Aircraft Detailing Cost
Nobody publishes real aircraft detailing prices, and there is a reason. A wash on a hangared Cirrus and a full exterior on a mid-size jet that has been sitting on the ramp since spring are not the same job, and no list can price both.
What follows is what actually moves the number, so you can read any quote you get, including Joel's. Estimates are free and quoted per airframe.
- Quoted per
- Airframe, never off a published list
- Biggest cost drivers
- Wing area, brightwork, belly condition
- Estimate
- Free, usually same day
- Hours
- 24 hours Monday to Saturday, closed Sunday
- Coverage
- All of California except San Diego County
- Payment
- cash, Venmo, or Zelle
Why there is no aircraft detailing price list
Cars have a price list because a sedan is a sedan. Aircraft do not work that way. Two airplanes with the same model number can be a four hour difference apart depending on where they have been parked, what got flown through, and how long it has been since anyone touched the belly. A published list would have to price the worst case to be safe, which means most owners get quoted high for work they do not need. Joel quotes per airframe instead. You describe the aircraft, where it sits, and what you want done, and the estimate comes back for that job. It is free, and it holds unless the scope changes on the ramp, in which case you hear about it first.
Airframe size is the first thing that sets aircraft detailing prices
Surface area is the starting point. A piston single has maybe a third of the exterior of a light jet and a fraction of a mid-size, and wing area is where most of the hours go because it is flat, it is big, and it holds everything that lands on it. Height matters as much as area. Once the top of the fuselage and the vertical stab are out of reach from the ground, the work needs a ladder or a stand and everything slows down. Control surfaces, gear doors, flap tracks, and static ports all get worked around by hand, so an airframe with more of them takes longer than its square footage suggests.
Brightwork and belly condition, the two biggest swings in private jet detailing cost
Two things move a quote further than anything else. The first is brightwork. Bare polished aluminum has nowhere to hide, and bringing a dull leading edge or a hazy spinner back to a mirror is multi stage work by hand, not a wash. How much of it the airframe carries, and how far gone it is, changes the job completely. The second is the belly. Exhaust soot, hydraulic film, and oil mist bake into a layer that gets harder every month it sits. A belly degreased last quarter wipes down. A belly nobody has touched in two years is a separate line on the estimate, and it should be.
Hangar or ramp, and how the turnaround window sets aircraft detailing rates
Where the aircraft sits changes what the work takes. In a hangar there is light, there is power, there is no wind putting grit back on a panel you just finished, and the job runs straight through. On an open ramp the same airframe takes longer, and weather, wind, and field water restrictions decide the method before anything else does. The turnaround window matters just as much. A jet that has to be clean for an 0700 departure gets worked in one continuous overnight push, which is why Joel runs Monday to Saturday around the clock. Travel distance is the last piece. A field forty minutes out and a field four hours out are different jobs on the same aircraft.
Interior scope and what a private jet cleaning service cost actually covers
Interior scope is where two quotes for the same aircraft can land far apart, because the word interior covers a lot. A cabin refresh between legs is carpets, tables, galley, lav, and glass. A full interior is seats out of the way, seat tracks and rails, headliner, side panels, sidewall stitching, window reveals, and every cup holder and seat pocket done by hand. Leather condition drives the rest. Hydrated leather cleans. Dry, sun beaten leather needs work before it will take anything. Cockpit time is its own item too, since screens, bezels, switch gaps, and yokes get cleaned carefully and slowly, and nobody rushes around avionics.
How to compare airplane detailing prices between quotes
When you have two or three numbers in front of you, the number itself tells you almost nothing. Ask what is included and what is not. Is the belly degrease in there or is it extra. Is brightwork a polish or a wipe. Does the interior include seat rails and the headliner or just the visible surfaces. How many hours, and what happens if it runs long. Who is actually doing the work, the person you spoke to or somebody else. A quote that answers those in writing is comparable to another quote that does the same. One that just says full detail and a figure is not comparable to anything.
What aircraft detailing costs in this area
These are typical 2025 to 2026 market ranges for aircraft detailing in California, gathered from published industry sources. They are for orientation. They are not a quote. Every job is priced per airframe after a walkaround, because condition moves the number as much as size does, and Los Angeles fields run at the top of national ranges.
| Aircraft class | Exterior wash | Full detail | What moves it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Piston singleCessna 172/182, Cirrus SR22, Piper Archer | $150 to $900 | $600 to $2,500 | A quick maintenance wash is cheap; the four-figure numbers show up on a full exterior wax plus interior, and older oxidized paint pushes it higher. |
| Piston twinBeechcraft Baron, Piper Seneca, Cessna 310 | $250 to $1,200 | $900 to $3,000 | Two engines and more belly oil to cut mean noticeably more labor than a single of the same footprint. |
| TurbopropKing Air 350, Pilatus PC-12, TBM 960, Cessna Caravan | $300 to $1,600 | $1,500 to $5,000 | Big cabins like the King Air and heavy exhaust staining drive the full-detail number more than wingspan does. |
| Light jetCitation CJ3, Phenom 300, Learjet 40, HondaJet | $500 to $1,800 | $2,000 to $5,000 | Exterior alone routinely runs four figures once a dry wash and brightwork touch-up on leading edges and inlets are included. |
| Midsize jetCitation XLS/Latitude, Hawker 800, Learjet 60, Challenger 300 (super-mid) | $1,000 to $2,500 | $3,000 to $6,000 | Super-midsize aircraft sit at the top of this band; more surface area and taller tails add ramp time and equipment. |
| Heavy jetGulfstream G650, Global Express, Falcon 7X, Challenger 650 | $1,500 to $6,000 | $8,000 to $25,000 | Exterior wash typically $1,500-$3,500 but climbs toward $10,000 on the largest commercial-sized cabins; a full bumper-to-tail detail is five figures. |
| HelicopterRobinson R44, Bell 407, Airbus H130, AW139 | $150 to $1,200 | $500 to $5,000 | Spans a small piston R44 up to a twin-turbine medium; blade, boom, and tail-rotor access add hand labor a fixed-wing of similar weight would not. |
Specialty work, priced on its own
Some services scale differently than a wash or a full detail. Bare metal polishing in particular is all hand labor, which is why a fully polished airframe is a five figure job.
