How to price concrete cutting per metre
Most cutting work is sold by the lineal metre at a given depth, and most core drilling by the 10mm of depth at a given diameter. This guide walks through how to build a rate card on those measures, what to load on top, and how to lay it out so the crew pick the right line on site.
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Rates per lineal metre by depth band
A sawing rate card starts with the lineal metre. The crew measure the length of each cut, and the price per metre is set by how deep the blade has to go. Rather than a separate price for every millimetre, depths are grouped into bands: up to 50mm, 51 to 100mm, 101 to 150mm and so on. The band is the depth of the cut as specified, so a 120mm slab cut full depth sits in the 101 to 150mm band.
Price per metre climbs faster than depth does. A 200mm cut is more than twice the work of a 100mm cut. Bigger blades cost more to buy and wear faster, deeper cuts usually need two or three passes, the saw moves slower through the material, and past a certain depth you need a bigger saw and a crew member who can run it. If your bands go up in even steps, your deep work is almost certainly underpriced and your shallow work is carrying it.
Material is the other axis. Reinforced concrete, brick and block, and bitumen each cut at a different speed and wear blades at a different rate. Bitumen is quick and cheap per metre. Brick and block sit somewhere near concrete, depending on the product and how hard it is. Heavy reinforcement is often handled as a loading on the concrete rate rather than its own column, because the crew can only tell how much steel is in a slab once they are into it.
An example floor sawing rate card
Example rates only, to show the shape of a rate card. These are made-up figures for illustration, not market rates or industry averages. Set your own from your costs.
| Depth band | Concrete (per m) | Brick or block (per m) | Bitumen (per m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 50mm | $9.00 | $8.00 | $5.00 |
| 51 to 100mm | $14.00 | $12.50 | $7.50 |
| 101 to 150mm | $22.00 | $19.00 | $11.00 |
| 151 to 200mm | $32.00 | $28.00 | Quoted |
| 201 to 250mm | $45.00 | $40.00 | Quoted |
| 251 to 300mm | $60.00 | $54.00 | Quoted |
Illustrative figures, ex GST. Notice each band costs more than the step before it.
Loadings on the base rate
A loading is a percentage added to the base rate for conditions that slow the work down or need different equipment. Common ones:
- Inverted cutting: sawing or drilling overhead into a soffit is slow, tiring and messy, and the slurry comes down on the operator. Double the standard rate is a common way to charge it.
- Suspended slab: the crew must contain slurry, protect what is underneath and often prop or catch the cut piece. Charge it as a percentage on top of the base rate.
- Electric or hydraulic saw: indoor work where petrol is not allowed means an electric saw or a hydraulic power pack, which costs more to run and moves less material an hour. Charge it as a percentage on the base rate so it follows any price change.
- Push sawing: a hand-pushed walk-behind saw on tight jobs, ramps or areas the ride-on cannot reach. Slower, so it carries a loading.
- Short cuts: a 600mm cut takes nearly as long to set up, line up and finish as a 3m cut. Either set a minimum length per cut (for example, any cut under 1m is charged as 1m) or load short cuts by a percentage.
- Heavy reinforcement or post-tensioned slabs: often quoted separately, because the risk sits with the cutter.
Core drilling per 10mm of depth by diameter
Core drilling is usually priced per 10mm of depth, with the rate set by diameter. A 100mm hole through a 200mm slab is 20 lots of 10mm at the 100mm rate. Larger diameters climb the same way deep saw cuts do: the bits cost more, the rig has to be anchored harder and the cores are heavier to handle. Like sawing, inverted and wall holes are commonly loaded on top of the floor rate.
Set a minimum depth per hole. A 40mm deep hole still means marking out, anchoring the rig, setting up water and cleaning up, so most rate cards charge every hole as if it were at least 100mm or 150mm deep. Without one, a job of many shallow holes will lose money even though each line on the docket looks right.
Per hole or per metre is a choice about what the customer can check. Per 10mm of depth suits mixed work, where slab thickness varies across a job. A flat price per hole suits repeat work at one diameter and one depth, such as penetrations for a plumber across a set of identical floors, and it is easier for the builder to approve. Some cutters do both: a per-hole price for the standard sizes, with a per-10mm rate for anything outside them.
