DRYWALL GROSS MARGIN BENCHMARKS.
Drywall contractors average about 19% gross margin at $1M to $5M, rising to roughly 21% at $5M to $10M. The CFOS target at $1M to $5M is 22%, set at whatever gross margin produces that net profit once your overhead is paid, and never below your trade's own average. The distance between the average and the target is almost always overhead that was never loaded into the rate.
Drywall starts from 19 percent gross, among the thinnest in the interiors group, so the three points to a 22 percent target are worth $30,000 on a $1M year and $150,000 on a $5M year. Board held near $14.50 a sheet in 2026, roughly a 42 percent premium over pre-2020 levels, so a substitution to abuse board or a Type X change moves real money mid-job. Without a substitution change-order habit the sub absorbs that delta, and it never appears as a line anybody can point at. Level 4 against level 5 finish is the same story: two production systems, one price, and no cost history that separates them.
How to calculate: Gross margin is Revenue minus Direct Job Costs, divided by Revenue, times 100. Direct job costs include labour, materials, equipment and subcontracted work tied to the job. Not shop overhead, office staff or G and A.
DRYWALL FINANCIAL BENCHMARKS. WHERE YOU SHOULD BE.
| METRIC | INDUSTRY AVERAGE | CFOS TARGET | AT $10M TO $25M | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gross Margin ($1M to $5M) | 19% | 22% | 22% | Industry figure rises to 21% at $5M to $10M and 22% at $10M to $25M. |
| Overhead Rate ($1M to $5M) | 13% | 12% | 11% | Falls to 11% by $10M to $25M as fixed cost spreads over more revenue. |
| Days Sales Outstanding | 90 days | 45 days | 30 days | Ninety days is weak, 45 is the target, 30 is strong. Nothing else moves cash faster. |
Industry figures are the AVERAGE for the trade at each revenue band, from the SPM Trade Benchmark Reference, not a floor. Net profit is stated before taxes. The CFOS target is what we build toward. The third column is what companies at $10M to $25M average, shown for direction of travel; that is a larger company, which is a different thing from a better run one.
Trade figures are from the SPM Trade Benchmark Reference, 48 trades, published by Sulphur Prairie Management. Net profit is stated before taxes, on the same basis CFMA reports, so the two are directly comparable. Re-validate against CFMA reporting on the normal quarterly cycle, per the benchmark reference's own instruction.
- /* Only the benchmarks references. A surety prequalification article does not validate a gross margin figure, so citing it here would overstate what the reference covers. See _appliesToRule in sources.json. */
- 2024 Construction Financial Benchmarker, Executive Summary, Construction Financial Management Association, 2024. 21.8% gross profit margin, 11.8% SG&A and 6.3% net income before taxes across all respondents, with a best-in-class top quartile at 11.9% net income before taxes.
- 2025 Performance Benchmarks, Construction Companies, Jones Maresca and Company, 2025. Specialty contractor gross margin of 15% to 25%, net profit of 5% to 8% for a well managed company, and total indirect cost of 8% to 15%.
The full dataset for all 48 trades across the published revenue bands is available as JSON and CSV, with one plain-language statement per row. Free to use with attribution.
FLAT MONTHLY FEE. NO SURPRISES.
Priced by trailing 12 month revenue. No hourly billing. No payroll. No add-ons.
| Last 12 months revenue | Monthly fee |
|---|---|
| Up to $1M | $1,900 to $2,900 |
| $1M to $3.5M | $2,600 to $3,900 |
| $3.5M to $6.5M | $3,800 to $5,700 |
| $6.5M to $9.5M | $5,100 to $7,100 |
| $9.5M to $12.5M | $6,100 to $8,500 |
| $12.5M to $15.5M | $7,400 to $11,000 |
| $15.5M to $18.5M | $9,400 to $13,500 |
| $18.5M+ | Quoted individually |
Range reflects the three tiers below. Which one you're in depends on how much of the work you want off your desk. No payroll. No hidden line items.
You stop guessing.
You get the CFO work. Job costing built against the way you estimate, a 13 week cash forecast, monthly WIP, and a meeting every month that ends in decisions rather than a report.
Your bookkeeper keeps doing the books.
You stop touching the books.
Everything in Core, and we run the bookkeeping and the controllership as well. Nobody in your office is answering coding questions or chasing a reconciliation at month end.
We do the books. No payroll.
Every job shows its margin while it's still running.
Everything in Executive, plus the job costing and WIP platform set up, loaded with your cost codes, and managed for you every month. You never have to learn it.
We do the job costing.
FREQUENTLY ASKED.
