Pricing · Concreters · Tradies
What Should a Concreter Charge Per Hour in Australia? (2026)
Executive Summary
Key takeaways: what you'll get from this guide
- Why concreters charge $60 to $90 per hour for labour but quote complete pours per square metre ($60 to $150+/m2)
- Real 2026 m2 pricing breakdowns for plain grey, coloured, and exposed aggregate concrete
- The hidden job costs your rate must absorb: concrete batching ($250 to $350/m3), pump hire ($400 to $900 call-out), and reinforcing steel
- Why the Modern Award wage floor ($29.45/hr) does not cover the severe weather and curing risks of a concrete pour
- Licensing thresholds across NSW ($5,000), Queensland ($3,300), and Victoria, plus the $75,000 GST rule
Ask an Australian concreter for an hourly rate and they will likely give you a puzzled look before asking for the square metres, the thickness, and the finish. A concreter's hourly rate is the fee a concreting business charges for preparatory earthworks, screeding labour, or remedial saw-cutting, but full slabs and driveways are almost universally priced per square metre. Before setting your pricing, make sure local homeowners can find you when they need a driveway or patio poured: a free Google listing audit shows where your business ranks in Maps search. This guide breaks down what concreters charge across Australia in 2026 and how to price jobs so weather, plant hire, and supplier price rises do not eat your profit.
Quote concrete solely on an estimated hourly rate and one hot afternoon or delayed agitator truck can wipe out your margin for the entire week. Let's look at the actual industry numbers first.
What Do Concreters Actually Charge in Australia?
A few numbers worth knowing before you quote your next pour:
When billing by the hour for labour-only assistance, site preparation, or repair work, Australian concreters charge between $60 and $90 per hour in 2026, with metro Sydney and Melbourne at the upper end of that range 2.
For complete supply-and-lay projects such as driveways, house slabs, and outdoor entertaining areas, Australian concreters price per square metre ($60 to $150+ per m2), because labour represents only one piece of a complex material and plant formula 4.
Square metre rates vary substantially depending on access, ground preparation, slab thickness (typically 100mm for driveways, 75mm to 85mm for footpaths, 100mm to 150mm for engineered slabs), and surface finish 4:
| Concrete finish | Typical cost per m2 (supply & lay) | Common applications |
|---|---|---|
| Plain grey concrete | $60 to $85/m2 | Shed slabs, footpaths, utility areas |
| Coloured concrete (integral / tinted) | $75 to $105/m2 | Standard driveways, patios |
| Exposed aggregate | $100 to $150+/m2 | Premium driveways, pool surrounds |
| Stencilled or stamped concrete | $110 to $160+/m2 | Decorative patios, feature paths |
| Honed or polished concrete (outdoor) | $130 to $190+/m2 | Alfresco dining areas, contemporary homes |
City by city, prices fluctuate with the cost of raw materials and local aggregate quarries. In 2026, average supply-and-pour driveway rates compare as follows:
| City | Plain grey (per m2) | Exposed aggregate (per m2) |
|---|---|---|
| Sydney | $75 to $95/m2 | $115 to $165+/m2 |
| Melbourne | $70 to $90/m2 | $110 to $155+/m2 |
| Brisbane & Gold Coast | $65 to $85/m2 | $100 to $145+/m2 |
| Perth | $65 to $85/m2 | $105 to $150+/m2 |
| Adelaide | $60 to $80/m2 | $95 to $140+/m2 |
| Hobart | $70 to $90/m2 | $110 to $150+/m2 |
Sydney and Melbourne sit highest because disposal tipping fees, tight suburban access, and concrete plant haulage rates are higher than in regional centres.
Is the Award Wage What a Concreter Should Charge?
No. Equating the Modern Award wage with what your concreting business charges is a guaranteed recipe for financial distress.
Concreting on building sites falls under the Building and Construction General On-site Award (MA000020). A qualified trade finisher sits at Level 3 (CW/ECW 3), with a base rate of $1,119.10 per week, or $29.45 per hour, effective 1 July 2026 3. Entry-level concrete labourers on Level 1 earn $26.67 per hour, while casual workers receive a 25% loading.
That $29.45 hourly wage is an employee minimum. It assumes the worker turns up, completes their shift, and goes home with zero business overheads, zero plant repayments, and zero liability if the slab cracks.
When you run a concreting business, an employee on $29.45 per hour costs you closer to $48 to $54 per hour once you factor in superannuation (11.5% in 2024-2026), compulsory workers compensation insurance, portable long service leave, and holiday pay. If you charge clients $50 an hour for your time, you are running an expensive enterprise for below-award take-home pay.