A worked example
One job priced from example rates. The figures are illustrative only, chosen to show the arithmetic, and are not suggested or typical prices.
| Line | Quantity | Example rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Floor sawing, concrete, 101 to 150mm | 3 cuts of 12m = 36m | $22.00 per m | $792.00 |
| Suspended slab loading | On the sawing line | +25% | $198.00 |
| Electric saw loading | On the sawing line | +20% | $158.40 |
| Core drilling, 100mm diameter, 200mm deep | 4 holes, 20 lots of 10mm each | $3.00 per 10mm | $240.00 |
| Set-up | Once per visit | $150.00 | $150.00 |
| Standby, waiting on the builder | 30 minutes | $120.00 per hour | $60.00 |
| Total | $1,598.40 |
Ex GST. Both loadings here are worked out on the base sawing line and added, rather than one compounded on the other. Pick one method and write it on your rate card so every quote is done the same way.
Set-up, relocation, standby and waiting time
Set-up or establishment covers getting the equipment to the area and ready to cut: unloading, running water and power, slurry control and barriers. It is charged once per visit, or once per section of work for bigger saws such as track saws and wire saws, where rigging takes real time.
Relocation is the cost of moving the rig to a second area on the same site, for example from the basement to level 3. If the builder asks you to move partway through, charge it as a line of its own so it is clear why the total grew.
Standby and waiting time cover the crew stood down because the area is not ready, services are not located, or another trade is in the way. It is usually charged per hour or per 15 minutes once a grace period passes. The time is only billable if it is written down when it happens, with the reason, and signed for, so the docket needs a place for it. Our guide to minimum charges and after-hours rates covers the charges that sit on top of all this.
A rate card the crew cannot get wrong
A rate card is only as good as the line the operator picks at the end of a long day. Lay it out so the obvious choice is the right one.
- 01
Organise by the work, then the measure
Group lines the way the crew think about the job: floor sawing, wall sawing, core drilling, then saw type, material and depth. Never one long alphabetical list where a 150mm concrete cut sits beside a 150mm core hole.
- 02
Make every line say its unit
Per metre, per 10mm of depth, per hole, per hour. A crew member who enters 2.4 should know whether that is metres or holes.
- 03
Keep loadings separate from base rates
Inverted, suspended slab and electric saw are ticks against a line, never their own copies of every depth band. Four loadings across six bands and three materials would otherwise be dozens of lines to pick from.
- 04
Build minimums into the card
Minimum depth per hole, minimum length per cut and minimum per visit belong on the rate card itself, so they apply without anyone remembering them.
- 05
Let the crew record measurements and the office set the price
The operator records what was cut: length, depth, diameter, material, conditions. The rate card turns that into dollars. Crews who write prices make arithmetic mistakes, and some will round in the customer's favour to avoid an argument.
- 06
Put the rate card where the docket is filled in
This is the part Core Docket was built around. Sections, options such as diameter and depth, and the measurement each line takes are set up once, loadings are a percentage of the base so a price rise flows through, and the price is worked out as the crew enter the measurement on the docket. We load your existing rate card for you from a PDF, spreadsheet or photos, and a person checks every price.
Questions
Why do concrete cutting prices per metre go up so much with depth?
Deeper cuts need bigger blades that cost more and wear faster, take more passes, cut more slowly and often need a larger saw. A rate card that rises in even steps per depth band usually underprices deep work.
How is core drilling usually priced?
Most core drilling is priced per 10mm of depth, with a different rate for each diameter, and a minimum depth charged per hole. Repeat work at one size and depth is sometimes priced as a flat amount per hole instead.
What is a loading in concrete cutting?
A loading is a percentage added to the base rate for conditions that make the work slower or need different equipment, such as inverted cutting, suspended slabs, electric or hydraulic saws, push sawing or short cuts.
Should I charge for set-up separately from the cutting rate?
Most cutters do, as a set-up or establishment charge per visit, or per section for track and wire sawing. Keeping it separate means a short job still covers the time spent getting ready, and the customer can see why.
How do I charge for standby when the site is not ready?
Charge waiting time per hour or per part hour after a short grace period, and record the start and end time and the reason on the docket for the customer to sign. Time that is not written down on the day is very hard to bill later.
Are there standard concrete cutting rates?
There is no published standard rate. Prices vary by region, equipment, material and the cutter's own costs, so any example rates are only a way to show how a rate card is structured.
Read next
- Minimum charges and after-hoursHow concrete cutting businesses set minimum charges per visit, per hole and per section, set-up fees and after-hours loadings, how they stack, and how to word them so they get paid.
- Rate card and pricingThe Core Docket rate card for trade businesses: work priced the way it is measured, by the hour, item, metre, hole or load, with minimums, callout fees, after-hours loadings and customer price groups.
- Core drillingHow Core Docket works for core drilling and diamond drilling businesses: core holes priced by diameter band and depth, digital job sheets signed on site, and invoices into your accounting suite.
- Concrete cuttingHow Core Docket works for concrete cutting businesses: the crew's docket on the phone, a rate card that prices saw cuts and core holes, and invoices into your accounting suite.
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