There IS no average. A couple of months ago we had a discussion in John Bridge's Pros' Hangout about this very question, and there were many who charge no markup at all, all the way up to 50%. Most of those who DID mark up materials kept it between 10 and 20%. Those who said that some of their profits came from their markup, though, also said that if they had a customer who went and bought their own tile, either they'd pass on the job, or the labor price would jump.

Here is a link that might be useful: The REAL discussion starts about page 3

Bill,

Thank you for the link and a different perspective. I wasn't implying that the installer shouldn't mark up materials, it was just the 44% that was hard to take! I see there is a wide range. I do appreciate your input though~

Hmmmmm....My supplier shows a "retail" price to the HO. I get the materials at a 30% discount and usually give the HO a 15% discount. Afgter all, I have to order it, pick it up and deliver it to the site. With gas over $3 a gallon, is this not too much to expect?

There are a LOT of variables here, too - what the material is, how far the contractor has to transport it, what part of the country you're in - that being said, most of my contemporaries here in Philadelphia (including myself), other parts of PA, and down in Delaware charge between 10-20% markupfor most materials including tile - I personally am closer to the 10%... A lot of times, I will SPLIT my discount with the HO which can be anywhere from 2-25%...

AKA 44% sounds pretty crazy to me, BUT I don't know all the factors...