If you are pricing up a reinforced foundation, slab or extension, the steel fixing element is usually quoted per tonne, and the figures can vary more than you might expect. This guide explains what UK steel fixers typically charge, what is and is not included in a per tonne rate, and how to judge whether a quote is fair.
For labour only steel fixing, most UK contractors charge somewhere in the region of £180 to £350 per tonne for straightforward work such as slab mesh, strip foundations and ground beams. More intricate work, such as heavily congested pile caps, columns, walls or anything with tight bar spacing and lots of shape codes, can push labour rates to £400 to £600 per tonne or more, because the fixing time per tonne rises sharply.
Remember that this is the labour rate only. The reinforcement steel itself is a separate cost, and cut and bent rebar to BS 8666 has typically been in the range of £750 to £1,100 per tonne supplied in recent years, moving with steel market prices. So a supply and fix package often lands somewhere between £1,000 and £1,600 per tonne depending on complexity and location.
The single biggest factor is fixing complexity. A tonne of heavy 25mm bars laid in a simple slab goes in quickly, while a tonne of 10mm links bent into columns takes many times longer to fix. This is why two quotes for the same tonnage can differ substantially and both be honest.
Access and site conditions matter too. Ground level work with good crane or telehandler access is cheaper per tonne than reinforcement carried by hand to a rear garden extension, or fixed in a deep excavation with limited working room. Small tonnages also carry a premium, because travel, setup and minimum day rates get spread across less steel. On a domestic job with only two or three tonnes, do not be surprised if the effective per tonne rate is noticeably higher than headline commercial rates.
A clear quote should state whether it is labour only or supply and fix, and exactly what the fixer is responsible for. As a minimum, check whether it covers unloading and distributing the steel, tying wire, spacers and chairs, reading the bending schedules, and standing the reinforcement ready for the engineer or building control inspection.
It is also worth confirming who provides the bar bending schedules. On engineered jobs these come from the structural engineer or a detailer, and the fabricator cuts and bends to those schedules. If schedules do not exist yet, that detailing work is an extra cost someone has to carry, so agree upfront who arranges it.
Always compare like with like. A £250 per tonne labour quote that excludes unloading and spacers may end up dearer than a £300 quote that includes everything. Ask each contractor to break down what is in their rate and to confirm the tonnage they have priced against, ideally taken from the bending schedules rather than a rough guess.
Be cautious of quotes that are far below the going rate. Steel fixing is skilled work, and reinforcement that is poorly tied, wrongly spaced or missing cover will fail inspection and cost you time and money to put right before any concrete can be poured. A competent fixer who works to the drawings and passes inspection first time is almost always the cheaper option overall.
Both are common in the UK. Larger jobs with known tonnages are usually priced per tonne, while small domestic jobs are often priced as a day rate, typically around £200 to £280 per fixer per day, because the tonnage is too small for per tonne pricing to work fairly.
Not unless the quote says supply and fix. Labour only rates cover fixing the steel, while the cut and bent reinforcement is bought separately from a fabricator, usually adding roughly £750 to £1,100 per tonne depending on market prices.
It depends entirely on the structural design, but as a rough guide a reinforced slab might contain 80 to 120kg of steel per cubic metre of concrete, and heavily loaded elements considerably more. Your structural engineer's drawings and bending schedules will give the exact tonnage, which is what quotes should be based on.
Tell us the project, programme and scope, and whether you need supply, fix or both. We will come back to you.