Contractor Calculator · Windows
Window Installation Cost: Units, Labor, and the Two Jobs People Confuse
Price a window job the way a supplier price list is built. Set the unit, the opening count and your own crew hours.
Pricing the whole job? Estimate it from a photo in about six seconds.
White vinyl. Two makers list this size at $179.00 and $199.00.
New unit into the old frame. The button sets a starting hour figure. Type your own.
Two named products a size, one retailer, read September 11, 2026. Three of the four Croft units were on promotion, so the band uses list price.
Window installation cost covers two different jobs
An insert, or pocket replacement, leaves the existing frame in the wall. You pull the sashes and stops, set a smaller unit inside, shim it, seal it and put the stops back.
A full frame replacement takes out the frame and both sets of trim, reflashes the opening and sets the unit on its nail fin. VinylMax prints a 1-1/2 in fin on its Inspire 4100 sheet, and a fin lands on sheathing, so the siding comes off.
SimplyWise Cost Estimator turns a photo of the opening into an itemized estimate in about 6 seconds.
What the unit itself costs
Every price below came off a retailer product page on September 11, 2026, price on the same node as the name.
| Unit, white vinyl | Croft list | VinylMax list |
|---|---|---|
| 36 by 36 in single hung | $179.00 | $199.00 |
| 36 by 48 in single hung | $199.00 | $224.00 |
| 36 by 36 in slider | $214.99 | $199.00 |
| 48 by 48 in slider | $282.99 | $259.00 |
The Croft units state Low-E glass. The VinylMax listings state an insulated unit and do not name the glass package.
Four of the six Croft units below were on promotion that morning, so every Croft figure here is list price. The 36 by 36 in was marked to $134.97.
The same VinylMax single hung runs $169.00 at 24 by 36 in and $244.00 at 36 by 62 in.
Frame and glass beat the badge
Croft lists the same 36 by 24 in slider two ways. The 75 Series aluminum unit is $88.00, the 50 Series vinyl Low-E unit $192.99.
Finish is the other quiet line. VinylMax lists its 36 by 36 in single hung at $199.00 in white and $319.00 with a black exterior. Ten openings in black is $1,200 nobody budgeted.
What this page will not price
No publisher states an installed price a window that we will stand behind. Every figure we found traces to an aggregator cost guide, so this page carries none.
Nobody publishes prices for wood, fiberglass or clad units either, or for casement and bay windows. The calculator offers the two types we could price twice.
Turn the opening count into a priced job
SimplyWise Cost Estimator turns a photo into an itemized estimate in about 6 seconds. Pricing is $29.99/mo or $239.99/yr, about $20/mo on annual, with a 7-day free trial.
The number the inspector actually checks
Nobody inspects your price. They inspect the sticker. The 2021 energy code caps window U-factor and solar heat gain by zone in Table R402.1.3.
| Climate zone | Max U-factor | Max glazed SHGC |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | not required | 0.25 |
| 2 | 0.40 | 0.25 |
| 3 | 0.30 | 0.25 |
| 4 except Marine | 0.30 | 0.40 |
| 5 and Marine 4 | 0.30 | 0.40 |
| 6 | 0.30 | not required |
| 7 and 8 | 0.30 | not required |
VinylMax rates its Inspire single hung at U 0.46 and SHGC 0.63 with clear glass, U 0.29 and SHGC 0.37 with Low-E and argon. Read the SHGC column and clear glass misses every zone, while the Low-E unit clears zones 4 through 8.
A line that reads “vinyl window” tells an inspector nothing. Write the glass package and the rated U-factor on it.
What labor adds to window installation cost
Two occupations show up. Glaziers set the units. Carpenters handle frame, trim and the patch back a full frame job creates.
In May 2025 the national median wage was $27.44 an hour for glaziers and $29.12 for carpenters. The 75th percentiles were $32.03 and $36.94.
Those are wages an employer pays an employee. The survey skips the self-employed, so neither is a billed rate. Yours carries burden and margin.
Price a window job in four steps
-
Pick insert or full frame first
An insert measures the existing frame. A full frame job measures the rough opening. The two order different windows.
-
Count openings by unit
Price each size and type off a live listing. Add finish and glass package as their own lines.
-
Set crew hours off your own history
No publisher states hours an opening. The honest figure is the one your last ten jobs produced.
-
Quote the glass, not the word vinyl
Put the rated U-factor on the proposal so bid and inspection agree. Flashing, trim and disposal get their own lines.
Sources
Unit prices read live
- Croft 36 x 36 single hung ($179.00; 2026-09-11).
- VinylMax Inspire 4100 36 x 36 ($199.00; 2026-09-11).
- Croft 50 Series 48 x 48 slider ($282.99; 2026-09-11).
- VinylMax Inspire 4150 48 x 48 ($259.00; 2026-09-11).
Manufacturer data
- VinylMax Inspire 4100 tech sheet (U 0.46 and U 0.29; 2026-09-11).
Code and wages
- DOE Building America Solution Center (2021 code Table R402.1.3; 2026-09-11).
- BLS OEWS flat file (47-2121 and 47-2031, May 2025; 2026-09-11).
Product
- SimplyWise Cost Estimator, App Store (4.8; verified 2026-09-09).
Common questions about window installation cost
The two jobs
What is the difference between an insert and a full frame replacement?
An insert sets a new unit inside the existing frame and leaves the siding alone. A full frame job pulls the frame and trim, reflashes the opening and sets the unit on its nail fin.
What it costs
How much does a replacement window unit cost?
On September 11, 2026 a 36 by 36 in white vinyl single hung listed at $179.00 and $199.00 from two makers. A 48 by 48 in vinyl slider listed at $259.00 and $282.99.
Why does this page not give an installed price a window?
No publisher states one we would stand behind. Every installed figure we found traces to an aggregator cost guide, so we give the build up instead.
Code and quoting
What U-factor does a replacement window have to hit?
Under 2021 code Table R402.1.3 it is 0.40 in zone 2 and 0.30 in zones 3 through 8, with no requirement in zone 1. A Low-E argon vinyl unit rates about 0.29.
Can SimplyWise price a window job from a photo?
Yes. SimplyWise Cost Estimator turns a photo into an itemized estimate in about 6 seconds, with material and labor lines. Free to try, at $29.99/mo.
Turn the opening count into a signed job.
Snap a photo and get an itemized estimate in about 6 seconds. Free to try.