Action: Strip the employee award rate from your quotes. Your charge-out rate must price the physical risk, plant machinery, and overheads of running a licensed concreting crew.
What Goes Into a Real Concreting Price?
Concreting carries higher direct material and plant costs than almost any other trade. Before you quote a square metre rate, every project budget must cover these components:
- Ready-mix concrete. Standard 25 MPa to 32 MPa concrete costs between $250 and $350 per cubic metre delivered to site. Minimum load fees apply if you order under 3m3.
- Concrete pump hire. When a truck cannot back right up to the formwork, you need a line pump or boom pump. Concrete pump hire typically costs $400 to $900 for the minimum call-out, plus a per-cubic-metre pumping fee and travel rate.
- Reinforcement and steel mesh. Trench mesh, SL72 or SL82 reinforcing sheets, bar chairs (spacers) to ensure 40mm to 50mm cover, and expansion joint foam.
- Base preparation and gravel. 75mm to 100mm of compacted roadbase (DGB20) or crushed rock. Skipping proper sub-base compaction causes slab sinking and cracking.
- Excavation and soil disposal. Dingo or bobcat hire, tipper truck hire, and clean-fill tipping fees. Disposing of heavy clay or contaminated soil can run into thousands of dollars.
- Formwork timber and boxing pegs. LVL or pine boxing, stakes, and release oil. Formwork wears out after multiple uses and must be replaced.
- Sealer, retarder, and acid wash. For exposed aggregate, surface retarder, pressure washer equipment, and two coats of solvent-based acrylic sealer.
- Expansion saw cutting. Concrete cutting blades and equipment within 24 hours of pouring to control shrinkage cracks.
- Weather and spoilage risk. Once the batch plant drops concrete into the barrel, you have approximately 90 minutes to discharge and place it. If rain hits mid-pour or high winds cause rapid surface drying, rectification costs fall squarely on you.
Action: Never quote square metre rates without checking pump access. Needing 60 metres of line pump across two neighbouring properties will destroy the margin on a standard driveway quote if you did not price it in.
Should You Charge by the Hour or by the Square Metre?
Concreting work requires different pricing structures depending on the scope:
- Quote by the square metre: Always use per-m2 pricing for driveways, house slabs, garage floors, pathways, and patios. This allows you to bundle concrete batch volume, reinforcement, excavation, pump hire, and your profit into a clean, easy-to-understand figure for the client.
- Charge by the hour: Use hourly rates ($60 to $90 per man-hour) for unpredictable scope: hand excavation around tree roots, repairing damaged formwork, pressure cleaning and resealing old concrete, or sub-contracting labour to a head builder on their materials.
Always Add a Material Waste Buffer
Concrete volume in the ground never matches the paper drawing. Uneven ground, bowed formwork, and edge thickenings mean you should always add an 8% to 10% volume allowance on standard slabs, and up to 15% on uneven ground. Ordering "short" by half a cubic metre means ordering an emergency mini-mix batch with a punitive small-load surcharge while your pour begins to set.
Action: Standardise your formula: calculate concrete volume (length x width x depth), add 10% for ground variance, and ensure your quote clearly defines who pays for unexpected rock excavation.
Licensing Thresholds and Statutory Regulations
States take concrete and structural slabs seriously because foundation failures cause catastrophic building defects:
In New South Wales, structural concreting or any residential trade work valued at more than $5,000 in labour and materials requires a contractor licence from NSW Fair Trading 6. Work over $20,000 on residential buildings requires Home Building Compensation Fund (HBCF) cover.
In Queensland, the Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC) requires a Concreting contractor licence for all building work exceeding $3,300 in value. Performing unlicensed concreting above this threshold carries severe statutory fines.
In Victoria, structural footings and slabs for domestic buildings must be completed or supervised by a registered domestic builder.
The $75,000 GST Threshold
Because concrete batches, steel, and plant hire generate large cash outlays, a concreting business quickly surpasses the ATO's $75,000 annual turnover threshold 1. Once registered, you must collect 10% GST on all invoices and remit it on your Business Activity Statement (BAS). Never view the GST in your bank account as working capital: it belongs to the ATO.
Action: If your business is near $75,000 turnover, register for GST immediately and clearly label your quotes as GST-inclusive.
Your Rate Only Works If You Control Your Lead Pipeline
Setting profitable square metre rates means nothing if you spend half your week buying low-quality shared leads on aggregator platforms, only to compete against uninsured operators who undercut on price by leaving out reinforcing steel or sub-base gravel.
