DUCTZ franchise

2022 filing · April 1, 2022Shares sales figures

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DUCTZ at a glance

An air duct, dryer vent and HVAC cleaning and restoration business for homes and commercial buildings.

The business

Industry: HVAC; Also listed in cleaning and home service
Franchisor: DUCTZ International, LLC; The company that sells the franchises
Parent company: BELFOR Franchise Group; Owns 11 brands here
Franchisor based in: Ann Arbor, Michigan

What you pay

Cost to open: $144K–$240K; A full-service DUCTZ business
Franchise fee: $49,900; For a full-service territory of up to 200,000 households, plus $0.25 for each household above that
Royalty: 10% + minimum; 10% of gross sales, paid weekly, with a minimum royalty if sales fall short of the required minimum
Brand fund: Yes; Up to 1% of gross sales, if a fund is set up
Renewal fee: See terms; 20% of the then current Initial Franchise Fee
Agreement length: 10 years
Franchisor financing: Some financing offered
SBA Franchise Directory: Listed; SBA-backed loans are possible

Where it is

Franchised, 2021: 74; As printed in the filing

Support and records

Shares sales figures: Yes; $443K average per location
Initial training: 50.5 hours; 34.75 hours in class and 15.75 on the job
SBA loans approved: 11; 2012–2026
Lawsuits disclosed: None
Bankruptcy disclosed: None
Franchisor revenue, 2021: $2.35M; The company, not one location
Franchisor net income: $1.08M
Latest filing: Apr 1, 2022; 2022 filing

From DUCTZ International, LLC’s 2022 filing; revenue and net income from its audited financial statements, page 206; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.

Franchisor revenue is the company that sells the franchises (royalties, fees and anything else it earns), not what a location makes.

Estimate your costs Model the payback

Where it ranks

DUCTZ among all franchises with the same figure.

Figure	DUCTZ	Among all franchises
Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate	$191,853	Costs less than 70% of franchises
Franchise feePaid once, when you sign	$49,900	Higher than 69% of franchises
RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor	10%	Higher than 95% of brands with a set rate
Sales per locationYearly, as the brand reports it	$442,578	Lower than 78% of brands that share sales figures
Sales against cost to openYearly sales over the cost midpoint	2.3×	Higher than 69% of brands that share sales figures

How much a DUCTZ franchise costs

Opening a full-service DUCTZ business costs an estimated $143,828 to $239,878. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.

The biggest costs are vehicle with up-fitting ($72,200 to $82,200) and initial franchise fee ($19,960 to $74,900). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:

What it pays for	Low	High
Initial Franchise Fee	$19,960	$74,900
Initial Package Fee	$38,414
Hand tools, miscellaneous supplies	$0	$700
Food and lodging while training, not including the cost of your transportation	$1,200	$3,000
Vehicle with up-fitting	$72,200	$82,200
Full time technician for 3 months	$0	$7,200
Computer System	$0	$1,500
QuickBooks Online	$84	$225
DSL, cable or satellite high speed Internet, anti-virus software and electronic mail	$270	$475
Insurance for the first 3 months	$1,200	$3,500
Business Telephone	$0	$144
NADCA Annual Membership Dues ASCS & VMT Training and Certification	$0	$1,620
Real estate or storage for the first 3 months	$0	$4,500
Marketing	$1,500
Additional funds for the first 3 months	$9,000	$20,000
Total	$143,828	$239,878

Source: DUCTZ International, LLC, 2022 filing, page 27

DUCTZ franchise fee

The franchise fee is $49,900, for a full-service territory of up to 200,000 households, plus $0.25 for each household above that. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.

Source: DUCTZ International, LLC, 2022 filing, page 17

Royalty and ongoing fees

Royalty	10% of gross sales, paid weekly, with a minimum royalty if sales fall short of the required minimum.
Brand or marketing fund	Up to 1% of gross sales, if a fund is set up.
Technology Fee	Our then current fee, which is presently $45 per week
Transfer of Corporation Fee	$500
Renewal Fee	20% of the then current Initial Franchise Fee

The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.

