Glass and Glazing profit margin benchmarks
The IRS reports what one-owner businesses filing Schedule C earn, by sector. Glass and Glazing falls under Specialty trade contractors. For tax year 2023, 2,521,516 returns reported $257.8 billion in receipts, $80.4 billion in cost of sales and $40.5 billion in net income less deficit (the table gives thousands of dollars):
| Benchmark | Value |
|---|---|
| Gross margin | 68.8% |
| Net margin, owner pay included | 15.7% |
| Average receipts per return | $102,220 |
| Average net income per return | $16,054 |
The owner's own draw is not an expense on a Schedule C, so that net margin is mostly the owner's wage, not profit on top of it.
Where the money goes in glass
Glass work is material and labor, with breakage and remakes as the hidden cost. Emergency calls pay more but cost more in after-hours time.
Where glass margin leaks, and how to win it back
- Remakes from measuring errors
- Breakage in transit
- After-hours calls priced like day calls
- Hardware sold at cost
- Trip charges not billed
Ways glass companies raise margin: measure carefully to avoid remakes; charge a trip fee; set after-hours rates; mark up hardware.
Check your glass prices against the costs
The typical national prices from our sourced calculators are a check on whether your prices leave room for margin:
| Service | Typical | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Single pane glass | $363 | $200 to $525 a pane |
| Double pane glass | $463 | $200 to $725 a pane |
| Tempered glass | $528 | $230 to $825 a pane |
| Low-E glass | $683 | $400 to $965 a pane |
| Wood frame repair | $238 | $175 to $300 a job |
Work out the margin on each line of your menu, not just the big jobs. The usual glass menu: single pane glass; double pane glass; tempered glass; low-e glass; wood frame repair; frameless shower door; framed shower enclosure; custom mirror; tabletops and shelves; emergency board-up; storefront glass; sliding door glass.
Overhead comes out of the margin before profit. In glass it includes general liability insurance, which Insureon's customers who are contractors as a group pay an average of $83 a month for; commercial auto at $270 a month on the same figures.
Work out your own margin
Put one recent glass job into the calculator above, or switch it to "My margin for the year" to set your year next to the IRS benchmark. A 50% markup is a 33% margin; the markup calculator shows the rest.
Sources
- IRS Statistics of Income: Nonfarm sole proprietorships, Table 2, income statements by industrial sector, tax year 2023, checked October 9, 2026
- IRS: SOI tax stats, nonfarm sole proprietorship statistics, checked October 9, 2026
- Insureon: Insurance cost for contractors as a group, checked October 9, 2026
- Fixr: Window glass replacement cost, checked October 9, 2026
- Bob Vila: Window glass replacement cost, checked October 9, 2026
Last checked October 9, 2026. This page is general information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change and differ by state and city, so confirm with the agency named before you act.