Ceramic coating
Light single ~$1,200-$3,000; turboprop and light jet ~$3,000-$7,000; midsize ~$6,000-$9,000; heavy jet approaches or exceeds $10,000. Any paint correction needed first is extra.
Brightwork polishing (spot)
Restoring the polished metal accents to a mirror shine. Single-piston spinners and edges near the low end; a large-cabin jet's brightwork near the top.
Full bare-metal airframe polish
Polished-aluminum airframes (warbirds, DC-3s, bare-metal Mooneys/Cirrus bellies) are all-hand mirror work. Five figures is normal and heavy oxidation pushes it higher; it also has to be redone periodically.
Brightwork / polishing labor
When priced by the hour instead of the job. Aluminum polishing is pure hand labor, which is why the full-airframe numbers get so large.
Interior-only detail
Small piston $400-$900; midsize cabin $900-$1,600; large-cabin/heavy $1,500-$3,000+. Leather conditioning, carpet extraction, and wood veneer care add up fast.
De-ice boot prep and seal
Common add-on for turboprops and jets; protects and extends the rubber boots on the leading edges.
Before you compare quotes
- Aircraft detailing is quoted per tail after a walkaround, not off a fixed menu. Condition (oxidation, brake dust, exhaust soot, bug load) moves the price as much as size does.
- A 'wash' and a 'detail' are different jobs. A maintenance dry wash is the low end of each range; a full correction-clean-and-protect detail is the high end. Do not compare a $300 wash to a $5,000 detail.
- California and the LA area run at the top of national ranges. Van Nuys, Burbank, and Long Beach FBO work carries higher overhead, and coastal salt-air operators often add 20-30% for corrosion work.
- Most exterior work is done as a waterless or dry wash on the ramp or in the hangar, because standing water and runoff are restricted at most airports.
- Recurring wash programs (every 30-60 days) cost far less per visit than a one-time restoration of paint that has been let go.
- Brightwork and bare-metal polishing is the most expensive line by far because it is all hand labor and has to be redone on a schedule. A fully polished airframe is a five-figure job.
- These are 2025-2026 US market ranges. The 2021 published sheets used as a floor run well below current pricing, so lean toward the middle and upper end of each range today.
Ranges compiled from published industry pricing including Circle Air Group (CircleAG) published Aircraft Detailing Pricing Sheet 2021 - real by-class company price list (exterior wash, wash and wax, interior, brightwork), FlightDeckDetail, 'How Much Does Aircraft Detailing Cost in 2026' - exterior wash and interior ranges by class, FlyHangar7 blog - 'Aircraft Detailing Rates: A Complete Price Guide' and 'Aircraft Detailing Pricing: A Complete Guide' (small/medium/large weight-class ranges), DetailXPerts - airplane detailing cost guide, and others. Market data for 2025 to 2026. JJ Detailing Direct quotes every job individually and these figures are not an offer or a guarantee of price.
Answers before you call
If something is not here, (323) 795-3215 reaches Joel directly.
How much does aircraft detailing cost?
It depends on the airframe and its condition, which is why no honest detailer hands you a single number. Size and wing area, how much brightwork there is, belly condition, interior scope, hangar or ramp, turnaround window, and travel all move it. Send the type, the field, and what you want done, and the estimate is free.
Do you publish an aircraft detailing price list?
No, and be careful with anyone who does. A fixed list has to be priced for the worst case airframe in the category, so most owners overpay for work they do not need. Joel quotes per aircraft after you describe it, the field it sits at, and the scope. Free either way, usually same day.
Are aircraft detailing rates hourly or by the airframe?
The work is quoted for the job, not sold by the hour. Hours are what the quote is built from, but you get one number for the scope you agreed to. If something turns up once the panels are wet, a corroded area or a belly worse than described, you hear about it before any extra work happens.
How long does it take to clean a plane?
Depends entirely on the airframe and the scope. A cabin refresh on a piston single is a short job. A full exterior with brightwork on a jet that has not been polished in a year runs overnight, which is exactly why Joel works nights. Tell him your departure time and the schedule gets built backward from it.
Why does private jet detailing cost more than a piston single?
Surface area first. A jet has several times the skin, more vertical surface out of reach from the ground, and a belly that collects more. The cabin is bigger and has more soft goods, more leather, and more trim. Add a hard departure time and the whole job compresses into one night instead of spreading over two days.
Does an overnight or weekend job cost more?
No premium for the timing. Joel is open 24 hours Monday to Saturday and most aircraft work happens at night anyway, because that is when the airframe is on the ground. Sunday is closed. What does affect the quote is distance, since California is a long state and a field five hours out carries travel.
Get a real number for your airframe
Usually answered the same day. Overnight and short notice work available six days a week.
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