How do you calculate captured cleaning labor cost?

Multiply cleaning labor hours by the loaded rate and the capture factor, then add fixed supply cost. With 100 hr x $45 x 80% + $250 you get $3,850 total.

What does the labor capture factor mean?

It is the share of paid cleaning hours that actually lands on a billable work order. At 80%, $3,600 of the $4,500 raw labor is captured; the rest is unrecovered setup, travel or idle time.

What is the cleaning cost per labor hour here?

Total captured cost of $3,850 divided by 100 hours is $38.50 per labor hour — below the $45 loaded rate because capture is only 80% even after adding supplies.

Why is my cost per hour below my loaded rate?

Because the capture factor strips out unbilled time. The $38.50/hr result reflects that only 80% of labor is recovered; supplies add some back but not enough to reach the $45 wage.

How do I improve cleaning labor capture?

Tighten time tracking so setup, travel and rework are logged to jobs, and batch coils to cut idle changeover. Each point of capture above 80% adds about $45 of recovered labor across 100 hours.

Should fixed supply cost scale with hours?

No — it is a flat add for solvents, brushes and disposal regardless of hours, which is why it lifts the per-hour figure more on small jobs than large ones.

Heat Exchanger, Coil & Radiator Manufacturing calculator

Cleaning Labor Calculator

Cleaning labor cost is the fully loaded dollars a coil or radiator shop spends on degreasing, flushing and de-fouling work, including only the share of labor hours that is actually billable or captured against a job. Estimators and shop managers use it to price coil-cleaning service work and to see whether captured labor is covering the loaded wage. It matters because cleaning is labor-heavy and easy to under-recover — unbilled minutes and consumable costs erode margin fast. Breaking out captured labor and supplies separately shows exactly where the recovery gap is.

What this calculator does

Estimate cleaning labor cost for coils, radiators, heat exchangers, headers, manifolds, and brazed assemblies from labor hours, labor rate, capture factor, and fixed cleaning cost.
Use it when degreasing, flux residue removal, ultrasonic cleaning, tube flushing, header cleaning, or post-braze cleanup needs to be included in cost or capacity reviews.
It computes total captured cleaning cost as labor hours times loaded rate times capture factor, plus fixed supply cost, then divides by hours for a cost-per-hour figure.

Formula used

Captured cleaning labor cost = cleaning labor hours × loaded labor rate × labor capture factor + fixed cleaning supply cost
Cleaning cost per labor hour = captured cleaning labor cost ÷ cleaning labor hours

Inputs explained

Cleaning labor hours:
Loaded cleaning labor rate:
Labor capture factor:
Fixed cleaning supply cost:

How to use the result

Use it when quoting coil-cleaning jobs, setting a shop cleaning rate, or auditing how much of your cleaning labor is actually being captured against work orders.
The capture factor is an average; jobs with heavy setup or travel can capture far less than the blended figure, so per-job recovery will vary around this estimate.

Current U.S. benchmarks

As of Jun 2026, average hourly earnings in U.S. manufacturing are $30.27 (BLS), up 4.4% from a year earlier. Burdened shop rates typically run 1.3 to 1.8 times earnings once benefits and overhead are loaded.
The producer price index for copper and brass mill shapes stands at 559.593 (BLS, May 2026), up 76.8% from a year earlier. Quotes priced off last quarter's material cost miss this move. Global copper trades at $13,484 per tonne (IMF via FRED, May 2026).

Common questions

How do you calculate captured cleaning labor cost? Multiply cleaning labor hours by the loaded rate and the capture factor, then add fixed supply cost. With 100 hr x $45 x 80% + $250 you get $3,850 total.
What does the labor capture factor mean? It is the share of paid cleaning hours that actually lands on a billable work order. At 80%, $3,600 of the $4,500 raw labor is captured; the rest is unrecovered setup, travel or idle time.
What is the cleaning cost per labor hour here? Total captured cost of $3,850 divided by 100 hours is $38.50 per labor hour — below the $45 loaded rate because capture is only 80% even after adding supplies.
Why is my cost per hour below my loaded rate? Because the capture factor strips out unbilled time. The $38.50/hr result reflects that only 80% of labor is recovered; supplies add some back but not enough to reach the $45 wage.
How do I improve cleaning labor capture? Tighten time tracking so setup, travel and rework are logged to jobs, and batch coils to cut idle changeover. Each point of capture above 80% adds about $45 of recovered labor across 100 hours.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.