Material mix

Definition

The split of jobs across fence materials, which carry different margins and different labor.

Why It Matters

Material mix drives margin and seasonality together, so read it beside the commercial and residential split rather than treating the revenue as one line. Materials also move in price independently of the labor to install them, and a book quoted months ahead on fixed prices carries that exposure. Ask how quotes are priced and how long they stand, because that is where a good year quietly becomes a thin one.