What Australian tradies quoted in Q3 2026
Anonymised figures from 269 real quotes sent by 65 trade businesses through QuoteMate, 1 July 2026 to 30 September 2026.
Key findings
- The median quote sent through QuoteMate in Q3 2026 was $4,800 including GST; the middle half ran from $1,780 to $9,800 (269 quotes from 65 businesses).
- The median hourly labour rate was $105 an hour excluding GST, with the middle half of businesses charging $85–$150.
- Labour typically made up 54% of labour plus materials, and the median markup on materials was 20%.
- 28% of quotes were accepted through the online accept link; of the customers who answered online, 90% said yes, typically within 21 hours.
- Electricians: median quote $1,350, median labour rate $100/hour ex GST (43 quotes, 11 businesses).
- Carpenters: median quote $5,450, median labour rate $100/hour ex GST (20 quotes, 9 businesses).
- General trades and handymen: median quote $5,500 (17 quotes, 10 businesses).
- Landscapers and gardeners: median quote $6,650 (10 quotes, 6 businesses).
Published 27 October 2026. Cite as: QuoteMate, “Quote price report, Q3 2026”, quotemateapp.au/reports/quote-prices/.
All trades, Q3 2026
| Measure | Median | Middle half (25th–75th percentile) |
|---|---|---|
| Quote total (incl. GST) | $4,800 | $1,780–$9,800 |
| Labour rate (per hour, ex GST) | $105 | $85–$150 |
| Labour share of labour + materials | 54% | — |
| Markup on materials | 20% | — |
269 quotes from 65 businesses across 13 trades and 5 states.
By trade, Q3 2026
| Trade | Quote total, median (middle half) | Labour rate ex GST, median (middle half) | Labour share | Materials markup | Quotes / businesses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electricians | $1,350 ($650–$3,200) | $100 ($90–$130)/h | 60% | 30% | 43 / 11 |
| Carpenters | $5,450 ($1,430–$8,350) | $100 ($80–$120)/h | 53% | 30% | 20 / 9 |
| General trades and handymen | $5,500 ($1,600–$10,800) | Too few to publish | 42% | 20% | 17 / 10 |
| Landscapers and gardeners | $6,650 ($870–$11,250) | Too few to publish | 33% | 30% | 10 / 6 |
Trades with fewer than 5 businesses are left out (9 this quarter). The figures describe the jobs each trade quoted through QuoteMate, which run from small call-outs to full renovations, so treat them as a guide, not a price list.
How customers answered
28% of all quotes sent were accepted through the online “accept quote” link. Of the 83 quotes a customer answered online, 90% were accepted. The typical customer who answered did so within 21 hours of the quote arriving.
Customers who decline usually just don’t reply, and many say yes by phone or text, so the online figure undercounts the real win rate. What it does show: a quote that gets an answer usually gets a yes, and it usually comes within a day. That’s why the first follow-up matters most in the first 48 hours.
How this report is made
- Only quotes a tradie actually sent to a customer between 1 July 2026 and 30 September 2026 (Australian Eastern time). Drafts, test accounts and QuoteMate’s own accounts are excluded.
- Quote totals are what the customer was quoted, including GST where the business charges it. Quotes under $50 or over $250,000 are left out as likely errors.
- Labour rates are counted once per business, using that business’s own median rate, so one busy tradie can’t set the figure. Rates are shown excluding GST. The starting rate QuoteMate fills in at sign-up is ignored unless the tradie confirmed it.
- A trade, state or job type is published only when it covers at least 5 businesses and 10 quotes, and no single business sent more than half of them. This quarter no state or job type met that bar, so they aren’t shown.
- Dollar figures are rounded (to $5 under $200, $10 under $2,000, $50 under $20,000). No customer names, addresses or individual quotes are published.
- The businesses are QuoteMate users, mostly sole traders and small crews, so this describes them rather than every Australian tradie.
Download the data: quote-prices-2026-q3.json. Free to reuse with a link back to this page.
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