Concreter costs: compare & save

Please note that the price information in this article was based on data from 2011 and may now be outdated.

It’s part of almost every construction or renovation job: concreting. It might not be glamorous, but it’s the foundation for much of our homes, so what does it cost?

Concreter square metre rates

Whether it be for a slab, driveway, path or retaining wall, your concreting project will require labour and the use of all the necessary equipment.

What this will cost you, though, is less definite. The complexity of the job needs to be taken into account when getting quotes from tradies. The minimum you will pay is $25 per square metre, but most basic concreting tasks – such as pouring slabs – will be charged a budget rate of around $47.

As projects increase in difficulty, the price will go up; a standard driveway or path will attract an average $55 rate, while a tricky job with limited access or requiring excavation will set you back anywhere between $60 to $90 per square metre.

What are you paying for?

If your mind is boggling trying to do the sums, relax because many concreters prefer to charge by the job. You’ll still have to pay a premium for more intricate work like a stencilled driveway, though.

• Driveway – A driveway will set you back somewhere between $3,700 and $12,000, with an average task falling in the middle at around $6,500.
• Concrete slab – For just a slab, you’re looking at doling out $2,200 for a basic job, and the quotes will rise to $4,350 for an average project and then again to $13,560 for a top-notch assignment.
• Paths, pavings and retaining walls – These structures tend to hover around $5,000 but can be done for as little as $2,800 or stretch to $11,000.

Concreter rates by state
As is the common trend in trade pricing, NSW homeowners are asked to pay a fair bit extra per square metre for concreting, with the average quote in the state being 70% pricier than the national average.

Queenslanders might need to fork out $5 more, while lucky Victorians can expect to see quotes in line with the national average of $50.

Unfortunately, pricing by task offers no relief for NSW as the state pays more for slabs and driveways … but less for retaining walls, so at least that’s something. It’s not pretty, but it’s necessary – just remember the price of concreting varies, so get a number of quotes and watch out for hidden costs, like an extra charge for the hire of a concrete pump.