Free guide and calculator

How to price BIAB and builder gel nails

Price BIAB from your own time and product cost: add the minutes a new set really takes at your target hourly rate, plus your overheads and a margin, and set a separate price for the infill and the removal. Charging one flat price for all three is an easy way to lose money on builder gel.

Updated

What it is, from the salon side

Builder gel (often sold as BIAB, "builder in a bottle") is a thicker gel layered over the natural nail to strengthen it, usually without length. Clients come back every few weeks for an infill instead of a full removal, so it works like a membership: the first appointment wins the client, the infills keep her.

How much time to plan

AppointmentPlan for
New set, natural length60–75 min
Infill with colour changeIncludes filing back the old product60–75 min
Infill, same colour45–60 min
Removal only20–30 min
Nail art or French on topDepends on the design+5–15 min

Starting points for planning, not measured averages. Time your own appointments for two weeks and use your numbers.

What goes into the cost

  • Builder gel, base and top coat used per client
  • Files, buffers and drill bits, which wear out
  • Prep products: dehydrator, primer, cleanser, cuticle oil
  • Disposables: pads, wipes, gloves, towels
  • Your time, including prep, curing and clean-up
  • A share of rent, power and software for every hour you work

How to set the price

  1. Time three or four real new sets and infills, from greeting to payment, and use the average of your own minutes.
  2. Set a target hourly rate for yourself and add your monthly overheads spread over the hours you can really sell.
  3. Enter each variant (new set, infill, removal) in the calculator below with its own minutes and product cost.
  4. Round to a clean price and check it against two or three salons near you to decide where you want to sit.
  5. Write the infill window in your price list (for example "infill within 4 weeks"); after that, charge as a new set.

Work out your price

The rows below are examples for this service. Change the minutes and product cost to your own, set your hourly target and overheads, and the calculator gives a price that covers them.

Your numbers

What you want to earn per booked hour, before profit.

Rent, utilities, software, insurance and other costs you pay every month.

Hours you can realistically book, not opening hours.

Share of the final price you keep as profit.

Overhead per hour
$15.00
Cost per booked hour
$40.00

Your services

Example rows. Replace them with your own services, real durations and product cost.

Suggested prices

  • BIAB new set70 min

    Cost: $50.67

    $65

    Profit: $14.33

    Price per hour: $56

  • BIAB infill60 min

    Cost: $43.00

    $55

    Profit: $12.00

    Price per hour: $55

  • BIAB removal25 min

    Cost: $17.67

    $25

    Profit: $7.33

    Price per hour: $60

  • French or simple art10 min

    Cost: $7.17

    $10

    Profit: $2.83

    Price per hour: $60

Overhead per hour = monthly fixed costs ÷ sellable hours. Cost = product cost + (minutes ÷ 60) × (hourly pay + overhead per hour). Price = cost ÷ (1 − margin), rounded up.

Your price list

The printed page shows only the price list.

Price list

  • BIAB new set70 min$65
  • BIAB infill60 min$55
  • BIAB removal25 min$25
  • French or simple art10 min$10

What to ask before the first appointment

  • Is she coming from another product (acrylic, extensions, gel polish) that needs removing first?
  • Does she want length, or strength on her natural length?
  • How quickly do her nails grow, and can she come back within your infill window?
  • Any allergies or reactions to gel products before?

Add-ons that fit

  • French tip or chrome finish on top
  • Nail art per nail
  • Repair of a broken nail between infills
  • Hand treatment or cuticle care

In CutieCure Salon

In CutieCure Salon you give each service its own duration, so a new set, an infill and a removal can each be booked for the time they really take, and clients only see free times that fit. You can also bundle services into a package, with the total time and the saving calculated for you.

Questions

How much should I charge for BIAB?

There is no single right price: it depends on your time, product cost, overheads and local market. Price the new set, the infill and the removal separately from your own numbers, then compare with salons near you.

Should a BIAB infill cost less than a new set?

Usually yes when the time is shorter, but not always: an infill with a colour change can take as long as a new set. Price each from its real minutes.

How long should I book for builder gel?

Plan around an hour to an hour and a quarter for a new set and less for a same-colour infill, then adjust to the times you measure in your own salon.

Book every service at the right length

In CutieCure Salon each service has its own duration, so clients only see times that really fit. 14-day free trial, no card required.

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