Settings & Constants
This is the Table B reference: the shop’s cost constants, material costs, the
dimensional price grid, and shop identity. The owner edits these once on the
Settings screen; the salesperson never sees them (see Architecture).
Every number below is the seeded default — the value the demo ships with — pulled
straight from src/data/defaults.ts, alongside the taxonomy’s own source/reliability
note (src/data/constantMeta.ts). Honest sourcing is part of the point: a believable
number means showing where each input came from.
Two timing rules matter:
- New calculations use edits immediately (tested as AC-4). Settings edits deep-clone, set, and save synchronously, so the next price reflects the change.
- Saved quotes recompute on open. A quote stores a
pricingsnapshot, but it is recomputed against current settings every time the config changes and on open — so reopening an old quote after tuning a constant shows the new number.
The constant keys below are the real Constants field names (src/types.ts); the UI
labels and the grouping match CONSTANT_GROUPS. Fractions are stored as decimals
(0.07 = 7%).
Per-inch rates ($/upright inch)
The displayed channel-letter fabrication path is per-inch. Halo takes precedence over raceway when both apply; otherwise raceway beats flush. See Pricing Engine.
| Constant | Seeded default | What it does / source |
|---|---|---|
price_per_inch_frontlit | $19.00 | Front-lit, flush mount. Practitioner-stated (flush front-lit). |
price_per_inch_raceway | $21.00 | Front-lit, raceway mount. Practitioner-stated. |
price_per_inch_halo | $22.00 | Halo / reverse-lit. Practitioner-stated. |
Channel-letter materials
Feed the owner-only cost floor for channel letters (the per-letter material cost and the job-level rollup), not the displayed price.
| Constant | Seeded default | What it does / source |
|---|---|---|
coil_cost_per_ft | $2.00 | Return coil, $/ft (5″ .040 coil). |
acm_backing_per_sqft | $1.31 | ACM backing, $/sqft. Research-verified. |
acrylic_white_per_sqft | $1.88 | White acrylic face, $/sqft (3/16″). |
acrylic_colored_per_sqft | $2.19 | Colored acrylic face, $/sqft. Research-verified. |
trim_cap_per_ft | $0.41 | Trim cap, $/ft. Research-verified. |
wire_studs_per_letter | $5.00 | Wire & studs, $/letter. Example 1 used ~$20 per 4-letter job. |
raceway_cost_per_ft | $25.00 | Raceway, $/ft. Mid of $15–40 — verify with supplier. |
material_indeterminates_pct | 0.07 (7%) | Scrap / waste allowance. From shopVOX scrap/waste. |
LEDs & power
Drive the channel-letter LED derivation: density → module count → watts → power-supply count. The derate is intentional.
| Constant | Seeded default | What it does / source |
|---|---|---|
power_supply_cost | $42.95 | Power supply, $ each. Both research passes agree. |
ps_max_watts | 60 | Power supply max watts (12V sign-grade). |
ps_derate | 0.80 | Power-supply derate fraction. Taxonomy decision #1 — 0.80, not 0.9. |
Do not “fix” ps_derate to 0.9. The engine sizes supplies on usableWatts = ps_max_watts * ps_derate (so 60 × 0.80 = 48 usable watts), then takes
ceil(totalWatts / usableWatts). The 0.80 derate is a deliberate sourcing decision,
not a placeholder. The divisor is also guarded: clearing ps_max_watts or ps_derate
to 0 yields a supply count of 0, not Infinity. See Assumptions & Decisions.
Labor
A task-rate model (taxonomy decision #4): hours are derived from the job and charged at
these rates plus burden. default_markup seeds the cost-plus path’s starting markup.
| Constant | Seeded default | What it does / source |
|---|---|---|
cnc_bend_rate | $65.00 | CNC / bending, $/hr. Task-rate model (decision #4). |
assembly_rate | $45.00 | Assembly, $/hr. Task-rate model. |
labor_burden_pct | 0.15 (15%) | Labor burden fraction applied on labor cost. |
default_markup | 2 | Default markup for the cost-plus path. The salesperson can override 1.5–3.0 in Advanced. |
Install & fees
Install hours and the flat fees, plus the two margin-badge thresholds.
