'trade-grade adhesive' or 'rapid-set for heated floors'

Review quarterly -- your price book decays if you ignore it

Supplier prices move. Labour costs go up. Your own efficiency changes. A price book based on 2022 timber prices or 2023 tile costs is a liability in 2026.

Set a calendar reminder for January, April, July, October: 30 minutes to check your key material costs against current trade prices. Your labour rate review comes once a year, usually January.

Check top 5 material lines against current merchant prices
Review day rate against your actual fixed costs for the year
Add any new job types you have taken on and remove lines you never use
Update exclusions if new problem areas have emerged

Where Pro Quoter fits

Build and reuse lines in the Price Book builder -- fewer blank screens after a long day. Lines you build once pull directly into quotes, so you are assembling rather than typing.

Built by a tradesman for tradesmen who want quoting boring (in a good way): the Price Book in Pro Quoter works on mobile, offline, and syncs across devices.

FAQ

Do I need separate price books per trade or customer type?: Usually one price book with sections works better than multiple books. Group by job type: plumbing, heating, drainage. Filter by complexity rather than customer type.
Should my price book prices include or exclude VAT?: Exclude VAT in the price book -- add it at quote stage if you are VAT-registered. Mixing VAT into line prices causes problems when VAT status changes.
How do I price one-off jobs that are not in my price book?: Build the quote manually for that job, then decide whether to save the lines. If you will ever do this type of work again, add it. If it is genuinely unusual, leave it out.