Guides

How to Price Duct Cleaning: Per System vs Per Vent

Build duct cleaning prices from your own cost per billable hour: why per system beats per vent, a per-use equipment charge, a worked price list with adders, what a full cleaning includes, and how to sell it honestly.

Ijharul Islam October 21, 2026 9 min read

How to price duct cleaning, in short: price per system, with a set number of openings included, not per vent. Multiply crew hours by your cost per billable hour, add consumables and a per-use charge for the vacuum and agitation equipment, then divide by one minus your target margin. At $95 an hour and a 30% margin, a 3-hour, two-person cleaning of one system comes to about $940.

More on this topic: Pricing, estimates and getting paid, every guide in one place.

Duct cleaning has a pricing problem the rest of HVAC doesn't: the ads homeowners see set a price no honest job can meet. If you quote per vent to match them, you're paid for registers while the real work is in the trunks, returns, blower and coil. This guide builds a per-system price from your own costs, using the same margin method as our drain cleaning price list, and shows how to sell the job the way EPA and NADCA describe it. The dollar figures are examples: put in your own.

Key takeaways

Price per system with a set number of openings included, plus a price for each extra opening.
Charge for the machine: a per-use amount pays back the vacuum, agitation tools and camera.
Clean the whole system or don't sell it: EPA's list includes supply and return ducts, registers, coils, drain pans, fans and the air handler housing.
Sell on evidence: EPA doesn't recommend routine duct cleaning, only cleaning as needed, and says it has never been shown to prevent health problems.
Don't chase coupon prices. NADCA warns homeowners about ultra-low “whole house” offers.
Sanity check: EPA says cleaning typically, but not always, runs $450 to $1,000 per heating and cooling system.

Should you price duct cleaning per vent or per system?

Price per system, with a set number of supply and return openings included and a price for each one over that. A per-vent price is easy to compare with ads, but it pays you for the part of the job that takes the least time and invites the customer to strike rooms off the list. The trunk lines, the return side, the blower and the coil are where the dirt and the hours are.

Method	How it works	Upside	Downside
Per vent	A price per register, sometimes with a trip charge	Easy for customers to compare	Pays for openings, not trunks, returns or the air handler; invites partial jobs
Per system	One price per air handler and its ducts, up to a set number of openings	Covers the whole system; one number to quote	Needs an adder for big or unusual systems
Hourly	Crew hours at a posted rate plus materials	Fair for odd jobs	Customers can't compare it, and you're paid less for getting faster

What does a duct cleaning job cost you?

A duct cleaning job costs you crew time at your cost per billable hour, plus consumables and wear on the equipment. The examples use $95 per billable hour, the figure our HVAC guides build from the BLS May 2025 median wage for HVAC mechanics and installers ($29.33), 35% burden, 80% billable time, $15 truck and $30 overhead. If your duct crew is paid less than your installers, build a separate rate from their wage.

Then add an equipment charge. Example: a portable negative air machine, HEPA vacuum, agitation tools and an inspection camera that cost $18,000 and are used on 200 jobs a year for five years work out at $18 per job; a $60,000 truck-mounted vacuum used 200 times a year for six years is $50 per job. The examples use $60 to allow for repairs. Consumables (filters, access plugs, foil tape, brush wear) add about $25. Use your own purchase prices and job counts.

What does a duct cleaning price list look like?

Each line is labor plus equipment and consumables, divided by 0.70 for a 30% margin, rounded up to the nearest $5:

Task	Crew hours	Equipment + consumables	Cost	Price at 30% margin
One system, up to 12 supply and return openings	6.0 (2 × 3)	$85	$655	$940
Second system, same visit	4.0 (2 × 2)	$45	$425	$610
Each opening over 12	0.15	$2	$16.25	$25
Blower and evaporator coil cleaning	1.5	$20	$162.50	$235
Dryer vent cleaning, same visit	0.75	$10	$81.25	$120
New access door in a trunk	0.5	$15	$62.50	$90
Inspection visit with camera, credited if they book	1.0	$10	$105	$150

Time each task from your own jobs, using the typical time, not the best one. EPA's homeowner page says cleaning typically, but not always, costs $450 to $1,000 per heating and cooling system, depending on the services, system size, access, climate and how dirty it is. If your one-system price sits far outside that, check your hours and costs before you change the margin.

What should a full duct cleaning include?

A full cleaning covers the whole system, not just what's visible from the registers. EPA's guidance for homeowners describes it as access to and cleaning of the supply and return ducts, registers, coils, drain pans, fans and the air handler housing, with vacuum equipment that exhausts outdoors (or HEPA vacuums if it exhausts inside), soft brushes in fiberglass and fiber-lined ducts, protection for carpets and furniture, resealed and reinsulated access holes, and a visual check afterward.

