How Much Does Concrete Cost?2024 Price Guide
A complete breakdown of concrete prices for every type of residential project. Covers ready-mix delivery, bagged concrete, labour costs, and the factors that affect what you will pay.
Quick Answer
Ready-mix concrete costs £80–£120 per cubic metre delivered in 2024, with most homeowners paying £90–£110 per cubic metre for standard C25/30 residential concrete. Total installed cost (including labour, formwork, and finishing) ranges from £60–£140 per square metre for flatwork like driveways, patios, and paths. Bagged concrete (Blue Circle, Postcrete) costs £4–£6 per 25 kg bag, which works out to about £330–£500 per cubic metre for the material alone.
Concrete Cost by Project Type
What you will pay for concrete depends heavily on the type and size of project. Here are typical 2024 costs for common residential concrete projects, including material and professional installation:
| Project | Typical Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Driveway (double, 6×6 m) | £3,000–£6,000 | 3.6+ cubic metres. Plain finish. Pattern imprinted adds 30–50%. |
| Patio (4×5 m) | £2,000–£4,000 | 2+ cubic metres. Brushed finish. Decorative options cost more. |
| Garden Path (1.2 m wide, 10 m long) | £800–£1,500 | 1.2+ cubic metres. Includes formwork, pouring, and finishing. |
| Garage Floor (6×6 m) | £2,500–£5,000 | 3.6+ cubic metres. 100–150mm thick. Mesh or fibre reinforced. |
| Foundation Strip Footings (3-bed house) | £2,500–£6,000 | 5–10 cubic metres depending on design. Reinforcement included. |
| Foundation Raft/Slab | £8,000–£18,000 | 12–25 cubic metres. Includes formwork, reinforcement, and waterproofing. |
| Concrete Steps (5 steps, 1.2 m wide) | £800–£1,500 | 0.5–1 cubic metres. Labour-intensive formwork and finishing. |
| Fence Post Footings (20 posts) | £100–£200 (DIY) | 1–3 bags per post. Bagged concrete (Postcrete), no truck needed. |
Bagged Concrete Costs
Bagged concrete is sold at builders' merchants and DIY stores. Prices vary by bag size, brand, and region:
Standard bag sizes and prices (2024): 20 kg bags cost £3.50–£4.50 each (yields 0.009 m³). 25 kg bags cost £4.00–£6.00 each (yields 0.012 m³). The 25 kg bag offers the best price per cubic metre, but at 25 kg per bag, the physical labour of mixing is substantial. Many DIYers prefer 20 kg bags as a compromise between cost and manageability. Available from Jewson, Travis Perkins, Wickes, B&Q, and Screwfix.
Cost per cubic metre from bags: Using 25 kg bags at £5 each, one cubic metre costs approximately £415 in material (83 bags). Using 20 kg bags at £4 each, one cubic metre costs approximately £430 (108 bags). These prices are higher than ready-mix delivery (£80–£120/m³), but bags have no delivery fees, no minimum orders, and no waiting time fees. For small projects under 0.5 cubic metres, bags are almost always the more economical choice.
Specialty bagged concrete costs more: Fast-setting Postcrete runs £6–£8 per 25 kg bag. High-early-strength (£5–£7), crack-resistant fibre-reinforced (£6–£8), and post mix formulas have premium pricing. For most driveways, patios, and footings, standard C25/30 mix is all you need.
Ready-Mix Concrete Pricing
Ready-mix is ordered by the cubic metre and delivered by truck. Here is what to expect when you call a local ready-mix supplier:
Base price: Standard C25/30 concrete costs £80–£110 per cubic metre in most markets. C30/37 mix costs £90–£120 per m³. C40/50 high-strength costs £100–£140 per m³. Prices vary by region — urban areas with multiple suppliers tend to be cheaper than rural areas with limited competition. Remote locations often pay 10–20% more due to transport costs.
Additional fees: Delivery fee of £30–£80 per trip (covers truck fuel and driver time). Part-load fee of £20–£50 per m³ for orders under 4–6 cubic metres (the most impactful fee for small projects). Overtime or waiting charge of £1–£2 per minute if the pour takes longer than the allotted time (typically 5–7 minutes per m³). Saturday delivery surcharge of £40–£100 at some plants. Fuel surcharge of £15–£40 per load (increasingly common).
Additives and upgrades: Air entrainment (freeze-thaw resistance) adds £3–£6 per m³. Fibre reinforcement adds £5–£10 per m³. Accelerator (speeds curing in cold weather) adds £5–£12 per m³. Retarder (slows curing in hot weather) adds £3–£8 per m³. Colour pigment adds £8–£20 per m³. Concrete pump hire (for hard-to-reach pours) adds £150–£300+ per hour.
