How much to charge for driveway sealing
Sealing is quick, cheap to deliver, and easy to underprice — because the crack filling and oil spot priming that make it last are not what the customer thinks they are buying.
Below: the published wage for this work, why your billing rate has to be well above it, how this job is actually priced, and what moves the number. Put your own rate into the generator and you get a real itemized estimate built on it.
Generate this estimate now
Describe the job in plain words. No email needed to see your first estimate — about fifteen seconds for a small job, a little longer for a big one.
What you get — see the format first
A complete estimate you can send to the customer, built from the rate you enter:
| Description | Qty | Unit | Unit price | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labor — itemized by task | hrs | hour | your rate | — |
| Materials — with your markup applied | qty | ea / sq ft | cost + markup | — |
| Permits, disposal, access | — | — | — | — |
Plus a plain-English scope summary, assumptions (what had to be guessed), exclusions (what you are not doing — the section that prevents most change-order arguments), and a validity period. Printable, or send the link.
Every figure comes from the rate and markup you supply. We never fill in a market price for you.
How driveway sealing is priced
Priced per square foot of driveway for a stated number of coats. Crack filling is a separate line measured in linear feet, and oil spot priming is per spot, because both are what determine whether the seal holds. Cleaning beforehand is its own step. Number of coats is a real variable and must be stated: a customer comparing your two-coat price against someone else's single coat is not comparing the same job.
What moves the number
- Measured square footage, and edging or trimming around beds and garage aprons
- Linear feet of cracks needing filling, and their width
- Oil and fuel spots needing primer, without which sealer will not bond
- Surface condition: loose aggregate, ravelling or previous sealer failing
- Number of coats, and the sealer type and quality
- Cure and closure time — the customer cannot drive on it, and needs telling
- Weather window, since sealing in the wrong conditions ruins the job
How driveway sealing gets underpriced
- Quoting per square foot with crack filling and oil priming absorbed
- Matching a competitor's price without checking they quoted the same coat count
- Sealing over loose or ravelled asphalt that needed repair first
- Not stating the closure period, then being blamed for tyre marks
- No weather clause, so a rained-out day comes out of your margin
Related guides
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How to estimate
How to write a contractor estimate · Estimate vs quote vs bid — and which one you should send · What to include in a contractor estimate · How to price a job as a contractor · Should you charge for estimates? · How to follow up on an estimate · How to handle change orders · Estimate vs invoice: what's the difference? · How to raise your prices as a contractor