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LEV testing - understanding the quote
Ask two providers to quote for testing the same system and the numbers can come back miles apart. That is not always one being cheap and one being greedy - LEV testing is priced on real variables, and knowing them tells you which quote is actually comparing like with like.
The short answer
The biggest driver of an LEV testing quote is the number of extraction points to be tested - each hood, booth or capture point is a separate item of work with its own measurements. Beyond that, access, the complexity of the ductwork, how much of the system needs assessment, and the depth of the report all move the price. A quote that looks cheap has usually either fewer points in scope or a thinner report - which is exactly what to check before comparing on price alone.
The main driver
The single largest factor in an LEV testing price is the number of extraction points on the system. A thorough examination and test assesses each capture point - each hood, booth, arm or downdraught bench - individually, measuring the airflow and capture performance at that point and checking it is controlling the contaminant it is there to control. Ten points is roughly ten times the on-site measurement work of one, so the count of points, more than anything else, sets the size of the job.
This is why a small workshop with one dust extractor and a large factory with forty capture points are not remotely the same quote, even though both are LEV testing. It is also why the honest first question a provider should ask is how many points the system has - a quote given without knowing that is a guess. When quotes differ, the first thing to check is whether they are both testing the same number of points.
Access and complexity
Two systems with the same number of points can still differ in price because of how hard they are to work on. Capture points at height, in confined spaces, or behind machinery take longer to reach and measure safely. Complex ductwork - long runs, many branches, shared manifolds - takes more to assess than a simple point-to-fan arrangement. And a system that is poorly labelled or undocumented takes time simply to understand before it can be tested.
The condition of the system matters too. A well-maintained installation tests cleanly; one that is neglected may need more investigation to work out why points are underperforming, and the report will have more to say. None of this is padding - it is the real work of assessing a real system properly. But it does mean a straightforward, accessible system and an awkward, complex one of the same point-count can fairly carry different prices.
What is in the report
The cheapest quotes often save money in the place you cannot see until afterwards: the report. A proper LEV examination produces a report that records what each point achieved against what it needs to achieve, identifies anything failing or borderline, explains what is wrong and what to do about it, and gives you the evidence and the actions the law expects. That takes competent engineering time to produce, and it is the deliverable that actually protects you.
A thin report - a list of readings with a pass or fail and little else - is quicker and cheaper to produce, but it leaves you with numbers and no understanding, and it may not properly satisfy the duty to identify remedial action. When comparing quotes, the report is where cheap and thorough genuinely diverge. Ask what the report contains, because two quotes that look different on price may really be different on what you receive at the end.
Comparing fairly
To compare LEV quotes fairly, get them onto the same basis. Confirm each is testing the same number of points - a cheaper quote that quietly scopes fewer points is not cheaper, it is smaller. Check whether the price includes assessing the whole system or just the capture points. Ask what the report will contain and whether remedial advice is included. And check whether re-tests of anything that fails, or a return visit, are inside the price or extra.
Once the quotes describe the same job to the same depth, a real comparison is possible - and often the gap narrows a lot. Where it does not, the more expensive quote is frequently including something the cheaper one has left out. The goal is not the lowest number but the testing that actually discharges your duty and tells you the truth about your system - which is worth paying the right price for and worth not underpaying for.
The takeaway
LEV testing quotes differ because LEV systems differ. The number of extraction points sets the scale, access and complexity adjust it, and the depth of the report determines what you actually get for the money. A quote is not high or low in the abstract - it is high or low for a specific scope, and the scopes are what you need to line up before the prices mean anything.
So when two quotes for your building diverge, resist reading it as one honest and one not. Read it as a prompt to check what each is really including - points, access, whole-system assessment, report and re-tests. Line those up, and you will see which quote is genuinely cheaper and which was only cheaper because it was doing less. That is the comparison worth making.
Questions
The number of extraction points. Each hood, booth or capture point is assessed individually, so ten points is roughly ten times the on-site work of one. The point count, more than anything else, sets the size of the job.
Usually because they are not testing the same scope. One may cover fewer points, assess less of the system, or produce a thinner report. Access and ductwork complexity also move the price legitimately.
Yes. Capture points at height, in confined spaces or behind machinery take longer to reach and measure safely, and complex or poorly documented ductwork takes more to assess - so the same point count can fairly carry different prices.
A proper report records each point against its target, identifies failures and explains the remedial action the law expects. That takes engineering time. A thin list of readings is cheaper to produce but leaves you with numbers and no understanding.
Get them onto the same basis - same number of points, same system coverage, same report depth, and clarity on whether re-tests are included. Once the scopes match, the comparison is real and the gap often narrows.
It can be. A quote that is cheaper because it scopes fewer points or a thinner report is not cheaper - it is doing less. The aim is testing that discharges your duty and tells you the truth about your system, at the right price.
We scope LEV testing clearly - points, system coverage and report - so you can see what the price buys and compare it fairly against anyone else.
