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How Much Does a Concreter Charge in Australia? (2026 Rates by Job Type)

April 10, 2026

A standard driveway in Sydney costs somewhere between $4,500 and $12,000. That's a wide range — and if you're a concreter, your ability to price confidently within that range determines whether you win or lose jobs. If you're a homeowner, knowing what's reasonable stops you from overpaying or getting burned by an underquoter. Here's what concreters are actually charging across Australia in 2026.

Concreting Rates in Australia: Quick Reference

Job Type	Price Per m2 (AUD)	Notes
Plain/standard concrete	$65 – $90 per m2	Most common residential work
Exposed aggregate	$100 – $150 per m2	Decorative finish, more preparation
Coloured concrete	$90 – $130 per m2	Oxide or integral colour added
Stencilled/stamped concrete	$100 – $160 per m2	Pattern pressed into surface
Polished concrete (outdoor)	$80 – $120 per m2	Ground and sealed finish
Concrete slab (house/garage)	$60 – $85 per m2	Structural, includes mesh and formwork
Footpath / garden path	$65 – $95 per m2	Narrow widths add cost per m2
Pool surrounds	$95 – $145 per m2	Wet area, non-slip finish required

Rates are indicative for 2026 and reflect average market pricing across major Australian cities. Site-specific factors (access, demolition, reinforcement, soil type) affect final pricing significantly.

Full Project Pricing: What Australians Pay for Common Jobs

Concrete Driveway

Size	Plain Concrete	Exposed Aggregate	Coloured Concrete
Small (30-40 m2)	$2,000 – $3,600	$3,000 – $6,000	$2,700 – $5,200
Standard (50-60 m2)	$3,250 – $5,400	$5,000 – $9,000	$4,500 – $7,800
Large (80-100 m2)	$5,200 – $9,000	$8,000 – $15,000	$7,200 – $13,000

Includes preparation, formwork, pour, and standard finish. Demolition of existing driveway adds $1,500-$4,000 depending on size and material.

Concrete Slab

Purpose	Size	Price Range
Shed slab	6m x 6m (36 m2)	$2,200 – $3,060
Garage slab	6m x 9m (54 m2)	$3,240 – $4,590
Large garage or workshop	9m x 9m (81 m2)	$4,860 – $6,885
House slab (standard)	200-250 m2	$12,000 – $21,250

Slab pricing includes mesh reinforcement and formwork. Soil testing, engineering, and fill may add cost on challenging sites.

Garden Paths and Footpaths

Length and Width	Price Range
10m x 1m (10 m2)	$650 – $950
20m x 1.2m (24 m2)	$1,560 – $2,280
30m x 1.5m (45 m2)	$2,925 – $4,275

Narrow paths have a higher per-m2 cost due to increased formwork relative to concrete volume.

State-by-State Pricing Variations

Labour costs, material prices, and competition levels vary across Australia. Here's a rough guide to how pricing differs by state:

State / Territory	Price Variation vs National Average	Notes
NSW (Sydney)	+10% to +20%	High labour costs, strong demand, access challenges in older suburbs
VIC (Melbourne)	+5% to +15%	Strong market, competitive, outer suburbs are competitive
QLD (Brisbane/SEQ)	-5% to +5%	Competitive market, high volume, growth corridors
WA (Perth)	+10% to +20%	Strong mining economy, higher wages
SA (Adelaide)	-5% to -10%	Lower labour costs, moderate competition
TAS (Hobart/regional)	-5% to +10%	Lower volume, access and logistics can add cost
ACT (Canberra)	+10% to +15%	Government market, strong residential demand, higher labour
NT (Darwin)	+15% to +25%	Remote logistics, tropical climate preparation, limited competition

What Drives the Price Up (And What Drives It Down)

Factors that increase your price:

