Timber First-Fix Floor Joists – 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.

Timber first-fix — floor joists

per m² · supply & lay

£38 – £75 / m²

What is it

The supply and fixing of a first-fix timber floor structure — C24 softwood floor joists set out, hung and fixed to gauge with mid-span strutting/blocking, joist hangers, lateral restraint straps and fixings — priced per m² of floor area. C24 solid joists at ~400 mm centres are the mainstream UK budget timber floor carcass. This rate prices the STRUCTURE only — the floor decking (chipboard/ply/T&G), the insulation between joists and any second-fix carpentry are separate rates. The rate carries three operations:

Set out & hang — C24 joists (47 × 195 mm at ~400 mm centres) loaded out, set out to gauge and hung on hangers or seated on wall plates.
Strut & brace — a mid-span row of herringbone or solid strutting/blocking cut & fixed, and lateral restraint straps fixed to the surrounding walls.
Fix off — the whole carcass nailed/screwed off to a level, braced floor ready to receive its decking.

Rate range

Low£38 – £49 / m²

Typical£46 – £59 / m²

High£59 – £75 / m²

Budget rate per m².

3 key cost drivers

Floor complexity & access

A simple rectangular floor with clear access hangs fastest; many openings, trimmers, stairwells, steel bearings or restricted access add cutting and fixing time. It is a key driver of the labour per m².

Member type

Solid C24 softwood joists at ~400 mm centres are the priced default. Engineered I-joists, metal-web posi-joists and deeper/closer sections for longer spans are different members at different material cost and output — priced separately. It is a key driver of both material cost and speed.

Location

London and the South East typically add around 20% to labour.

Estimator

Budget rate generator

£46 – £59 / m²

Covers the C24 joists, hangers, strutting, restraint straps, fixings, the carpentry gang and O&P · excl. decking, insulation, bearings & steel beams, structural design, scaffold & VAT

Exclusions

Lifting & material distribution — telehandler / forklift, hoist and site-distribution labour (an attendance, in main-contractor prelims)
The floor decking / boarding (chipboard, ply or T&G) and insulation between joists
Masonry / steel bearings & structural steel beams, structural design, and access / scaffold
Scaffold supply (usually in preliminaries)
Preliminaries — main-contractor site set-up, management & welfare
VAT