Man-Hours Calculator
Man-hours measure work, not time: 160 man-hours is 4 people for 5 days, or 8 people for 2.5 days.
How the man-hours calculation works
Man-hours = workers × hours per day × days
4 workers on 8-hour days for 5 days put in 4 × 8 × 5 = 160 man-hours.
From a job size: quantity ÷ production rate
Say your records show one worker completes 30 sq ft an hour (an example figure, not a standard rate). Then 2,400 sq ft takes 2,400 ÷ 30 = 80 man-hours.
Days on site = man-hours ÷ (crew × hours per day)
80 man-hours with a crew of 4 on 8-hour days is 2.5 days, so schedule 3.
Labor cost = man-hours × loaded cost per hour
Use wage plus payroll taxes, insurance and benefits. With an example loaded cost of $32, 160 man-hours is $5,120.
Worked example. A crew of 4 works 8-hour days for 5 days: 4 × 8 × 5 = 160 man-hours. At an example loaded labor cost of $32 per man-hour, the job's labor costs $5,120.
Man-Hours FAQ
How do you calculate man-hours?
Multiply the number of workers by the hours each works. 4 people working 8 hours for 5 days is 4 × 8 × 5 = 160 man-hours.
How do I estimate man-hours for a job?
Divide the job quantity by how much one worker completes per hour. For example, 2,400 sq ft at 30 sq ft per hour is 80 man-hours. Rates differ widely by trade, crew and site, so take yours from records of past jobs rather than a published average.
How do I convert man-hours to days?
Divide man-hours by the crew's daily hours. 80 man-hours ÷ (4 workers × 8 hours) = 2.5 days.
What is a man-hour?
A man-hour is one hour of work by one person. Man-hour, labor hour, person-hour and work hour all mean the same thing. 2 people working 3 hours each put in 6 man-hours.
What is a man-day?
A man-day is one person working one full day. On 8-hour days, 1 man-day is 8 man-hours, so 80 man-hours is 10 man-days.
How many man-hours does one full-time worker give in a year?
40 hours a week × 52 weeks is 2,080 paid hours. Holidays, vacation and sick days come out of that, so the hours actually worked are lower.
What labor rate should I use?
Use the full cost of an hour: add payroll taxes, workers' comp, insurance and benefits. For scale, the BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation survey for June 2026 shows private-industry employers paying $46.89 per hour worked: $32.82 in wages and $14.07 in benefits. The labor cost calculator adds these up for your own crew.
Sources: BLS, Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, June 2026 (released 9 Sep 2026)