Source: DUCTZ International, LLC, 2022 filing, page 20

Other fees as filed, from pages 21–22. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.

Sales and earnings

Shares figures DUCTZ publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.

Average sales: $442,578
Median sales: $329,976

Yearly figures for 2021, covering single-territory operators open all of 2021 (31 locations). The average is about 2.3 times the midpoint of the cost to open.

Sales are what a location takes in before rent, payroll, royalties and other costs, not what its owner keeps.

Source: DUCTZ International, LLC, 2022 filing, pages 74–75

SBA loans to DUCTZ franchisees

Lenders approved 11 SBA 7(a) loans for DUCTZ franchisees from 2012 to 2026, $2.71M in all. Of the 3 that have ended, 2 were paid in full and 1 was charged off. The other 8 haven’t ended yet.

A charged-off loan is one written off as uncollectible. See SBA franchise loans for how 7(a) and 504 loans work.

Source: SBA 7(a) and 504 loan data, as of September 30, 2026

How DUCTZ compares

Of the 13 HVAC franchises on this site, DUCTZ is the 9th cheapest to open.

Figure	DUCTZ	Typical HVAC brand	Typical franchise
Cost to open, low end	$144K	$140K	$222K
Cost to open, high end	$240K	$272K	$477K
Franchise fee	$50K	$50K	$40K
Royalty	10%	6%	6%
Sales per location	$443K	–	$794K
Shares earnings figures	Yes	10 of 13	2,147 of 3,352

Typical is the median across the 13 brands in hvac franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.

Locations opened and closed

2019

70 (−2)

2020

72 (+2)

2021

74 (+2)

Year	Franchised	Company-owned
2019	70 (−2)	9
2020	72 (+2)	5
2021	74 (+2)	5

Closed or left counts terminations, non-renewals, locations bought back by the franchisor and locations that stopped operating.

These figures don't add up as printed: the 2021 counts come to 77, but the filing shows 79. Worth asking the franchisor.

See which brands grew most in the fastest-growing franchises rankings.

More in the guides: cleaning franchise costs and franchise failure rates.

Source: DUCTZ International, LLC, 2022 filing, page 77

Source filing (2022, PDF)

Where DUCTZ locations are

At the end of 2021, DUCTZ had locations in 24 states. The most are in Florida, Michigan and Louisiana.

Florida12
Michigan8
Louisiana6
North Carolina6
Iowa5
Illinois4

State	Franchised	Company-owned	Total
Florida	12	0	12
Michigan	3	5	8
Louisiana	6	0	6
North Carolina	6	0	6
Iowa	5	0	5
Illinois	4	0	4
Ohio	4	0	4
Tennessee	4	0	4
New Jersey	3	0	3
New York	3	0	3

All 24 states

South Carolina	3
Texas	3
Arizona	2
British Columbia	2
Maryland	2
Minnesota	2
Missouri	2
Virginia	2
Alabama	1
Georgia	1
Indiana	1
Mississippi	1
New Hampshire	1
Oregon	1

Source: DUCTZ International, LLC, 2022 filing, page 78

Who owns DUCTZ?

DUCTZ franchises are sold by DUCTZ International, LLC. It is a subsidiary of BELFOR Franchise Group, LLC.

DUCTZ is one of the 11 BELFOR Franchise Group brands here.

From DUCTZ International, LLC’s 2022 filing, page 9.

Lawsuits and bankruptcy

Lawsuits and regulatory actions	None. The filing says no litigation has to be disclosed.
Bankruptcy	None. The filing says no bankruptcy has to be disclosed.

Franchisors must disclose lawsuits and bankruptcies involving the company, its parents and affiliates, and its executives. Many cases are routine disputes with franchisees over fees or contracts; read the descriptions in the filing and ask current owners about anything that worries you.

Source: DUCTZ International, LLC, 2022 filing, litigation on page 16, bankruptcy on page 16