Demolition of existing concrete or pavers — budget $50-$80 per m2 for removal
Poor site access — narrow lanes, steep driveways, tight backyards add significant labour
Reinforcement requirements — commercial slabs, heavy vehicle use, sandy or reactive soil
Decorative finishes — exposed aggregate, stencilling, and colouring add materials and time
Remote location — transport costs for concrete trucks and crew
Wet areas — pool surrounds and outdoor bathrooms require non-slip coatings and sealing
Rush jobs — short-notice scheduling increases labour cost

Factors that decrease your price (or should):

Simple rectangular layouts — less formwork, faster setup
Good access — concrete truck can pump directly, minimal wheelbarrow work
Multiple jobs in the same area — mobilisation cost spread across more work
Off-peak timing — some concreters offer small discounts for slow-season scheduling

How Concreters Should Price Jobs Confidently

This is where most concreters leave money on the table.

The tendency when you're competing against quotes is to undercut. Someone's quoting $8,000 for the same driveway — you go in at $7,200 and hope to win it on price. The problem is that when you price this way, you train your customers to value you on price rather than quality. And you attract customers who'll always shop on price.

The concreters who win consistently don't win on being the cheapest. They win because:

1. They respond first

When a customer requests quotes from three concreters, the first one to call back and show genuine interest often gets the job — even if they're not the cheapest. Speed signals reliability.

2. They communicate the value

"$8,500 for a 50m2 exposed aggregate driveway that will last 30 years, comes with a 5-year workmanship warranty, and I've been doing this for 12 years in this suburb" is a different conversation than "$8,500 — let me know if you want to go ahead."

3. They follow up

Most concreters send a quote and never follow up. The customer is still "thinking about it" — which means they're comparing quotes and waiting to see who seems more reliable. The concreter who follows up twice, professionally, wins more often than you'd expect.

The Link Between Confident Pricing and Follow-Up

Here's the thing about following up: it's much easier when you know your pricing is fair.

If you've priced a job at what you know is market rate — or above it because you know your quality backs it up — following up isn't a negotiation. It's a service call. You're not chasing them to drop your price. You're checking in because they haven't said no, and the job is still there to win.

The concreters who underquote often struggle to follow up because they don't have much confidence in the job. The ones who price at market rate follow up because they know they've offered fair value and the customer just needs a nudge.

Kabooyaa handles the follow-up automatically — so you're not thinking about whether to call. The system calls for you (via an SMS sequence). You just show up when the customer is ready.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a concreter charge per square metre in Australia in 2026? Plain concrete runs $65-$90 per m2. Exposed aggregate is $100-$150 per m2. Coloured concrete is $90-$130 per m2. These are typical market rates for 2026 and vary by state, site conditions, and finish type.

How much does a concrete driveway cost in Australia in 2026? A standard 50-60 m2 driveway in plain concrete costs $3,250-$5,400 installed. Exposed aggregate for the same size runs $5,000-$9,000. Sydney and Perth are typically 10-20% above these figures; Adelaide is typically 5-10% below.

How much does a concrete slab cost in Australia? A standard garage slab (54 m2) costs $3,240-$4,590. A workshop slab (81 m2) costs $4,860-$6,885. House slabs (200-250 m2) typically run $12,000-$21,250. Pricing includes mesh reinforcement and formwork; site works and engineering may add cost.

Why are concreting quotes so different? Quote variation reflects differences in finish quality, site access, preparation work included or excluded, the concreter's experience, and whether demolition is included. Very low quotes often exclude preparation costs that will appear as extras, or reflect lower-quality materials and finishes.

How do concreters win jobs without being the cheapest? The fastest way to win more jobs as a concreter is responding faster than your competitors and following up quotes systematically. Most homeowners choose the concreter who communicated best — not necessarily the cheapest one.

If your pricing is fair and your follow-up is inconsistent, you're losing jobs to less capable concreters who just happened to call back. Fix the follow-up at kabooyaa.com.au — it's the fastest ROI in your business.