Glossary
What is Maintenance Cost?
Maintenance cost is the total cost of maintaining assets—typically labour, parts and sometimes contractors. It can be reported in total, per asset, per unit produced or as a percentage of asset replacement value. Tracking cost supports budgeting and improvement.
What it means
CMMS and work orders capture labour and parts per job; that data is rolled up into maintenance cost reports. Cost is often compared to benchmarks (e.g. % of replacement value).
Why it matters
- Cost includes labour, parts and often external labour (contractors).
- Reporting by asset, area or type helps identify high-cost assets.
- Maintenance cost as % of replacement value is a common benchmark.
- Reducing reactive work and improving PM can reduce total cost over time.
Example in maintenance operations
Total maintenance cost last year: $500k labour, $200k parts. Cost per asset: Pump A $15k, Pump B $8k. Maintenance cost as % of replacement value: 3%.
Related concepts
Run maintenance with VectraManage — work orders, PM and reporting in one platform
See pricing Start free