How much does concreting cost in Australia?

How much does concreting cost? In Australia, concrete cost per m3 ranges between $200 to $300. The cost to concrete by square metre ranges between $50 to $150. Exact concrete prices will depend on the type of concrete you require, your location and where your nearest concrete plant is situated.

When it comes to building, concrete is an essential resource used for house and shed slabs, driveways, patios, pool areas, footpaths and more. While concreting seems like a big outlay initially, its superior to other building products for a range of reasons, including low maintenance costs.

Concrete has the smallest carbon footprint over its lifecycle in a structure or pavement, and is strong, durable and long lasting in any environment.

In this guide, find out:

• How much does concrete cost for different types of concrete
• What influencing factors determine the overall price of your concreting job, and
• How to get concreting quotes and hire a concreter near you.

Want to find a concreter in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide or Perth?

Concreting labour prices per hour

While hourly labour rates for concreters do differ across the country, the average rate is roughly $68 per hour. Concreters can work quickly with the help of specialised machinery, which helps to keep the total concreting cost down.

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Concreting prices by type of concrete

How much is concrete per metre? A general price range for concreting cost is between $50 to $150 per square metre. The price of concrete is typically quoted in square metres, but it can also be quoted in cubic metres.

Let’s look at the approximate range for cost of concrete per square metre for various types of concrete.

Concrete prices:

• Plain grey concrete cost = $60-$85
• Exposed aggregate concrete cost = $95-$150
• Spray-on concrete cost = $50-$75
• Polished concrete cost = $50-$60
• Coloured concrete cost = $75-$90
• Decorative stencilled concrete cost = $100-$150
• Reinforcing concrete cost = $65-$90
• Concrete paving cost = $25-$50
• Concrete resurfacing cost = $35-$45
• Cleaning dirty concrete and resealing cost = $12-$15

Decorative concrete prices generally cost more than the standard plain concrete. To calculate concrete cost for the total area, the basic method is to measure the length by the width in metres to determine the total square metres.

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What is decorative concrete?

Let’s look at the different options for decorative concrete surfaces:

Coloured concrete

Coloured concrete is usually used in driveways, around swimming pools, and pathways to add style and durability to outdoor areas.

Exposed aggregate concrete

Exposed aggregate concrete, otherwise known as pebblecrete, is an affordable and durable outdoor option. It holds up against bad weather and rough wear and tear.

Stamped concrete

Popular for patios and pool, stamped concrete is usually used for interior flooring. Once the concrete is poured and slightly setting, rubber moulds are used to stamp it too look like brick, tiles and other patterns.

Stencilled concrete

Stencilled concrete is used indoors and outdoors. It can create visually pleasing patterns and is a lot easier to apply than stamped concrete.

Concrete slab prices

How much does a concrete slab cost? This will depend on the nature of the slab. Let’s explore some of the common types of concrete slabs and their price ranges.

Cost of concrete slab

The cost of a concrete slab generally ranges between $65 per m2 and $85 per m2 but can get up to as much as $110 per m2.

Concrete slab cost is determined by a range of factors, including:

• Whether it’s for a garage, house, shed, driveway, etc.
• Access to the site
• Thickness of the slab
• Your location, and more.

Concrete slabs are cheaper to lay if you have a flat block with easy access to the site. If the concreter needs to use a concrete pump, you’ll end up paying more.

For a shed slab, expect to pay $65 to $85 per square metre. This doesn’t include site works and will also depend on the above factors. A small shed slab (6m x 9m) costs roughly $4,320, while a large shed slab (12m x 13m) will set you back about $12,480.

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How much does a concrete patio cost?

For a basic 16m2 concrete patio, you can expect to pay somewhere between $800 and $1,360. Polished concrete is the cheaper option at about $50 per m2. If you choose decorative concrete options such as coloured concrete, aggregate (pebblecrete), or stencilled, you can pay up to $200 per m2.

How much for concrete driveway?

Concrete driveways cost anywhere from $70 to $150 per square metre. Whether you need new driveway concreting or are replacing an old one, the price ranges dramatically depending on the size of the area and type of concrete used.

The average concrete driveway cost for a plain grey driveway is about $70 per square metre. For example, if you need a 60 square metre driveway concreted, it will cost approximately $4,200.

A decorative stencilled driveway concrete cost for the same size would be about $6,000 to $9,000. If the site requires a lot of earthmoving and soil removed, the total cost of concrete driveway installation could increase by $500 to $1000.

A steep slope or hard to access site that needs a concrete pump could add on an extra $500 to $750 to the cost to concrete driveway.

Read more: How much does a concrete driveway cost?

What influences the cost to concrete?

How much does concrete cost? Overall concrete prices differ for every job. Factors that determine your concreting project costs are:

• The condition of the site and ease of access
• The extent of earthworks you need, from excavation to disposing of excess soil
• Tools and machinery needed – particularly specialty equipment
• Traffic near the site, which could require hiring traffic control
• Whether you need drainage or plumbing installed
• Council permits, if required in your local area
• The type of concrete you want, whether it’s plain grey concrete or other premium styles, such as exposed aggregate finish.

Interestingly, laying concrete for larger areas can work out to be more affordable per square metre than small jobs. Think of it like bulk-buying, the more concrete work you require, the more the price of concreting goes down.

Want to find a concreter in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide or Perth?

What jobs do concreters do?

Here’s a list of concreting jobs professional tradesman can do for you, from pouring concrete footpaths to laying house foundations.

• Concreting driveways
• House slabs
• Footpaths
• Paving
• Patios
• Sheds
• Flooring
• Retaining walls and foundations
• Pool area or concrete pools
• Cleaning and resealing
• Decorative concrete spray (also known as Spraycrete), concrete stencilling or concrete stamping.

Get in touch with local professionals to get an accurate concrete price and quote for your job.

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Getting a concreting quote

Now you know the answer to “how much does concreting cost”, it’s time to get accurate quotes from local tradies for your project. When you’re getting concreting quotes, whether for a concrete house slab, decorative driveway or any other project, ensure you employ the services of a licensed and insured concreter in your state. It’s a good idea to ask for references and get at least three different quotes from local concreters to find out the cost of concrete for your specific job.

Make sure you know the details of what you want so that your concrete quote will accurately reflect the outcome. Specify the type of job you need done, whether it’s a driveway, house slab, decorative concrete spray, pool area or shed. Also, let the concreter know what type of concrete you need, such as plain grey, exposed aggregate, coloured concrete or concrete resurfacing.

Other factors to determine the quote are:

• The size of the area in m3
• Whether the site is on a slope
• If you’re located on a main road
• Whether you require drains or plumbing to be put in the concrete
• Whether concrete cutting or removal is required

Want to find a concreter in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide or Perth?

*All costs and prices quoted were sourced at the time this cost guide was written and should only be used as an estimate.