How these estimates are calculated
Place, currency and tax. Prices are for New Zealand, in NZD (NZ$). They exclude GST. Many New Zealand sources do not say whether their prices include GST, so treating them as excluding it is an assumption. The range is a national average, and the same range applies in every region: we found no reliable data on price differences between them. The calculator does not quote below its minimum price, NZ$499 at the national average.
Where the range comes from. The market range for this job comes from prices published for New Zealand by businesses on their own price lists. We name these sources by type, not by company. We check the hourly rates against Stats NZ earnings data and the minimum wage. A trade's rate should sit well above what its workers earn, because it also pays for overhead, travel and insurance.
When we checked. We last checked these rates against their sources on 23 August 2026.
Market price and your price. "What pros charge" is the market range for the job you describe. Your own cost figures do not change it. The table under it, "Your costs at this price", uses your figures: time on the job, labour cost, materials, equipment, travel, fees and overhead. Profit is the market price minus those costs.
New Zealand duct cleaning rests on one price list. It is a genuine operator tariff rather than a cost guide, it
marks its own tax treatment, and it prints appointment lengths beside its prices — which is more than most sources
in this trade do. It is also a single source, and the page says so where it matters.
How the calculator works
- Count every outlet. Supply outlets and returns both.
- Each extra system is a second setup, at NZ$180–NZ$360 and close to an hour.
- Add-ons are their own lines. Dryer vent, furnace, blower, coil.
- Your region. We found no reliable data on price differences between New Zealand regions, so every region uses the national figures. The NZ$499 floor applies everywhere.
- Your economics. “Your costs and margin” works in crew hours at 0.4 an outlet, the tariff’s own figure.
The published tariff
| Tier | Price, plus GST | Appointment |
|---|
| Up to 9 outlets + 1 return | NZ$499 | 4 hours |
| 10–16 outlets + 1 return | NZ$599 | 6 hours |
| 17–21 outlets + 2 returns | NZ$799 | 8 hours |
Per outlet that is NZ$50, NZ$43 and NZ$40 — falling as the count rises, the same shape every market in this trade
shows. The marginal step between tiers is not linear: NZ$14 an outlet from tier one to two, NZ$40 from two to three.
The likely cause is the second return grille, which are fewer and larger, but the source does not say so.
Where the New Zealand numbers are thin, said plainly
It is one source, not two. A second page prints the same NZ$499 and NZ$599 word for word and is credited to the
same company. Two pages, one source.
The tariff calls itself an introductory offer. “Current introductory offers available for a limited time.” That
means these may be promotional prices rather than a standing list, and it is the largest caveat on this page.
Appointment length is not worked hours. Four hours booked is not four hours of two people working, and the
tariff does not name a crew size. Everything this calculator says about your hours inherits that.
No wage figure exists. Not for this trade, not in this country, and no country has an occupation code for it.
The award-style floor used here is the safest available substitute and it is almost certainly below what you
actually pay.
Worked example
A large house with 22 outlets, two systems, two appliance units, a dryer vent and a long-overdue system. The typical quote lands at NZ$2,090 (range NZ$1,715–NZ$2,470) for about 14.7 crew hours, against a cost near NZ$1,053. That leaves NZ$1,037, a 50% margin before GST. Note this is well past the published tariff, which stops at 21 outlets and NZ$799 for one system — everything above comes from the second system and the add-ons. The “Fill with sample data” button loads this job.
What this calculator does not price
Commercial ventilation, which is a different standard and a different model. Mould remediation in the building.
Inspection, because five sources across the markets give five incompatible levels. Quote those from your own records.
The calculator gives you the number. For typical rates and how to build a quote, read our US air duct cleaning pricing guide. Its rates are in US dollars.
Frequently asked questions
How much should I charge for duct cleaning in New Zealand?
The one published tariff here works in tiers: NZ$499 for up to 9 outlets and one return, NZ$599 for 10–16 and one return, NZ$799 for 17–21 and two returns. That is NZ$40–NZ$50 an outlet all in. Every price on that tariff is marked plus GST, which is rarer than it should be in this market.
How long does a job take?
The tariff prints appointment lengths against its tiers — four hours, six hours, eight hours — which is 0.4 crew hours per outlet. That is longer per outlet than the North American ladders, and it is used here because it is the New Zealand reading rather than a borrowed one. Note it is an appointment length, not measured worked hours, and the crew size is not stated.
Why is the minimum charge so high?
Because the tariff's own entry tier is NZ$499, and that is the floor of the only price list in the market. It is also worth knowing that NZ$499 at current rates is close to US$300, which is exactly the bottom of the American per-system base — two independent numbers landing in the same place.
Do I charge GST?
Yes, once your turnover reaches NZ$60,000 in the last 12 months, or you expect it to in the next 12. That is the registration threshold. The source here marks every price plus GST outright, so this is a reading rather than a convention we applied.
What does the market pay a technician?
No New Zealand source publishes a wage for this work, and no country has an occupation code for it at all. The calculator seeds a crew cost from two adult minimum wages of NZ$23.95. A legal floor is the one figure that cannot be too low.
How often should ducts be cleaned?
Not on a fixed interval — the trade association does not recommend the three-to-five-year cycle it is often credited with. What is measured is the price: a long-neglected system runs up to 2.17 times a maintained one, and this calculator carries 35% for a visibly heavy one.