NADCA's standard, ACR, The NADCA Standard for Assessment, Cleaning and Restoration of HVAC Systems (2025 edition, a free download), covers containment and engineering controls, component inspection, scope of work, source removal and other cleaning methods, and cleanliness checks including the Surface Comparison Test and the NADCA Vacuum Test. Write your scope from it, list the components on the quote, and take before and after photos of the same spots.

When should you recommend duct cleaning, and when not?

Recommend it when you can show the customer a reason. EPA says it doesn't recommend routine duct cleaning, only cleaning as needed, and lists three cases where cleaning may be called for: substantial visible mold inside hard-surface ducts or on other components, vermin, and ducts clogged with dust and debris or releasing particles from the registers. It also says duct cleaning has never been shown to prevent health problems, and that any moisture causing mold has to be fixed first.

That gives you an honest script that also sells:

“Before I quote cleaning, let me show you what's in there.” Put the camera in a supply, a return and the blower compartment, and show the customer the screen.
If it's heavy debris, vermin or visible growth: “This is worth cleaning. Here's what the whole-system price covers, and here's what we'll fix so it doesn't come back.”
If it's light dust: “Your ducts look normal. EPA doesn't recommend routine duct cleaning. A better filter and a maintenance visit will do more for you.”

The third answer costs you a job today and earns trust, reviews and the next replacement. It also fits a maintenance plan better than a cleaning sold every year.

Why shouldn't you compete with $99 whole-house duct cleaning ads?

Because the price isn't the job. NADCA's November 2023 consumer warning tells homeowners to beware of coupons with an ultra-low price for “whole house air duct cleaning” or “HVAC mold and soot removal”. It also flags pressure to decide on the spot, large down payments or payment in full up front, surprise problems without changes in writing, and door-to-door selling. EPA adds that no duct cleaner is EPA-certified, so a company claiming to be is a warning sign.

When a caller asks why you're not $99, say what your price includes, offer the inspection visit credited toward the job, and put the scope in writing. Customers who've been burned once tend to hear that.

Should you sell sanitizers and sealants?

Not as a routine add-on. EPA says no biocides are registered for use in internally insulated ducts or porous fiberglass duct material, that the effectiveness of biocides sprayed into operating ducts isn't well researched, and that sealants haven't been shown to work well. If you do use a product, use an EPA-registered one for that surface, follow the label, tell the customer what it is, and price it as its own line. EPA also notes some states require a license for duct cleaning, so check yours.

Where CrewRobin fits

CrewRobin's price book holds each cleaning task as a flat-rate service, and you add them to good, better, best quotes the customer picks and signs online: for example, one system; one system plus blower and coil; and that plus the dryer vent. The AI receptionist quotes only the price range you set per job type and says the technician confirms on site, so a caller comparing you with a $99 flyer hears your real range. Technicians can mark up job photos with arrows and circles and choose before and after photos to show on the customer's page; CrewRobin stores photos, not video, so keep camera footage on the camera. Once the invoice is paid in full, the customer gets one review request by text; see how to get more Google reviews.

Frequently asked questions

How much should I charge per vent for duct cleaning?

We'd suggest not pricing per vent at all. Price per system with a set number of openings included, then add a price per extra opening: in our example, $940 for one system with up to 12 openings and $25 for each one over that.

How long does duct cleaning take?

It depends on the system, the number of openings and access. Our example uses three hours for a two-person crew on one system. Time your own jobs and build the price list from your typical times.

How often should ducts be cleaned?

EPA doesn't recommend cleaning ducts routinely, only as needed: visible mold, vermin, or heavy dust and debris. Inspect on maintenance visits and recommend cleaning when you can show the customer a reason.

Do I need NADCA certification to clean ducts?

Not under federal rules. EPA tells homeowners to ask whether a company follows NADCA standards and has any license their state requires, so following ACR and saying so on the quote helps you sell.

What is included in a full duct cleaning?

EPA's list: supply and return ducts, registers, coils, drain pans, fans and the air handler housing, with outdoor-exhausting or HEPA vacuums, sealed access holes and a visual check afterward.

Put it to work this week

Load your duct cleaning price list into one price book so the phone, the quote and the crew all give the same number. CrewRobin is free until your first 10 booked jobs, no card up front. Start free or see pricing.

Sources

Figures from outside CrewRobin were checked against these pages in October 2026. Most industry benchmarks come from vendors and agencies, so treat them as ranges, not rules.

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