How much does a Scaffolding Contractor cost to buy?

A typical Scaffolding Contractor sells for 3x to 5x annual revenue. With average revenue of $1.8M, expect to pay $5.4M to $9.0M.

How much does it cost to start a Scaffolding Contractor?

Startup costs range from $100K to $1.5M depending on location, equipment, and scale.

Service

/100 score

Fair

Scaffolding Contractor

Q: What are the profit margins for a Scaffolding Contractor?

The average profit margin for a Scaffolding Contractor is around 17%. Largest costs are field labor, transport, yard operations, liability coverage, damaged inventory, supervision, and safety systems. Returns improve when owned scaffold inventory stays utilized across repeat customers.

Temporary access, recurring industrial shutdowns, and real switching costs

Scaffolding contractors supply, erect, inspect, and dismantle scaffold systems for construction, maintenance, plant turnarounds, and industrial shutdowns. It looks like commodity labor from the outside, but the economics improve fast when a company owns inventory, wins repeat shutdown work, and becomes the trusted access partner for jobs where safety errors are unacceptable.

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Avg Revenue

$1.8M

Profit Margin

17%

Acquisition Multiple

3x - 5x

Startup Cost

$100K - $1.5M

Difficulty

5/5

How It Works

Customers hire the company to design access plans, deliver scaffold inventory, erect safe access structures, inspect them, and remove them when the project ends. Revenue comes from labor, scaffold rental, engineering, standby crews, and premium-priced shutdown or turnaround work. Owning enough equipment and maintaining strong safety records are the key moats.

Revenue Range

Low End

$400K

Typical

$1.8M

High End

$7.0M

Real Acquisitions in This Category

SBA 7(a) change-of-ownership loans · NAICS 238990 · All Other Specialty Trade Contractors

Deals tracked

692

261 in last 24 mo

Median loan

$664K

$304K–$1.7M p25/p75

Implied deal size

$781K

median · ~85% LTV

Charge-off rate

5.1%

of loans that finished

Deal Size Distribution

<$150K

$150K–500K

207

$500K–1M

151

$1M–2M

123

>$2M

147

Deal Flow Over Time

Deals per year · median loan

$616K

2020

$550K

2021

105

$671K

2022

$808K

2023

$709K

2024

134

$595K

2025

175

$1.2M

2026

12-month momentum

-35.8%

deal volume vs prior 12 mo

Median loan Δ

+47.1%

102 recent · 159 prior

Financing Profile

Median rate

9.50%

21% fixed · last 24 mo

Median term

120 mo

standard 10-yr

Collateralized

98%

of loans secured

Median jobs

supported per deal

Top lenders in this space

Live Oak Banking Company107

The Huntington National Bank98

Old National Bank27

First Internet Bank of Indiana19

Brookline Bank, a Division of Beacon Bank and Trust18

Where deals happen

FL105

TX49

CA48

MN38

PA29

CO29

NC28

IL26

WI25

NY22

Franchise vs independent

Franchised acquisitions finance at $614K median vs $675K for independents — a -9% franchise discount. Franchises make up 9% of deals tracked.

Recent Comparable Deals

Closed	State	Loan	Implied deal	Jobs	Franchise
Dec 2025	SC	$3.0M	$3.6M	30	—
Dec 2025	SC	$500K	$588K	30	—
Dec 2025	FL	$5.0M	$5.9M	18	—
Dec 2025	WA	$1.1M	$1.4M	10	—
Dec 2025	FL	$150K	$177K	8	—
Dec 2025	FL	$891K	$1.0M	8	—
Dec 2025	NV	$4.0M	$4.7M	2	—
Dec 2025	NV	$250K	$294K	2	—
Dec 2025	TX	$500K	$588K	20	—
Dec 2025	TX	$2.9M	$3.4M	20	—

Volume rank #6/534Deal-size rank #281/534Momentum rank #194p90 loan: $2.8MData as of Dec 2025

Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA dataset, filtered to acquisitions (loans where business age is "Change of Ownership"). Implied deal size assumes an 85% loan-to-purchase ratio, a common SBA change-of-ownership structure. Charge-off rate shown only when 10+ loans have resolved (paid in full or charged off). Interest rates reflect last 24 months only. Actual deal values vary with equity injections, seller financing, and working capital terms.

Pros

+Safety, compliance, and inventory create real barriers to entry
+Industrial shutdowns can produce large, urgent contracts
+Rental inventory adds asset leverage on top of labor revenue
+Strong repeat demand from contractors and plants

Cons

-Serious safety risk if execution slips
-Labor-intensive with certification and supervision needs
-Inventory, transport, and yard costs can get heavy fast

Best For

Experienced operators who understand industrial services, project execution, and risk-controlled blue-collar work

Operating Costs

Largest costs are field labor, transport, yard operations, liability coverage, damaged inventory, supervision, and safety systems. Returns improve when owned scaffold inventory stays utilized across repeat customers.

SBA Financing Estimator

Adjust the deal — see if it cash flows after debt service

$-23995/mo

after debt service

Deal price — $4.5M

Range: $4.5M (3×) to $10.8M (5×+)

Down payment — 15% ($675K)

SBA minimum equity injection is 10% for change-of-ownership

Interest rate — 9.50%

SBA median for this category: 9.5%

Loan term — 10 years (120 mo)

SBA median for this category: 120 months

Down payment

$675K

15% equity injection

Loan amount

$3.8M

85% SBA-financed

Monthly payment

$49K/mo

$2.1M total interest

Monthly profit

$26K/mo

at 17% margin

Monthly cash flow after debt service

$-23995/mo

Margin does not cover debt service at these terms. Lower the deal price, increase the down payment, or extend the loan term.

Estimates only. Excludes owner compensation, capex, working capital draws, and taxes. Margin assumes average occupancy and volume. Actual SBA terms vary by lender and borrower profile.