Factors That Affect Concrete Cost
The price you pay for concrete depends on several factors beyond just the volume you need. Understanding these can help you budget more accurately:
- Location — Concrete prices vary significantly by region. The Midlands tends to have competitive pricing (£75–£100/m³), while London and the South-East are higher (£100–£140/m³). Rural and remote areas pay more due to longer delivery distances. Always get quotes from at least 2–3 local suppliers.
- Quantity ordered — Ordering more concrete lowers your per-cubic-metre cost. Part-load fees for small orders (under 4–6 m³) can add £20–£50 per m³. A 2 m³ order might cost £130/m³ including fees, while a 6 m³ order costs £95/m³ with no penalty. If you are close to the minimum, consider adding a small project to reach it.
- Strength class — Higher strength costs more. C20/25 is suitable for paths and non-structural pads. C25/30 is recommended for driveways and garage floors. C30/37 is used for structural foundations. Each strength tier adds roughly £5–£15 per cubic metre.
- Additives and mix design — Air entrainment, fibre reinforcement, accelerators, retarders, and colour pigments each add £3–£20 per m³. In cold regions, air entrainment is recommended for exposed external concrete and adds £3–£6 per m³.
- Time of year — Concrete prices tend to be highest in spring and summer when demand peaks. Winter pours may be cheaper per cubic metre but require insulating blankets and accelerators that can offset the savings. Autumn is often the sweet spot for pricing and ideal curing temperatures.
- Delivery distance — Most ready-mix plants include delivery within a 15–30 km radius in their base price. Beyond that, expect surcharges of £1–£3 per km. For remote sites, these delivery costs can add £30–£150+ to your total.
Labour Costs: DIY vs Hiring a Contractor
The cost of the concrete itself is often less than half the total project cost. Labour, formwork, finishing, and site preparation make up the rest:
DIY costs: If you do the work yourself, your main costs are concrete (£80–£120/m³ for ready-mix or £330–£500/m³ for bags), formwork timber (£30–£100), reinforcement mesh (£20–£60), and tool hire (£40–£80 for a concrete vibrator, bull float, tamper, etc.). A typical 3×3 m patio pad (about 0.9 m³) might cost £200–£400 in total materials as a DIY project, compared to £1,000–£1,800 installed by a contractor.
Contractor costs: Professional concrete work typically runs £60–£140 per square metre installed for standard flatwork (slab, driveway, patio, path). This includes site preparation, sub-base, formwork, reinforcement, concrete, pouring, finishing (brushed or smooth), and basic cleanup. Decorative finishes (pattern imprinted, exposed aggregate) add £20–£50 per square metre. Vertical work (foundation walls, retaining walls) costs £80–£180 per square metre due to more complex formwork.
When to hire a professional: Consider hiring a concrete contractor for any structural work (foundations, load-bearing footings), any pour over 3 cubic metres, decorative or pattern imprinted finishes, sloped or drainage-critical surfaces, and any project requiring building control sign-off. The cost of fixing a bad concrete pour (break-out and replacement) is 2–3 times the cost of doing it right the first time.
Cost-Saving Tips
There are several ways to reduce your concrete costs without cutting corners on quality:
- Get multiple quotes — Prices can vary 15–30% between ready-mix suppliers in the same area. Call at least 3 suppliers and ask for their full fee schedule including delivery, part-load, overtime, and fuel surcharges.
- Order the right amount — Over-ordering wastes money; under-ordering means an expensive second truck trip. Use our concrete calculator to get an accurate estimate, then add 5–10% for waste, spillage, and sub-base irregularities.
- Avoid part-load fees — If your project needs 2.5 cubic metres and the part-load threshold is 4 m³, consider whether you can use the extra for a small side project (stepping stones, a small pad, filling holes). The extra material costs less than the part-load fee.
- Schedule off-peak — If your timeline is flexible, schedule pours for Tuesday through Thursday in autumn or early spring. Weekend and peak-season deliveries often carry surcharges.
- Do your own prep work — Even if you hire a contractor for the pour, you can save £400–£1,200 by doing the excavation, sub-base, and formwork yourself. Contractors are happy to pour into your formwork if it is properly built and checked.
- Compare bags vs ready-mix for small jobs — For projects under 1 cubic metre, do the maths both ways. Factor in your time value: mixing 60+ bags takes 3–4 hours of hard labour. If your time is worth £20/hour, that adds £60–£80 to the bag cost. Sometimes a part-load of ready-mix is actually cheaper.
Calculate Your Concrete Costs
Use our free calculators to estimate the exact volume of concrete your project needs, then multiply by your local per-cubic-metre price for an accurate budget: