Labor

Labor represents the workforce required to build each construction assembly — masons, carpenters, electricians, steelworkers, equipment operators, helpers, and other trades.

In Darwin, labor is defined in the Catalog and used inside modules to create predictable, reusable cost structures.
This approach ensures consistency across your organization and allows price lists to update labor costs dynamically.

1. What Labor Represents

Each labor entry contains:

Trade name (e.g., Mason, Carpenter, Electrician)
Unit cost per hour (managed through price lists)
Optional productivity or notes
Optional classification (internal or standardized)

Labor definitions do not store quantities.
Quantities are stored inside modules or calculated from project input.

2. Why Labor Matters

Labor is one of the most variable components in construction estimating.
Using structured labor definitions ensures:

Consistency

The same trade uses the same base assumptions across all modules.

Transparency

Users can see exactly which trades are involved in an assembly.

Adaptability

Labor rates change frequently — Darwin updates them through price lists.

Traceability

Revisions, audits, and team handoffs become easier when labor is standardized.

3. How Labor Works Inside Modules

Modules combine materials, labor, and expenses to represent how something is built.
The labor portion defines how many hours of each trade are needed per quantity of output.

For example, a Masonry Wall 20cm module might include:

0.25 hours of Mason
0.10 hours of Helper
0.05 hours of Plastering Labor

When mapped to the project (IFC or manual quantity):

Estimated quantity × labor hours × labor rate = Labor cost

The rate comes from the Price List, not from the labor entry itself.

This creates a clean separation:

modules define logic
price lists define cost
estimations combine both

4. Creating a Labor Entry

To create a new labor definition:

Go to Catalog → Labor
Click New Labor
Enter:
- trade name
- description (optional)
- category (optional)
Save the record
Set or update its hourly rate in the Price List

Screenshot placeholder:
Add here: Labor creation form

5. Editing Labor

You can edit:

trade names
descriptions
categories
documentation

These changes apply across all modules that reference this trade.

Hourly labor rates, however, should always be edited in:

➡️ Price Lists → Labor Rates

This ensures labor cost updates propagate correctly and maintain historical traceability.

6. Labor Categories

Just like materials, labor can be grouped into categories such as:

Masonry Labor
Carpentry
Structural Work
MEP Trades
Finishes
Equipment Operators

Categories improve filtering, searching, and module building.

7. Productivity and Notes

Darwin allows you to store productivity assumptions indirectly through module definitions.
If a trade requires special considerations, you may document them in:

labor entry notes
module notes
project documents

Examples:

“Crew is assumed to work with scaffolding.”
“Productivity based on typical block installation speed.”
“Requires two helpers for every mason.”

Clear documentation helps teams stay aligned.

8. Best Practices

Use specific trade names

Prefer “Drywall Installer” over “General Labor.”

Keep hourly rates out of the labor entry

Rates belong in the price list.

Reuse labor consistently across modules

Avoid duplicating labor trades unless absolutely needed.

Document assumptions

Especially for complex trades like formwork or rebar installation.

Review labor periodically

Rates and productivity often evolve with market conditions and team experience.

9. Next Steps

Continue exploring the Catalog:

➡️ Categories
➡️ Materials
➡️ Modules