# Insurance for carpenters and timber frame builders in Germany

> A carpentry firm has two workplaces, each with its own dangers: the joinery hall full of wood dust and expensive machines, and the site where a roof structure hangs from the crane. One spark in the hall or one undersized beam, and six-figure sums are at stake. This page explains what your firm should insure and what it costs.

Quelle/Source: https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-carpenter.php  
Updated: 2026-09-18

## Will the insurer pay if a roof structure starts to sag years later?

Putting right the defective roof structure is a warranty matter and not insured. But if it causes consequential damage, such as cracked walls, a leaking roof and wet rooms, your public liability policy pays for that damage. If you made a calculation error in the sizing that only costs money, you need cover for pure financial loss or design work.

## At a glance

- **Compulsory:** No statutory insurance duty for the business itself; motor liability for vehicles and registered cranes, and proof of liability cover is needed for almost every building contract
- **Biggest risk:** Fire in the joinery hall and damage while erecting roof structures and timber buildings
- **Basic cover from:** about €260 a year for public liability with €50,000 turnover
- **Statutory accident insurer:** BG BAU, the Berufsgenossenschaft for the construction industry; membership is compulsory from your first employee
- **Often forgotten:** After a machinery breakdown the CNC joinery machine can be out for weeks while orders wait

## What goes wrong in this trade

- **Fire in the hall:** Wood dust, shavings, extraction system and drying kiln: carpentry firms carry a high fire load. A fire destroys the hall, the machines and the timber for the next jobs.
- **Lifting with the crane:** A truss slips out of the lifting chain and hits the neighbouring house or a car. Damage during erection and lifting is frequent and costly.
- **Structural mistakes:** Undersized beams or poorly made joints only show under snow load. The consequential damage then affects the whole building.
- **Machinery breakdown:** When the CNC joinery machine fails, the whole business stalls. Repairs and downtime can easily cost more than a year's profit.
- **Falls:** Working on rafters and purlins without a solid surface underneath: carpenters carry one of the highest accident risks in construction.
- **Wood preservatives and chemicals:** Wood preservatives can contaminate soil and groundwater. Basic policies cover environmental damage only sparingly.

**Risk radar** (Compared with other trades, 1 low to 5 high.): Liability 5, Fire and water 4, Theft 3, Cyber 2, Downtime 4, Health 5

## The insurance you need

- **Business liability** (Essential): Pays for injury and property damage during erection, crane work and from faulty timber structures, including environmental risks from wood preservatives. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-liability.php
- **Business contents** (Essential): A hall full of timber and machines: without fire and burglary cover for equipment and stock, a fire means the end of the firm. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-contents.php
- **Machinery breakdown** (Strongly advised): Machinery insurance pays for repairing or replacing the joinery machine, planer and crane after operating errors, short circuits or material defects. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-machinery-breakdown.php
- **Business interruption** (Strongly advised): Business interruption cover pays wages and lost profit while the hall stands still after a fire or machinery breakdown. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-interruption.php
- **Commercial buildings** (Strongly advised): If you own the joinery hall, it needs its own buildings insurance against fire, storm and hail. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-commercial-buildings.php
- **Contractors all risks** (Strongly advised): Contract works insurance protects the timber building you have erected and not yet handed over against storm, arson and theft. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-contractors-all-risks.php
- **Occupational disability** (Strongly advised): Backs, knees and the fall risk make income protection particularly important for carpenters. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-occupational-disability.php
- **Fleet insurance** (Depends on the business): Lorries, flatbed trucks and trailers can be bundled in one fleet policy. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-fleet-insurance.php

## What it costs: example prices

Liability for a carpentry firm rises sharply with turnover. If you have your own hall, fire cover comes on top, and it costs more than in other trades because of the wood dust hazard.

| Insurance | Example | Typical range |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Business liability | €50,000 turnover, €3 to €5 million cover, €250 excess | about €260 to €500 a year |
| Business liability | €200,000 turnover, €3 to €5 million cover | about €460 to €820 a year |
| Business liability | €500,000 turnover, €3 to €5 million cover | about €1,000 to €1,850 a year |
| Business contents | Machines, timber stock and tools worth €250,000 | about €1,000 to €2,500 a year |
| Machinery breakdown | CNC joinery machine and planer worth €300,000 | about €1,200 to €3,000 a year |

For comparison: Liability insurance for a carpentry firm with €200,000 turnover costs about as much per year as one cubic metre of structural solid timber.

