Concrete Guides
Updated: July 2026
Plain answers from people who arrange concrete for a living — what it costs, how to compare suppliers, and how to be ready when the truck pulls up.
Ask a concrete question online and you'll mostly get sales copy. These guides are the other thing: the answers we give on the phone every day, written down. If C20 will do the job, we'll tell you not to pay for C35. If a drum supplier is genuinely the better call for your pour, we'll tell you that too — it's in the volumetric guide, in writing.
They're written for anyone ordering concrete — a homeowner doing a shed base, a builder pricing footings, a groundworker weighing up a pump. No jargon without a translation, and no question treated as too basic.
Prices quoted in these guides are our published guide prices, per cubic metre, +VAT, confirmed when you book. Where we quote wider market figures, they come from 2026 market guides and we say so.
Pick Your Question
Ready Mix Concrete Prices (2026)
What a cubic metre really costs — our published guide prices for every grade, national market ranges, and the part-load trap that stings small orders.
Read the price guide →Volumetric vs Drum Concrete
How the two kinds of ready mix actually differ — and the honest cases where a drum supplier is the better call. Yes, we admit them.
Read the comparison →Preparing for a Concrete Delivery
Access, formwork, labour, safety and curing — the checklist that makes pour day boring, in a good way. The one guide everyone should read.
Read the checklist →Concrete Pumping Guide
Line pump or boom pump, what pumping costs in 2026, and the point at which it beats a long afternoon of wheelbarrows.
Read the pumping guide →Concrete Calculator
Length × width × depth, done for you. Turn your measurements into cubic metres before you call — or just send us the numbers and we'll do it.
Work out your volume →Concrete Grades Explained
C20, C25, C35, GEN, PAV — what the letters and numbers mean, and which mix your job actually needs. Don't pay for strength you won't use.
Read about grades →Guides to Having Concrete Laid
Costs, rules and specifications for the jobs our installation partners take on.
Imprinted Concrete Driveway Cost (2026)
Per-m² rates, totals for 20–100m², what moves the price, and the 10-year cost with resealing.
Read the cost guide →Concrete Driveway Cost UK (2026)
Plain, brushed and tamped drives priced per m², with a worked calculator and supply-only vs supply-and-lay.
Read the cost guide →Driveway Rules & Dropped Kerbs in Birmingham
The 5m² drainage rule, what counts as permeable, and Birmingham City Council’s vehicle-crossing process and fees.
Read the rules →Imprinted Concrete vs Block Paving vs Resin
Cost, life, maintenance, permeability and looks compared — and which surface wins in which situation.
Read the comparison →Imprinted Concrete Colours, Patterns & Sealing
Colour hardener vs integral colour, the common patterns, sealer types and the 3–5 year reseal cycle.
Read the guide →Concrete Base Cost & Thickness
Sheds, garages and garden rooms: how thick, what spec, what it costs installed, and when DIY makes sense.
Read the base guide →Extension Footings: Depth, Regs & Cost
How deep footings go on Birmingham clay, what Building Control checks, and 2026 costs per metre.
Read the footings guide →Can't find the answer you need? Call and ask — advising on mixes is the part of the job we like. There's a full run-down of what we arrange on our services page, or send us the measurements and we'll take it from there.
Rather Just Ask?
Tell us the job and we'll tell you the mix, the volume and the price — usually in one call. 7 days a week, 7am–5pm.