Free construction rate guide

How much does it cost to build?

Indicative rates for common construction activities. Use as a reference guide for budgeting, checking tenders, or early-stage estimates.

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Civil engineering

Granular sub-base, laid & compacted

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Buildings

Blockwork, supply & lay

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Civil engineering rates

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Granular sub-base

per m³ laid & compacted

£79 – £182 / m³

What is it

A granular sub-base is a compacted layer of crushed aggregate installed beneath paving, concrete slabs or tarmac. In the UK, the most common sub-base material is Type 1.

The biggest cost driver is the type of aggregate used:

Recycled aggregate — crushed concrete graded to Type 1; the cheapest option
Virgin aggregate — quarried limestone or granite; the standard specification

Rate range by material type

Recycled aggregate (crushed concrete)£79 – £143 / m³

Virgin aggregate (limestone / granite)£108 – £182 / m³

Main-contractor budget rate per m³ of Type 1 placed and compacted.

3 key cost drivers

Material grade

The aggregate is most of the cost, so the type you choose affects the price more than anything else. Recycled crushed concrete is the cheapest; virgin limestone or granite costs more.

Delivery & placement

How the material reaches the working face drives the labour and plant. Tipping straight onto the works area is fastest; distributing by dumper or hand-laying in tight spots is slower and dearer.

Location

London and the South East typically add around 5–10%. The rate is mostly material, and material prices vary less by region than labour, so the location premium is modest.

Estimator

Budget rate generator — choose the material grade and how it is placed

Material type

Delivery & placement method

£119 – £155 / m³

The rate covers the Type 1, the laying gang, and overhead & profit.

Exclusions

Excavation to formation level and sub-grade compaction
Compaction testing — CBR, plate-load or nuclear-density-gauge
Bulk-bag or part-load material — orders under ~10 m³ cost more per tonne than the full-load bulk rate used here
Preliminaries — main-contractor site set-up, management and welfare
VAT

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Buildings rates

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Blockwork

per m² supply & lay

£56 – £188 / m²

What is it

Blockwork is the building of walls from precast concrete blocks bedded in mortar. This guide gives a budget rate for supplying and laying one m² of single-skin wall. A key cost driver is the block thickness. Here are the three common blocks and where they’re used:

100mm lightweight — partition and inner-leaf blocks, cheap and quick to lay
140mm standard — medium-dense for load-bearing walls
215mm dense — heavy blocks for solid, load-bearing and party walls

Rate range by block type

100mm lightweight£56 – £101 / m²

140mm standard load-bearing£72 – £129 / m²

215mm dense£109 – £188 / m²

Budget rate per m² of single-skin wall, supply and lay

3 key cost drivers

Block type

Dense, thicker blocks cost more each and lay slower; lightweight, thinner blocks are cheaper and quicker to lay.

Wall complexity

A straight wall with no openings lays fastest. Openings, chases and a fair-faced finish add setting-out, cutting and extra care that slow the gang.

Location

London and South East typically add 15–25% to labour and supervision. Not included in stated figures.