_Guide prices excluding German insurance premium tax, as of September 2026. The liability examples come from published tariff comparisons; contents and machinery are guide values from our quoting practice and depend heavily on fire protection and how the hall is built. We obtain the exact quote for you._

- [betriebshaftpflicht24.de: Betriebshaftpflicht Zimmerei](https://www.betriebshaftpflicht24.de/betriebshaftpflicht-zimmerei.html)

## Our suggestions: three packages

- **Start** (carpenter without own hall, erecting at the customer's site): Business liability, Business contents, Occupational disability. Together: about €500 to €1,200 a year without income protection
- **Carpentry** (firm with a rented joinery hall and three to ten employees): Business liability, Business contents, Machinery breakdown, Business interruption. Together: about €2,500 to €6,000 a year
- **Timber construction** (timber building company with its own hall, CNC joinery machine and house building): Business liability, Business contents, Commercial buildings, Machinery breakdown, Business interruption, Contractors all risks, Fleet insurance. Together: about €7,000 to €18,000 a year

## The worst day in the carpentry firm

Six claims as they really happen in carpentry firms, all on a single Friday. Go through the day and see who pays.

- 07:10: The control unit of the CNC joinery machine fails after a short circuit. Spare parts will take two weeks. (€26,000, Paid by: Machinery breakdown)
- 09:30: A truss swings on the crane and rips off the gutter and a window of the neighbouring house. (€7,200, Paid by: Business liability)
- 11:45: While bonding the vapour barrier, a box of cartridges falls onto the client's new stone floor. (€2,900, Paid by: Business liability)
- 14:20: The newly erected timber frame building is damaged in a storm before handover. (€34,000, Paid by: Contractors all risks)
- 16:50: A customer reports cracked plaster and a leaking roof because last year's purlin was too weak. (€45,000, Paid by: Business liability)
- 23:10: Wood dust ignites in the extraction system. The hall burns out; machines and timber stock are lost. (€420,000, Paid by: Business contents)

**Damage so far:** €535,100

## Practical tips from your broker

- Choose at least €5 million combined cover for injury and property damage; for timber house building rather €10 million.
- Have damage during loading, unloading and crane lifting expressly included, also to the customer's parts being lifted.
- Insure machines and stock at new value and adjust the sum every year to timber prices.
- Check whether design and structural calculations your firm does itself are covered as pure financial loss.
- Think of business interruption: after a hall fire, rebuilding often takes more than a year.
- Clarify the insurer's requirements for extraction, spark detection and extinguishers; they lower the premium and secure the payout.

## Why NAMMERT for your business

- **We compare the whole business:** For carpentry firms, hall, machines and liability are closely linked. We obtain quotes from several insurers and look at the sums insured, not just the price.
- **We know timber and claims:** Many of the boats we insure, and whose claims we settle ourselves, are built of wood. We know how surveyors argue about moisture and construction.
- **Business and family together:** Hall insurance, vehicles, income protection and your employees' pensions are handled by one contact person.
- **No fee for you:** Our remuneration is paid by the insurer. You get advice and comparison from a family business that has existed since 1989.

## FAQ

### What insurance does a carpentry firm need?

Essential are public liability and fire cover for the hall, machines and timber stock. If you run a CNC joinery machine, add machinery and business interruption insurance.

### How much does liability insurance cost for carpenters?

Published tariff examples range from about €260 to €500 a year at €50,000 turnover and from about €1,000 to €1,850 at €500,000 turnover.

### Why is fire insurance more expensive for carpentry firms?

Wood dust and shavings burn easily, and extraction systems can ignite. Insurers therefore put woodworking into higher hazard classes. Good extraction and spark detection lower the premium.

### Is the crane covered by public liability?

For damage to third parties caused by lifting, usually yes. A registered mobile crane needs its own motor liability policy, and damage to the crane itself is only covered by machinery insurance.

### Who pays if the building shell is damaged by a storm before handover?

Until handover the risk is often yours. Contract works insurance pays for the repair; liability insurance does not cover it.

### Am I as the owner insured with BG BAU?

Only if you insure yourself voluntarily with this statutory accident insurer. Many master carpenters do, because they work on the roof themselves. Personal accident insurance helps as an alternative or in addition.

## Request quotes

We obtain quotes and come back with a comparison. Free of charge and without obligation: the insurer pays our commission. You can write in English. https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-carpenter.php#anfrage

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NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH, insurance broker licensed under section 34d(1) of the German Trade Regulation Act, broker register no. D-C08Q-TOSD4-37. For boat and yacht insurance we act as underwriting agency, not as broker.

NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH, Karl-Marx-Straße 4, 15711 Königs Wusterhausen, +49 3375 29 12 77, info@nammert.com. Wikidata: Q141141479.