# Salt Pricing



## Bobbyjavaid

I’m new to the snow plowing business. Recently started it this year, and was wondering whats the best pricing calculation for salt? For example if i’m doing a residential driveway just plowing and occassionally they want me to come drop some salt. 

If i have bagged salt which cost me $12 a bag for 50lb, and its a driveway that can hold 4 cars 2 on each side. How much salt should be applied and how much can i charge? 

Would love to get any help I can with this.


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## JMHConstruction

Bobbyjavaid said:


> I'm new to the snow plowing business. Recently started it this year, and was wondering whats the best pricing calculation for salt? For example if i'm doing a residential driveway just plowing and occassionally they want me to come drop some salt.
> 
> If i have bagged salt which cost me $12 a bag for 50lb, and its a driveway that can hold 4 cars 2 on each side. How much salt should be applied and how much can i charge?
> 
> Would love to get any help I can with this.


You probably won't use it, but I'd charge a 1 bag minimum. When I salted driveways I charged 4x the price of my bags, but I was also getting them a bit cheaper.

As far as "how much," someone may have a system worked out, but for me it just depended on the conditions. If you get a walk behind spreader, you probably won't be doing enough to worry about wasting, and I would just open it up and go. You'll get the hang of it. You goal is it have it melted off with the snow/ice (so it's not there after the storm), but still put enough down to take care of the snow/ice on the driveway.


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## BossPlow2010

JMHConstruction said:


> You probably won't use it, but I'd charge a 1 bag minimum. When I salted driveways I charged 4x the price of my bags, but I was also getting them a bit cheaper.
> 
> As far as "how much," someone may have a system worked out, but for me it just depended on the conditions. If you get a walk behind spreader, you probably won't be doing enough to worry about wasting, and I would just open it up and go. You'll get the hang of it. You goal is it have it melted off with the snow/ice (so it's not there after the storm), but still put enough down to take care of the snow/ice on the driveway.


If you're paying 12$ a bag, you need to look elsewhere, that's outrageous. It should be like 4-6$ a bag
As far as what to charge, when we did bags we had a 250-300%


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## John_DeereGreen

You should be charging your customer that $12 per bag range, not paying that for it yourself...

$12 a bag is in the range of calcium chloride products. Not rock salt.


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## leigh

800 sq ft driveway will take about anywhere from 15-20 lbs lbs.Figure about 5 minutes or less to spread.I dont do driveways,just a guess so maybe 10- 20$.


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## RPackerII

Don't know where you're at but the co-op I buy salt at it's $4.49/50lb bag when you buy a pallet (49 bags). May want to check around for better pricing. May want to see if there is a farmer's co-op around that will get you better price for rock.


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## John_DeereGreen

RPackerII said:


> Don't know where you're at but the co-op I buy salt at it's $4.49/50lb bag when you buy a pallet (49 bags). May want to check around for better pricing. May want to see if there is a farmer's co-op around that will get you better price for rock.


Seeing your location, you might try advance turf solutions. They've been great on pricing for us.


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## RPackerII

John_DeereGreen said:


> Seeing your location, you might try advance turf solutions. They've been great on pricing for us.


 Thanks! I'll give them a call. Always hunting for better pricing. Hopefully soon I can move to a box so I can get bulk salt. Bags are becoming a pain in the butt as I get older...


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## Goodnyou

You can always buy in bulk and shovel into uline sand bags . They come with laces installed for$40 for 100 .totally reusable . We just got 25 tons and put them in bags with 40lb each so it's easy to manage . They go in bigger bags on pallets then it's easy to load into dumptruck and distribute. r . Cost ends up at 2.40 for 40 lb the first time then $2 if you don't lose the bags


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## RPackerII

Goodnyou said:


> You can always buy in bulk and shovel into uline sand bags . They come with laces installed for$40 for 100 .totally reusable . We just got 25 tons and put them in bags with 40lb each so it's easy to manage . They go in bigger bags on pallets then it's easy to load into dumptruck and distribute. r . Cost ends up at 2.40 for 40 lb the first time then $2 if you don't lose the bags


That's a great idea! This is why I love being part of this forum.


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## JMHConstruction

Goodnyou said:


> You can always buy in bulk and shovel into uline sand bags . They come with laces installed for$40 for 100 .totally reusable . We just got 25 tons and put them in bags with 40lb each so it's easy to manage . They go in bigger bags on pallets then it's easy to load into dumptruck and distribute. r . Cost ends up at 2.40 for 40 lb the first time then $2 if you don't lose the bags


Does that include the labor cost of loading 1400 salt bags by hand?


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## Goodnyou

Yes . $70 a ton for salt . 
40 cents a bag first use . 
80 hrs of Labor @20hr to bag and stack


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## leigh

Using the old math! 25 tons x 70 =1750$,bags 1250 x.4 = 500$,labor 1600$ total cost =3850$ / 1250 bags = 3.08$ per bag, 2.68 if reusing bags.Yes,I have to much time on my hands


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## John_DeereGreen

I pity the people that have to shovel 40 pounds of salt per bag into 1200 bags. That would be miserable.


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## 1olddogtwo

If someone told me to shovel 50K worth of salt into bags, that SOB would be known as shovel head.


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## YourBudAl

I'm in NJ. $35 per 50 pound bag 1 bag minimum. I open the spreader all the way and coat the driveway as much as it needs. Bags cost me 4 to 6 dollars for rock salt. Some customers do not want to spend the money but the ones that do get a clean driveway. Example I have 3 customers next to each other 2 get salt 1 doesn't. I start the driveways about 1 hour before snow storm ends and the 2 houses who got salt were clean and the 1 that didn't get salt had snow on the ground and was icy the next day. My customers sign up for salting services or decline it and there is a clause stating that declining salt increases the risk of slip and fall Yada Yada yada


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## leigh

1olddogtwo said:


> If someone told me to shovel 50K worth of salt into bags, that SOB would be known as shovel head.


 You kids these days,afraid of a little hard work! When you graduate from college you better be ready to step it up,that degree in 16th century English chamber music ain't going cut it in the real world.:hammerhead:


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## Goodnyou

If i put 2 guys in the pile they would have want to kill me by the end of the week . We had 10 guys on it and they cranked it out in 6 hours so it was only 60 hrs Labor . We also put them in a uline bulk bag on a pallet . I forget the cost but it's about $ 30 a bag . We have had these for 4 years and they have an inside liner that keeps the salt dry as we keep it outside . They each get about 60 40 lb bags and sit on a pallet.


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## trooper8870

On calcium/magnesium ice melt or rock salt, we have been getting $40 per bag spread. Price ranges from $6 to $8 per bag.


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