Trades / Finish carpentry contractors
NAICS 23835 · low injury risk
Insurance for finish carpentry contractors
Finish carpentry contractors log 1.8 recordable injuries and illnesses per 100 full-time workers — 22 percent below private industry's 2.3 and number 32 of 37 trades here. The injury record is not the hard part of insuring this trade; the liability and contract requirements are.
- 1Finish carpentry contr 1.8 per 100
- 2Private industry 2.3 per 100
- 3Rank of 37 #32
What goes wrong in this trade
Saw and nail-gun injuries on the workers' comp side; on the liability side, damage to finished work owned by others and installed millwork that fails.
The checklist for finish carpentry contractors
- GLGeneral liabilityProperty damage and injury on client premises is the core exposure; every GC and most licences require a certificate.Not required by federal law. Required in practice by most contracts, landlords and many state contractor licences.
- WCWorkers' compensationRequired once you have employees in nearly every state.Required by state law in nearly every state once you have employees; the employee-count threshold and exemptions are set state by state and are not reproduced here.
- AutoCommercial auto liabilityTrucks and vans carrying crews and material.State minimum auto liability applies to business vehicles. Interstate for-hire carriers of vehicles 10,001 lb GVWR and up must carry the 49 CFR 387.9 minimums ($750,000 non-hazardous property; $1,000,000 oil; $5,000,000 bulk hazmat).
- ToolsInland marine (tools and equipment)Tools and material on site and in the truck are not covered by a property policy.Not required by law.
- BondSurety bondState contractor licences commonly require a licence bond; public jobs require performance bonds.Many state contractor licences require a licence bond; public work requires bid and performance bonds under state law and, federally, the Miller Act.
- UmbrellaCommercial umbrella / excessCommercial GCs often ask for limits above a standard GL.Not required by law; required by many general contractors and commercial landlords.
Red tags mark policy types that a law or licence usually requires; green tags are what contracts, landlords and clients ask for. Tailor the list for your situation (no employees, no vehicles, alcohol) with the checklist tool.
What the injury record means for the premium
With 1.8 cases per 100 workers the workers' compensation base rate for this class is comparatively modest, and only 72 percent of cases involved days away, restriction or transfer. Where the premium goes instead is liability: property damage and injury on client premises is the core exposure; every gc and most licences require a certificate, and that is a general-liability and professional-liability question rather than a payroll one. Expect the certificate requirements in your contracts to matter more than your loss history.
The nearest trades by injury rate are electrical contractors (1.8), fitness and recreational sports centers (1.8), masonry contractors (1.9); the same payroll insured in those classes would start from a similar workers' comp base.
Legal, licence or contract?
Fixed by law
- Workers' compensation once you have employees, in nearly every state (threshold and exemptions set by the state; not reproduced here).
- State minimum auto liability on any vehicle the business operates.
Asked for by contracts and licences
Sources: BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, Table 1 (2024), incidence rates per 100 full-time workers; BLS SOII Table 3 (2024), hours worked by detailed industry; BLS Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, Table A-1 (2024). Fatal rate per 100,000 FTE is derived (count ÷ hours × 200,000,000) and approximate. Checked 2026-10-23.