Job Costing Template

Free Resource

Updated 2026-08-04

Masonry Job Costing Template

Download a masonry job costing template to compare estimated and actual labor, brick, block, stone, grout, reinforcement, scaffolding, change orders, billing, and project costs.

Track Masonry Costs From Estimate Through Closeout

A masonry job costing template gives contractors a structured way to compare estimated costs with actual labor, brick, concrete masonry units, stone, mortar, grout, reinforcement, anchors, flashing, scaffolding, equipment, testing, subcontractor charges, change orders, and billing. It helps project teams identify cost variances early and understand whether each masonry system, wall type, or project phase is performing as planned.

This Masonry Job Costing Template is designed for masonry subcontractors, brick and block contractors, stone masons, restoration contractors, estimators, project managers, superintendents, purchasing teams, accounting staff, and construction business owners responsible for monitoring project cost and profitability.

What Is Masonry Job Costing?

Masonry job costing is the process of assigning estimated, committed, actual, and forecast costs to a specific project, masonry system, wall type, building, elevation, floor, area, crew, cost code, or work activity. It shows how field production, material purchasing, scaffold use, equipment, subcontractors, and change work compare with the original estimate and current budget.

A complete masonry job-cost record may include brick veneer, CMU, reinforced masonry, architectural block, natural stone, manufactured stone, cast stone, mortar, grout, reinforcement, wall ties, flashing, insulation, control joints, lintels, scaffolding, cleaning, testing, winter protection, restoration, supervision, and closeout costs.

Important: Job-cost reports depend on timely and consistent coding of labor, purchase orders, supplier invoices, equipment, subcontractor invoices, change orders, and billing. This template supports internal project cost control but does not replace accounting records, payroll systems, tax reporting, contracts, or formal financial statements.

When to Use This Template

After a masonry estimate becomes an active project budget
During mobilization, scaffold setup, material delivery, installation, cleaning, and closeout
When tracking labor productivity by masonry system or wall type
When comparing brick, CMU, stone, mortar, grout, and reinforcement costs with the estimate
When monitoring scaffold, mast-climber, lift, telehandler, crane, and hoisting costs
When tracking winter protection, temporary heat, and enclosure costs
When evaluating pending and approved change orders
Before progress billing or payment applications
During weekly project cost and forecast reviews
At closeout to compare final cost with the original estimate

Who Should Use This Template?

This template is suitable for masonry subcontractors, brick contractors, block contractors, stone masons, restoration contractors, tuckpointing contractors, estimators, project managers, superintendents, purchasing teams, accounting staff, and business owners.

It can be adapted for commercial, residential, multifamily, institutional, industrial, public, historical, restoration, site-masonry, retaining-wall, and specialty masonry projects.

What a Masonry Job Costing Template Should Include

Job-Cost Section	Purpose
Project and Contract Details	Identifies the project, customer, contract value, estimate, revised budget, reporting period, and masonry scope.
Cost Codes	Organizes costs by brickwork, CMU, stone, reinforcement, flashing, scaffolding, testing, cleaning, restoration, and closeout.
Labor Costs	Tracks bricklayers, masons, tenders, laborers, operators, scaffold crews, regular time, overtime, burden, rework, and production.
Masonry Materials	Compares estimated and actual brick, block, stone, mortar, grout, reinforcement, anchors, flashing, insulation, and accessory costs.
Scaffolding and Equipment	Tracks scaffold erection, rental, relocation, dismantling, mast climbers, lifts, telehandlers, cranes, mixers, pumps, heaters, and fuel.
Testing and Quality Control	Records mockups, prism tests, mortar tests, grout tests, anchor tests, cleaning trials, inspections, and corrective work.
Subcontractor and Specialty Costs	Tracks scaffold, testing, engineering, crane, cleaning, insulation, sealant, firestopping, restoration, and specialty services.
Change Orders	Separates pending, submitted, approved, rejected, billed, and collected change-order cost and revenue.
Revenue and Billing	Tracks original contract value, approved changes, progress billing, stored materials, retainage, payments, and remaining backlog.
Forecast and Profitability	Calculates estimated cost at completion, cost variance, projected gross profit, and projected gross margin.
Final Estimate-to-Actual Review	Compares final labor, materials, scaffold, equipment, subcontractor, revenue, and margin results with the estimate.

