150 mm PVC-u Drainage Run: Lay in Trench – cost per m – UK 2026 Rate Guide

Budget rate for supply & lay · typical budget rate before your adjustments

Labour, plant, materials, outputs and waste — yours to edit, as an Excel. Three free.

Rates are UK national (non-London): central London and constrained urban sites typically run dearer — adjust the labour, plant and access lines in the build-up accordingly.

150 mm PVC-u drainage run

per m · supply & lay

£39 – £74 / m

What is it

The supply and laying of a 150 mm nominal (160 mm OD) PVC-u underground drainage run in a prepared trench, on a granular bed with granular surround, jointed and tested, priced per linear metre of pipe run. Trench excavation and disposal of arisings are measured and priced separately (the NRM2 convention) — this rate is the pipe, its bed and its surround. The composite carries two operations:

Lay & joint — 160 mm OD PVC-u pipe laid to line and gradient in the trench, socket-jointed and air / water tested as the run proceeds.
Bed & surround — a 10 mm single-size granular bed and surround placed to 100 mm cover over the pipe and compacted, with the granular envelope backfilled (Class B/S, BS EN 1610 / Approved Doc H).

Rate range

Low£39 – £51 / m

Typical£46 – £59 / m

High£57 – £74 / m

Budget rate per m³.

3 key cost drivers

Pipe diameter & bedding

This rate is a 150 mm (160 mm OD) run on a Class B/S granular bed and surround. The larger 160 mm pipe and its bigger granular envelope make bought-in material the majority of the rate; a deeper invert or a full concrete surround add more still, lifting the rate per metre.

Run continuity

A long, straight, continuous run lays fastest; short runs, many junctions and bends, and connections into chambers slow the gang and lift the rate per metre.

Supply & quantity

Merchant prices for the bought-in materials move with supplier, account and load size, and the published band already spans that range. Rates are UK non-London; London & the South East typically run dearer — adjust the build-up.

Estimator

Budget rate generator

£46 – £59 / m

Covers the PVC-u pipe, granular bed & surround, the laying gang with its excavator & compactor, and O&P · excl. trench excavation, chambers, prelims & VAT

Exclusions

Trench excavation & disposal of arisings — measured and priced separately (the trench-excavation rate, at the drain-trench volume per metre)
Manholes, inspection chambers, gullies, fittings & connections into existing drainage
CCTV survey & testing beyond a standard air / water test
Dewatering, rock excavation & trafficked-slab cover
Backfill above the granular surround, imported fill & reinstatement
VAT