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Salon color service pricing calculator

Calculate how much to charge for each color service including real product costs, labor, overhead and profit margin.

Start with a typical service:

Values are estimates. Adjust for your situation.

1

Product costs

$
oz
$
fl oz
$
2

Service time

min
min
min
min
3

Labor and overhead

$ /h
$ /h
%
4

Profit margin

10% 30% 60%

Standard: 30-40%. Premium: 50-60%.

This calculator tells you what to charge.
Blendsor tracks your real profitability.

Cost per client, complete formula and automatic tracking. All in one app.

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Guide to profitable pricing for color services

The most common mistake: charging only for product

It is common to set prices based solely on the cost of color and developer. This ignores 60-70% of the real cost: time invested, salon expenses and professional expertise. A tube of color may cost $10, but the complete service has a real cost of $45-80 when you add everything up. Charging $60 for a full color without counting all costs could mean losing money on every service.

How to calculate your real hourly rate

The hourly rate should cover the desired salary plus taxes and benefits. To earn $3,000 net per month working 160 hours requires at least $18.75/hour in gross salary. Adding 25-30% for payroll taxes brings the minimum rate to around $24/hour. This is the starting point, not the ceiling: experience and specialization can justify $35-55/hour.

Pricing strategy: minimum, recommended and premium

The minimum price is the break-even point (no profit, no loss). The recommended price includes the profit margin and should be the base price. The premium price (20% above) is for special services, off-peak hours or clients who value exclusivity. Having three tiers allows strategic positioning and serves different market segments.

Service price benchmarks

Service Price range Avg. time
Full color $60 - $120 90 min
Roots $45 - $80 65 min
Partial highlights $80 - $170 120 min
Full highlights $100 - $220 145 min
Balayage $90 - $200 125 min
Color correction $120 - $280 160 min

You may also find useful our hair dye amount calculator, the developer mix calculator and the color mixing calculator.

Recommended products

Professional color, developer and tools for your salon.

Schwarzkopf Schwarzkopf Igora Royal View on Amazon Wella Wella Koleston Perfect View on Amazon L'Oreal L'Oreal Majirel View on Amazon Wella Wella Welloxon Perfect View on Amazon Schwarzkopf Schwarzkopf Igora Royal Developer View on Amazon Olaplex Olaplex No.1 + No.2 View on Amazon Termix Professional hair dye mixing bowl View on Amazon
We answer your questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know before getting started

Add up the real cost of products (color, developer, additives), labor cost (total minutes x hourly rate), salon overhead (rent, utilities, etc. prorated per hour) and the profit margin (usually 30-50%). The result is the minimum profitable price.
A 30-40% margin is standard in most salons. Premium salons apply 50-60%. Below 20%, the business is likely losing money when all real costs are counted. The margin is calculated on the final price, not on the cost.
Divide the monthly rent by the number of working hours per month (days per week x hours per day x 4.33 weeks). Add 10-20% to cover utilities, insurance and other expenses. Example: $2,000 rent / 173 hours (5 days x 8h x 4.33) = $11.56/hour of overhead.
Yes. Balayage requires more technical skill and application time, but generally uses less product. The price should reflect the greater time and expertise, not just material cost. Balayage commonly costs 20-40% more than partial highlights.
For a full color on medium-length hair, about 45g of color and 60ml of developer. For roots, 25g of color and 35ml. For highlights, between 60-80g of lightener and 90-120ml of developer. Use our hair dye amount calculator for a more precise estimate.
This calculator helps set the right price for each service. Blendsor goes further: it generates complete personalized formulas (shades, grams, timing) and tracks cost per client automatically to reveal real profitability per service.

Have more questions?

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