We have analysed the true costs and conversion rates of shared directory leads in our teardown of whether hipages is worth it for concreters.
The concreters who hold their pricing and secure high-margin exposed aggregate and house slab work generate direct enquiries. When homeowners and commercial builders search Google for local concreters, a high-converting website showcasing crisp, high-resolution photography of finished pours positions your business as the premium contractor in your district.
What a concreter website costs
- Core Multi-Page$1,999
core site, About, Reviews, Contact + a page per service
- Max Multi-Page$2,999
everything in Core + 10 local suburb pages
- Pro Multi-Page$6,498
everything in Max + 10 more suburb pages, GBP optimisation and 30 directory listings
Maintenance: from $50/month after your build.
A 20-minute call and a plan for more leads. No sales pitch.
Want Someone to Check How You Show Up?
Made 4 Tradies offers a free, no-obligation digital audit for Australian concreting businesses. Before bidding your next project, see how visible your business is to local clients:
- Free website audit: Page speed, mobile conversion structure, local search visibility, and portfolio presentation.
- Free Google listing audit: Google Maps rankings, review count, project photos, and local search performance. PDF delivered in 24 hours.
No pushy sales reps, no spam. Just a clear evaluation of where you are missing out on profitable concreting jobs in your service area.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average hourly rate for a concreter in Australia?
In 2026, Australian concreters charge between $60 and $90 per hour for labour-only work, site preparation, and repairs. However, complete driveway and slab projects are priced per square metre, typically ranging from $60 to $150+ per m2 depending on the finish and site access.
How much does concrete cost per square metre in Australia?
Supply and pour rates for concrete range from $60 to $85 per m2 for plain grey concrete, $75 to $105 per m2 for coloured concrete, and $100 to $150+ per m2 for premium exposed aggregate. Decorative stamped, stencilled, or honed finishes can reach $120 to $190 per m2.
Why do concreters rarely quote jobs by the hour?
Concreting involves heavy fixed material and plant costs: ready-mix concrete ($250-$350/m3), pump hire ($400-$900), reinforcing steel mesh, roadbase, and machinery hire. Quoting by the square metre allows the contractor to account for ground depth, reinforcement specifications, and pump requirements accurately.
What is the difference between an award wage and a concreter's charge-out rate?
Under the Building and Construction General On-site Award (MA000020), a qualified concreter receives a base wage of $29.45 per hour. A business charge-out rate of $60 to $90+ per hour covers workers compensation, superannuation, vehicle costs, diamond blades, formwork wear, unbilled quoting hours, weather downtime, and company profit.
Do I need a licence to do concreting in NSW and Queensland?
Yes. In NSW, a contractor licence from NSW Fair Trading is legally required for concreting work exceeding $5,000 in labour and materials. In Queensland, a QBCC licence is mandatory for any building work, including concreting, valued at more than $3,300.
How much extra concrete should I order to prevent running short?
You should always order 8% to 10% more concrete than your exact cubic calculation to account for ground variations, trench depressions, and formwork movement. Running short by even a quarter of a cubic metre requires an expensive mini-mix emergency order while the main slab begins to set.
When does a concreting business need to register for GST?
A concreting business must register for GST with the ATO within 21 days of turnover reaching or being projected to reach $75,000 in a 12-month period. Because concrete and steel purchases involve significant cash flows, most concreters reach this threshold rapidly.
References:
- [1] business.gov.au, Register for goods and services tax (GST) ($75,000 turnover threshold and reporting rules)
- [2] ServiceSeeking, Concreting Prices in Australia: 2026 Cost Guide for Homeowners ($60 to $90/hr labour rates, square metre benchmarks)
- [3] Fair Work Commission, Building and Construction General On-site Award 2020 (MA000020): Schedule A Level 3 (CW/ECW 3) standard rate $1,119.10 per week and $29.45 per hour, effective 1 July 2026
- [4] What's The Damage, Concreting Cost Australia (driveway and slab square metre costs across capital cities)
- [5] Housing Industry Association (HIA), Slab and Footing Specifications (AS 2870 residential slabs and footings standards)
- [6] NSW Government, General concreting work (licensing threshold for residential building work over $5,000)
Rates and thresholds in this guide were checked in September 2026 against current Australian construction industry data and state regulatory guidelines. Material prices and pump hire fees vary by region and batch supplier, so treat this as an operational guide, not formal financial advice, and confirm local rates before quoting.
Published by Made 4 Tradies, built by online experts who understand tradies. Serving Sydney, the Central Coast, Newcastle, and the Hunter.
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