How to Use the Template

Enter the project, customer, contract value, reporting period, masonry systems, and original estimate totals.
Break the estimate into masonry-specific cost codes and budget categories.
Enter labor hours, rates, burden, crews, wall types, locations, and work activities.
Record purchase orders, supplier invoices, delivery tickets, credits, returns, and material quantities.
Add scaffold, mast-climber, lift, telehandler, crane, mixer, pump, heater, testing, cleaning, and subcontractor costs.
Track committed costs separately from posted actual costs.
Track pending and approved change-order cost and revenue outside the original contract budget.
Update installed quantities, percent complete, actual cost, committed cost, and forecast-to-complete values.
Review labor productivity, material waste, scaffold exposure, gross profit, and gross margin regularly.
Close the project only after all invoices, credits, change orders, retainage, warranty costs, and closeout expenses are recorded.

Construction example:

A masonry subcontractor budgets a school addition with separate cost codes for reinforced CMU, brick veneer, architectural block, grout, reinforcement, flashing, insulation, scaffold, winter protection, cleaning, testing, and supervision. The weekly job-cost report shows CMU production meeting budget but brick veneer labor trending over because multiple color blends, added returns, and restricted material staging slowed the crew. A pending change order for added screen walls is tracked separately so the project manager can see the unrecovered cost exposure.

Best Practices for Masonry Job Costing

Use the same cost codes in estimating, time tracking, purchasing, and job-cost reports.
Track costs by masonry system, wall type, elevation, floor, area, grid, or phase when practical.
Record labor, supplier, and equipment costs promptly.
Separate productive labor, scaffold labor, rework, standby, travel, and overtime.
Track installed wall area, masonry units, grout, reinforcement, flashing, and accessories with labor hours.
Reconcile supplier invoices with purchase orders and delivery records.
Track open commitments separately from posted actual costs.
Separate base-contract work from change-order work.
Forecast remaining cost rather than relying only on cost to date.
Complete a final estimate-to-actual review after closeout.

Tip: Compare labor hours per installed unit, not only labor dollars. Useful measures include hours per square foot of wall, hours per thousand brick, hours per CMU, hours per cubic yard of grout, and hours per pound of reinforcement.

Common Masonry Job Costing Mistakes

Using different cost codes in the estimate and field records
Posting supplier invoices without the correct project, system, wall type, or cost code
Ignoring open purchase-order and subcontract commitments
Failing to track pending change-order cost exposure
Combining productive labor, scaffold labor, rework, standby, travel, and overtime
Not recording damaged units, color-lot issues, supplier credits, returns, or transferred materials
Leaving scaffold, testing, cleaning, winter protection, and closeout costs out of the budget
Using percent complete without comparing installed quantities
Waiting until project closeout to review cost variances
Closing the project before all invoices, credits, retainage, and warranty costs are reconciled

Frequently Asked Questions

What costs should be included in masonry job costing?

Include labor, labor burden, brick, CMU, stone, mortar, grout, reinforcement, anchors, flashing, insulation, lintels, scaffolding, equipment, testing, cleaning, permits, subcontractors, supervision, winter protection, closeout, and other project expenses.

What is the difference between estimated, committed, and actual cost?

Estimated cost is the project budget. Committed cost represents approved purchase orders and subcontract commitments. Actual cost is the amount posted from labor, invoices, equipment, and other completed transactions.

How should masonry labor productivity be measured?

Compare installed quantities with labor hours by activity. Examples include square feet of wall per labor hour, brick per labor hour, CMU per labor hour, cubic yards of grout per crew day, and reinforcement installed per labor hour.

How should masonry material costs be tracked?

Track estimated, ordered, received, installed, returned, transferred, wasted, damaged, invoiced, and credited quantities. Reconcile major material invoices with purchase orders and delivery tickets.

How should scaffolding be handled?

Track erection, rental, relocation, modification, inspections, engineering, tie-ins, dismantling, mast climbers, lifts, and associated labor separately from wall installation costs.

How should change orders be handled?

Track potential, pricing, submitted, approved, rejected, billed, and collected changes separately. Record both expected revenue and actual or forecast cost.

What is estimated cost at completion?

Estimated cost at completion is the projected final project cost based on actual cost to date, open commitments, remaining work, production performance, and known risks.

When should a masonry job be financially closed?

Close it after all labor, supplier invoices, equipment charges, credits, change orders, retainage, testing, cleaning, warranty, and closeout costs are recorded and reconciled.

Protect Masonry Margins With Better Cost Visibility

A structured masonry job-cost report helps contractors compare estimated and actual performance, identify overruns early, forecast remaining cost, and improve future pricing.

SimplySub can help masonry subcontractors organize estimates, jobs, time records, purchase orders, change orders, invoices, daily logs, documents, and job-cost information within one workflow.