How do you calculate hull layup labor hours?

Multiply the mold area by the laminate layers, divide by the crew layup rate, and add the allowance. 45 m² × 6 layers ÷ 5 m² an hour = 54 base hours; a 20% trim, fit and QC allowance makes 64.8, the Hull Layup Labor Hours calculator's own example.

How many hours per m² does a hand-laid hull take?

It depends on the laminate schedule, the crew and the hull shape, so measure it: the workbook divides each hull's layup hours by its mold area. In the invented example the three hulls run at 2.1 to 2.8 layup hours an m², 5.6 to 5.8 person-hours.

Why split a hull into zones?

Ply counts and layup rates change across a hull: tight bilges, keel sumps, cores and heavy roving lay up far slower than open skin plies. A blended rate understates complex hulls; a row per zone gives each its own rate and layers.

What is the difference between layup hours and person-hours?

The crew layup rate is what the whole crew lays in an hour, so layup hours are elapsed hours. Person-hours multiply them by the crew size; they are what labor cost and most quotes count.

Does it work for infusion or spray-up?

Not with a hand-layup rate. Infusion replaces wet-out with dry stacking, bagging and the infusion shot, and spray-up deposits far faster; give them their own zones with rates from your own time studies.

Does the workbook use macros?

No. It is a plain .xlsx with ordinary formulas, tables and native charts. The Verify sheet re-checks the formulas against fixed test zones and shows Self-check: PASS.

Operations and Labor

Hull Layup Labor Hours Excel Template

Hand layup hours = mold area × laminate layers ÷ crew layup rate, plus a trim, fit and QC allowance. Give every laminate zone of every hull a row and see its layup hours, person-hours and labor cost, each hull's hours per square metre of mold, and its person-hours against the hours you quoted.

Free, and a plain .xlsx with no macros to enable. A CSV with live formulas and a printed how-to guide come with it.

Overview

This hull layup labor template is a working Excel workbook for lamination foremen, production planners and estimators in boatbuilding and composite fabrication. Each laminate zone of a hull is one row: its mold area, the plies in its laminate schedule, the rate at which the crew wets out and consolidates one ply on that zone, the trim, fit and QC allowance, and the crew size. Splitting a hull into zones lets skins, cores, doublers and keel sumps each carry their own rate. The workbook gives each zone's laminate area, base, allowance and total layup hours, hours per m², person-hours and labor cost, then totals each hull with its hours per m² of mold and its person-hours against the hours quoted. It ships with nine zones on three hulls at a fictional boatyard, so every tile and chart is filled in when you open it.

In the example a 45 m² cruiser hull's six skin plies at 5 m² an hour take 54 base hours, 64.8 with a 20% allowance: 194.4 person-hours for a crew of three. With its doublers and stringer bond-in the hull takes 97.8 layup hours, 2.17 an m², and 260.4 person-hours, inside its 280 quoted. A 36 ft sailboat's ten-ply keel sump runs at 2 m² an hour, 6.5 hours an m², and takes the hull 3.6% over its quote. A workboat in heavy woven roving needs 174.3 person-hours against 150 quoted.

Layup hours are elapsed crew hours; person-hours multiply by crew size and drive the cost. Cure, gelcoat, mold preparation and demolding are not included. The download is a plain .xlsx with no macros. A CSV with live formulas is also included for other tools; the dashboard, charts, dropdowns and self-check are in the .xlsx.

What this template includes

Setup sheet with your yard, currency, labor rate and near band, and the hulls with their mold area and quoted person-hours
Zones table, one row per laminate zone of each hull: area, layers, crew layup rate, allowance and crew size, with a Check column
Per zone: laminate area, base hours, allowance hours, layup hours, hours per m², person-hours and labor cost
Dashboard with four tiles (layup hours, person-hours, labor cost, hulls over quoted hours), person-hours against quoted hours by hull, layup hours by zone split into base and allowance, and the hull and zone tables
Method sheet with every formula, and a Verify sheet that re-checks the formulas against an independent reference and the Hull Layup Labor Hours calculator (Self-check: PASS)
CSV with live formulas for the Zones table; the dashboard, charts, dropdowns and self-check are in the .xlsx

Suggested use case

Use it to quote a hull's lamination labor, to plan crews and shifts for a layup, or to check estimated hours per m² against what the shop actually logs.

How to use it

On Setup, type your yard, currency, labor rate and near band, and list your hulls with their mold area and quoted person-hours.
On Zones, give each laminate zone of each hull a row: area, layers, crew layup rate, allowance and crew size.
Fix anything the Check column names.
Open the Dashboard: person-hours against the quote for every hull, and where the layup hours go.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you calculate hull layup labor hours?: Multiply the mold area by the laminate layers, divide by the crew layup rate, and add the allowance. 45 m² × 6 layers ÷ 5 m² an hour = 54 base hours; a 20% trim, fit and QC allowance makes 64.8, the Hull Layup Labor Hours calculator's own example.
How many hours per m² does a hand-laid hull take?: It depends on the laminate schedule, the crew and the hull shape, so measure it: the workbook divides each hull's layup hours by its mold area. In the invented example the three hulls run at 2.1 to 2.8 layup hours an m², 5.6 to 5.8 person-hours.
Why split a hull into zones?: Ply counts and layup rates change across a hull: tight bilges, keel sumps, cores and heavy roving lay up far slower than open skin plies. A blended rate understates complex hulls; a row per zone gives each its own rate and layers.
What is the difference between layup hours and person-hours?: The crew layup rate is what the whole crew lays in an hour, so layup hours are elapsed hours. Person-hours multiply them by the crew size; they are what labor cost and most quotes count.
Does it work for infusion or spray-up?: Not with a hand-layup rate. Infusion replaces wet-out with dry stacking, bagging and the infusion shot, and spray-up deposits far faster; give them their own zones with rates from your own time studies.
Does the workbook use macros?: No. It is a plain .xlsx with ordinary formulas, tables and native charts. The Verify sheet re-checks the formulas against fixed test zones and shows Self-check: PASS.