Type 1 Sub-base: Virgin Aggregate – cost per m³ – 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.

Virgin Type 1 sub-base

per m³ · supply & lay

£80 – £162 / m³

What is it

The supply and laying of imported MOT Type 1 granular sub-base, spread in layers and compacted to form the load-bearing base beneath roads, hardstandings, slabs and pavings, priced per m³ of compacted material in place. Virgin Type 1 is crushed straight from quarried rock rather than from recycled demolition arisings, giving a clean, well-graded stone that compacts predictably to a stable platform. Material supply sets the delivered stone price, which is the bulk of the rate, and comes in three bands:

Near source — a local quarry on a short haul.
Standard — a typical regional haul.
Long haul — a remote source beyond about 30 miles.

Rate range by material supply

Near source£80 – £120 / m³

Standard haul£92 – £135 / m³

Long haul£112 – £162 / m³

Budget rate per m³.

3 key cost drivers

Material supply & haul

The delivered stone is around 85% of the cost, so the quarry source and haul distance are the top driver. A long haul adds materially to the delivered price per tonne.

Laying context

Standard machine-laid areas run fast; working around services, to tight levels or by hand slows the gang and adds over-supply, raising the rate per m³.

Location

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

Estimator

Budget rate generator

Material supply

Laying context

£92 – £118 / m³

Covers imported MOT Type 1, the laying gang with its excavator & roller, and O&P · excl. prelims & VAT

Exclusions

Lifting & material distribution — the site dumper and any forward-haul plant (an attendance, in main-contractor prelims)
Excavation, formation preparation & capping layer
Geotextile / separation membrane, kerbs & edgings
Surfacing — bitmac, block paving or slabs
Disposal of surplus or unsuitable material
VAT