| Constant | Seeded default | What it does / source |
|---|---|---|
install_rate | $100.00 | Install crew, $/hr. Within $95–110; calibrated to Example 2. |
install_min_fee | $175.00 | Install minimum, $ (~2 hr minimum). |
crane_fee | $2,500.00 | Crane fee, $. Mid of $1,000–5,000. |
permit_fee | $300.00 | Permit fee, $. Matches Example 1; within $50–1,000; single permit line (decision D4). |
pe_stamp_fee | $600.00 | Engineering (PE stamp), $. Mid of $200–1,000 wall-sign range. |
design_fee | $150.00 | Design fee, $ — channel letters only (decision D1). Low end of $150–350. |
minimum_job_price | $0.00 | Minimum job charge, $. 0 = off (decision D2). Shipped disabled. |
margin_red_below | 0.30 (30%) | Margin badge turns red below this fraction. |
margin_amber_below | 0.45 (45%) | Margin badge turns amber below this fraction. |
minimum_job_price ships disabled at 0 (decision D2). The engine only applies it
when minimum_job_price > 0 and the subtotal falls below it, adding a Minimum job charge line for the difference. The intent is to ask each shop what their real minimum
is rather than guess one. The margin thresholds drive the editor’s margin badge:
margin below 0.30 is red, below 0.45 is amber, otherwise green. See
Pricing Engine and Assumptions & Decisions.
Dimensional letters — markup & multipliers
Applied to the wholesale grid price below. The rail-mount uplift is the only sourced mount multiplier; spacer/standoff has no sourced uplift (×1.0).
| Constant | Seeded default | What it does / source |
|---|---|---|
dealer_markup_dim | 1.5 | Dealer markup, applied to the wholesale grid price. |
finish_mult_painted_custom | 1.125 | Painted custom-color ×, relative to the grid row’s included finish. |
finish_mult_polished | 1.5 | Polished ×, relative to the grid row’s included finish. |
mount_mult_rail | 1.35 | Rail-mount ×. Spacer/standoff has no sourced uplift (×1.0). |
LED products
Three seeded modules drive the channel-letter LED derivation. sloan_prism12 is the
default selected on new channel-letter quotes (defaultConfigFor). Each row is editable
on Settings (cost / watts / density per module).
id | Label | costPerModule | wattsPerModule | densityPerFt | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
generic | Generic 12V module | $1.25 | 0.8 | 1.5 | dealer-list / inferred |
sloan_prism12 | SloanLED Prism 12 | $2.00 | 1 | 1.5 | default; matches Example 1 anchor |
sloan_ho | SloanLED high output | $6.57 | 1.2 | 1.2 | high output |
Dimensional price grid ($ per letter)
The wholesale price per letter at the 6 / 12 / 18 / 24″ anchors, by material. Quotes interpolate linearly between anchors, and heights are clamped to 6–24″ before lookup. Each row also carries a read-only thickness and the base finish already included in the grid price.
materialId | Label | Thickness · base finish | 6″ | 12″ | 18″ | 24″ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
routed_pvc_quarter | Routed PVC | 1/4 in · painted | $11.28 | $26.53 | $50.37 | $61.00 |
flat_acrylic_quarter | Flat cut acrylic | 1/4 in · colored | $20.00 | $36.00 | $60.00 | $90.00 |
flat_aluminum_quarter | Flat cut aluminum | 1/4 in · brushed | $45.30 | $77.00 | $120.90 | $222.00 |
cast_aluminum | Cast aluminum | cast · brushed | $38.01 | $71.38 | $152.96 | $249.36 |
cast_bronze | Cast bronze | cast · brushed | $75.09 | $173.35 | $355.97 | $601.62 |
These are reseller list prices — dealer-net is lower. The Settings grid carries
this tag verbatim. Before the demo, confirm the shop’s actual dealer-net pricing and
edit the grid (or adjust dealer_markup_dim) so the dimensional numbers reflect what
they really pay. See Assumptions & Decisions.
Shop info
Identity and quote-terms fields. These feed the PDF header and footer, not the price.
| Field | Seeded default | Where it appears |
|---|---|---|
name | Summit Signs & Lighting | PDF header. |
address | 4815 Industrial Oaks Blvd, Austin, TX 78735 | PDF header. |
phone | (512) 555-0184 | PDF header. |
email | quotes@summitsigns.example | PDF header. |
logoDataUrl | (none) | Optional logo (PNG/JPG, uploaded as a data URL) on the PDF header. |
quoteValidityDays | 30 | Sets the PDF’s valid-until date. |
terms | (see below) | Printed in the PDF footer above the signature line. |
The seeded terms text:
50% deposit due on acceptance; balance due on completion of installation. Pricing
assumes standard site access. Permit fees are billed at cost if actual fees differ
from the quoted amount.Resetting
Each Settings section has a Reset that restores only that section’s keys from the
seeded defaults — the constant groups, the LED products + power constants, the grid +
multipliers, and shop info each reset independently. The “def.” / “Default:” hint under
every field always shows the seeded value, looked up by key (or by id for products and
grid rows) so it stays correct even after edits.