Concreting is one of the most in-demand trade services in New Zealand right now. With residential consents up 22.9% year-on-year in early 2026 and infrastructure spending accelerating, experienced concreters are busy — and pricing power has shifted in your favour. But to take advantage, you need to know what the market is paying and how to structure your quotes to protect your margins.
This guide covers typical NZ concreter rates for 2026, how to price different job types, and how to avoid the most common pricing mistakes.
What Do Concreters Charge in New Zealand?
Concreter rates vary by region, job complexity, and access. Here's what's typical across NZ in mid-2026:
Hourly Rates
| Experience Level | Hourly Rate (incl. GST) |
|---|---|
| Labourer / groundwork | $65–$80/hr |
| Qualified concreter (sole trader) | $90–$120/hr |
| Specialist (decorative, structural) | $120–$160/hr |
| Subcontractor to a builder | $75–$100/hr |
Labour-only rates sit lower — typically $55–$90/hr — when you're brought in by a builder who supplies the concrete. If you're supplying and placing, factor in concrete costs, hire of formwork, reinforcing steel, and your markup on materials.
Use our hourly rate calculator to work out your true minimum charge-out rate based on your overheads and target income.
Per Square Metre Rates
Most residential concreting is quoted per m², not by the hour. Typical ranges:
| Job Type | Price Range (incl. GST) |
|---|---|
| Plain grey slab (garage/shed) | $110–$145/m² |
| Driveway — plain concrete | $120–$160/m² |
| Driveway — exposed aggregate | $180–$240/m² |
| Decorative/coloured concrete | $200–$280/m² |
| Stamped or stencilled concrete | $240–$350/m² |
| Path or patio (standard finish) | $100–$140/m² |
| Concrete house floor (slab on ground) | $130–$175/m² |
| Retaining walls (poured concrete) | $650–$1,200/lineal metre |
These are supply-and-lay prices including concrete, reinforcing, mesh, edge formwork, and a standard finish. They don't include excavation, subbase preparation, or removal of existing concrete, which are priced separately.
Concrete Removal and Preparation
Removing and disposing of old concrete is a significant cost that many homeowners underestimate — and one you should price explicitly rather than bundling in.
- Breaking and removal: $60–$100/m²
- Skip bin hire (3m³): $350–$500 depending on location
- Subbase compaction (gravel/AP20): $15–$30/m²
How to Price a Concreting Job
Good job costing for concreting means working from the ground up, not guessing from past quotes.
Step 1 — Calculate concrete volume. Use our concrete calculator to get an accurate m³ figure. Add 10% waste to your order.
Step 2 — Get a concrete quote. Ready-mix concrete from providers like Firth or Allied Concrete runs approximately $280–$360/m³ delivered in 2026, depending on grade (17.5, 25, 30 MPa) and your region. Pump hire adds $600–$1,000 for a half-day.
Step 3 — Cost your labour. Calculate hours for forming up, pouring, finishing, and stripping/cleaning. A typical 50m² driveway takes 1–1.5 days for a two-person crew.
Step 4 — Add materials. Reinforcing mesh (SL72 or SL82), chairs, edge boards, tie wire, release agent if using formwork. For a standard driveway, budget $10–$18/m² for steel and sundries.
Step 5 — Apply your markup. You need to cover overheads (vehicle, insurance, ACC, equipment) and profit. A gross margin of 30–40% is a reasonable target for supply-and-lay work. Use our job cost calculator to check your numbers before quoting.
What's Driving Concreter Rates Up in 2026?
Several factors are pushing rates higher this year:
Labour shortage. New Zealand's construction sector still faces a structural skills shortage. Experienced concreters are difficult to find, and subcontractor rates have risen accordingly as main contractors compete for capacity.
Ready-mix price increases. Concrete input costs — cement, aggregates, fuel for mixers — have increased 8–12% since 2024. Most suppliers have passed these through in full. If you're quoting jobs more than two weeks out, include a materials escalation clause.
Minimum wage flow-on. The adult minimum wage rose to $23.95/hr in April 2026. For concreters employing labourers, this flows directly into labour costs. If you haven't reviewed your rates since late 2025, now is the time.
ACC levies. Concreting sits in a higher ACC classification due to physical injury risk. Check your current levy rate via ACC's levy estimator and ensure it's built into your hourly rate. For 2026/27, the earners' levy is $1.39/100 and work levy rates vary by industry classification.
Pricing Mistakes NZ Concreters Make
Underquoting access and prep. A job that looks like a straightforward driveway can become a nightmare if access is tight, the site needs 300mm of fill, or the existing concrete is thicker than expected. Always inspect before quoting.
Forgetting to charge for wet weather delays. Concrete can't be poured in heavy rain. If you're working in winter, include a wet weather clause in your contract allowing rescheduling without penalty.
Not separating excavation from laying. Many concreters offer excavation as part of their service, but fail to quote it explicitly. When clients compare quotes, they don't realise yours includes earth removal — so they compare it to a lay-only price and think you're expensive. Break it out.
Ignoring IRD obligations on cash work. Inland Revenue has been actively auditing cash payments in the construction sector. All income must be declared, regardless of how it's paid. If you're issuing invoices without NZBN, that's also a flag. Register at NZBN.govt.nz and issue proper tax invoices for every job.
Running a Concreting Business in 2026
With demand strong and margins recovering, now is a good time to tighten up your business systems.
Get your quoting right. A well-structured quote that breaks down labour, materials, and extras builds client trust and reduces disputes over scope. Apps like Fastcrew let you build templates, send professional quotes from your phone, and track job status without admin overhead.
Track your actual job costs. The difference between a profitable concreter and a busy-but-broke one is usually job costing discipline. After every job, compare your quoted hours to actual hours. It only takes a few minutes and will show you where you're consistently underquoting.
Get deposits upfront. For supply-and-lay jobs, a 30–50% deposit before work starts covers your concrete cost and protects you from non-payment. Most NZ homeowners expect this on jobs over $2,000.
Download Free Concreting Business Templates
Download our free NZ tradie templates at tradietools.nz/templates/ — includes a concreting quote template, job cost sheet, and payment terms letter you can customise for your business.
NZ Tradie Tools provides free calculators, templates and guides for New Zealand tradies. Visit tradietools.nz.