Independent Framed Wall Lining – cost per m² – 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.

Independent framed lining

per m² · supply & lay

£59 – £122 / m²

What is it

The construction of an INDEPENDENT (freestanding) dry lining to an existing wall on a light-gauge galvanised metal frame stood OFF the wall — 70 mm ‘C’ studs at 600 mm centres in ‘U’ head & floor tracks, tied back to the wall — with a 25 mm mineral-wool quilt in the frame cavity, 12.5 mm tapered-edge plasterboard screw-fixed to the ONE (room) face and a 2–3 mm multi-finish skim to that face, priced per m² of lining. An independent lining is used where the wall behind is damp, uneven or out of plumb and a dot-and-dab will not adhere, or where a ventilated cavity or a thermal / acoustic upgrade is wanted — the frame stands the new face clear of the wall. It differs from a dabbed lining (stuck to the wall) and from a metal-stud partition (a freestanding wall with two boarded faces). The rate carries four operations by one drylining gang:

Frame — ‘U’ tracks fixed to floor & soffit and ‘C’ studs at 600 mm centres set off the wall & tied back, plumbed & sealed.
Insulate — a 25 mm mineral-wool quilt friction-fitted into the frame cavity.
Board — 12.5 mm tapered-edge plasterboard screw-fixed to the ONE (room) face, cut around openings with scrim tape & edge / angle beads.
Skim — a 2–3 mm multi-finish skim trowelled to that face, ready for decoration.

Rate range

Low£59 – £75 / m²

Standard£74 – £95 / m²

High£95 – £122 / m²

Budget rate per m².

3 key cost drivers

Lining spec & finish

This rate prices a STANDARD lining — a 70 mm ‘C’-stud frame off the wall, a 25 mm mineral-wool quilt and a single 12.5 mm board & 2–3 mm skim to one face. A deeper frame (for a bigger service void or a thicker quilt), a thermal-grade quilt to a target U-value, a moisture / fire (Type X) board, a double board layer or a timber-batten frame all fix slower and cost more per m². Because a lining is a sublet drylining item, the metal, board & quilt carry the full fee-on-fee mark-up.

Wall condition, height & access

The rate assumes a nominal 2.4 m storey height at normal working level on a reasonably sound wall. A tall lining (>2.7 m), many openings / reveals, a very uneven or damp wall needing extra packing & ties, or working at height / over congested services slows the gang and lifts the rate per m²; a long, open, full-height run boards fast and costs less. Substrate / damp-proofing repairs to the wall behind are a separate item.

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

£74 – £95 / m²

Covers the independent metal frame & tracks, mineral-wool quilt, plasterboard & 2–3 mm skim to ONE face, the drylining gang & O&P · excl. the wall behind, substrate/damp repairs, decoration & spec upgrades · excl. prelims & VAT

Exclusions

Lifting & material distribution — telehandler / forklift, hoist and site-distribution labour (an attendance, in main-contractor prelims)
The existing wall the lining is fixed to, and substrate / damp-proofing repairs to it (a separate item); the dabbed lining to a sound wall (the plasterboard-&-skim or insulated-laminate dab rate) and the two-faced metal-stud partition are priced separately
Doorsets, frames, ironmongery, glazed screens, and structural support to openings
Spec upgrades — a deeper frame / bigger service void, a thermal-grade or thicker quilt, a double board layer, fire-rated (Type X) or moisture board, and a timber-batten frame (dearer per m²)
Decoration (mist coat & paint), skirtings & second-fix, service first-fix within the lining, scaffold, prelims & VAT
Scaffold supply (usually in preliminaries)
Preliminaries — main-contractor site set-up, management & welfare
VAT