Serious question, is a 5% waste factor on big storefront jobs still realistic?

I was talking to a guy at the supply house who said he always orders 10% extra on anything over 100 square feet. He told me, 'A single bad cut on a big piece of low-iron glass and you're out $300 and a whole day.' But my old boss drilled into me that 5% was the standard and anything more was poor planning. I'm doing a 500 sq ft job next month and I'm stuck between these two numbers. What's your take on the right amount of overage for commercial work?

2 comments

2 Comments

leoward1mo ago

Ever read that old article about waste factors in the trade mag? It basically said 5% is for perfect conditions, but you should add more for tricky layouts or expensive material. For low-iron glass, I'd lean toward your supply house guy's number. The cost of running short is way higher than a little extra scrap.

james9951mo ago

Totally agree with @leoward, running short on a special order like that is a nightmare. We always bump up the waste factor on high-end materials just to be safe. What's the worst that happens, you have a small leftover piece?