The site navigation utilizes arrow, enter, escape, and space bar key commands. Left and right arrows move across top level links and expand / close menus in sub levels. Up and Down arrows will open main level menus and toggle through sub tier links. Enter and space open menus and escape closes them as well. Tab will move on to the next part of the site rather than go through menu items.

NECA Manual of Labor Units (MLU)

2021-2022 Edition

An estimate is only as good as the information it is based on, and the NECA Manual of Labor Units (MLU) has been the estimating resource of choice for electrical contractors since 1923. The MLU provides an experience-based reference for estimating the electrical construction labor required to install typical electrical and communications systems.

 

What’s new to the MLU?

Updates to this edition provide new units for cable bus, conduit tags, all-threaded hanger rods, coaxial cable, traffic light camera controls and much more.

New this year NECA is offering a two-year subscription that provides electronic access to the NECA Manual of Labor Units! With all of the features that were formerly featured on the CD, the online portal allows subscribers to access the labor units, the ability to export sections to excel, utilize calculators, customize column factoring and more. (Please note, a previous subscription option required a TRA-SER license, which is no longer required)

 

What’s included in the MLU?

NECA’s labor units include: normal material handling; drawing study, measurement and layout; material installation; and normal non-productive labor.

Is time for supervision included?

NECA’s the labor units do not include any labor for supervision of any type. All electrical construction requires more than one level of supervision, and the magnitude of supervision depends on the complexity, type, and size of each project. Because each project is unique, it is the opinion of most electrical contractors that the labor for supervision is best estimated as a separate cost item and that no part of the supervision labor be included in the material installation labor units.

 

What’s the difference between the three columns in the MLU?

The NECA labor unit tables include three different labor units for each item. Users of the MLU are also encouraged to consider labor units between the columns, or even lower than or exceeding the columns when appropriate.

Normal Installation Conditions
When all of the conditions associated with the installation of an item will permit the maximum productivity of the electricians on a project, these “normal” column labor units are applicable.
Difficult Installation Conditions
When one or more of the conditions associated with the installation of an item will permit less than maximum productivity of the electricians on a typical project, these “difficult” column labor units are applicable.
Very Difficult Installation Conditions
When one or more of the conditions associated with the installation of an item will permit substantially less than maximum productivity of the electricians on a typical project, these “very difficult” column labor units are applicable. The Introduction to the MLU includes a Labor Factor Score Sheet to help determine the appropriate column.

Errata to the 2021-2022 Edition

A correction was made on page 202 to provide the correct unit of measurement on an item. Download the updated page here.