How Much Does A Color-Change Wrap Cost?

Cover image by: @majik_ninja

A Note on Business Costs

To begin a discussion on how much a service costs, we believe it’s best to start with the business itself. ANY legitimate company will have operating costs that need to be accounted for, i.e., rent, utilities, taxes, insurance, wages, owner’s comp, supplies, tools, etc. A successful business will know how much revenue it needs to sustain itself healthily to profit on top of covering all expenses. This means they will have a “shop rate” they are targeting for any service being performed. A shop rate is the calculated hourly cost of running that business (this should include built-in profits and all expenses). The business's services should meet their targeted hourly shop rate to keep the doors open. It’s worth stressing that a shop rate includes ALL costs, so business owners do not get that total shop rate amount to themselves but instead see a percentage of that go towards their salary.

Let’s talk numbers now…How Much Does a Color-Change Vinyl Wrap Cost?

Labor and Shop Rate

Let’s get this out of the way…labor is the most significant cost for a color-change vinyl job. It’s an art to skillfully cover a vehicle’s factory color, which takes a lot of time. On top of that, every car is carefully decontaminated and prepped, and it may be partially disassembled to provide adequate and durable coverage.

A full-color change will take anywhere from 8 to 40+ hours, depending on the size and complexity of the vehicle, parts, and material being used. Remembering that a shop needs to target its hourly rate, you can see how it needs to charge enough to cover 25-40+ hours of shop time on a full color-change vinyl wrap. For example, a shop that needs to make $100/hr must charge anywhere from $800-4000 for 8-40 hours of shop time. This cost would include most materials.

Material Cost

With labor being such a high cost… you’d think the material cost would be on the lower side. Well, the reality is that material cost makes up a nice chunk of the ticket, too. Typically, a “full” vinyl roll will be ordered for each project. Without getting too detailed, costs for a vinyl roll will range from $500 to $2000+, depending on the type of material chosen.

Extras

For fun, let’s add some more costs to your ticket. Below are some add-ons that will increase your final price:
- Additional vinyl wrapping of body kits, accessories, and other aftermarket parts.
- Extra coverage such as full door jambs.
- Extra disassembling and reassembly of body panels and parts.
- Ceramic Coating your vinyl wrap.

Your total cost…is it worth it?

Your final ticket can range from $3,000 to $10,000+ depending on the scope of the project and the material type. A smaller car with a simple wrap will be on the low end, and a bigger and more complex car plus premium material will reach the high end of this price range.

That said, it is up to you whether you deem this worth it. There are many unique colors and finishes to choose from—maybe your new ride doesn’t come in just the right color, or your current ride needs a refresh. Either way, we hope you now better understand why a color change costs as much as it does. Contact your local wrap shop to see wrap samples in person and get your personalized quote.