Indicative labour-only ranges compiled from published 2026 UK price guides. Use them as a sanity check for quoting and negotiating — your market, experience and demand set the exact number.
| Trade | National range / day |
|---|---|
| Labourer (CSCS) | £130 – £160 |
| Skilled labourer / groundworker | £150 – £200 |
| General builder | £150 – £280 |
| Bricklayer | £180 – £280 |
| Carpenter / joiner | £180 – £280 |
| Plasterer | £170 – £260 |
| Plumber | £200 – £320 |
| Electrician | £200 – £350 |
| Greater London | add ~15–25% |
Compiled August 2026 from published UK trade price guides (MyBuilder, Checkatrade-style cost guides, recruitment rate cards). Labour only — materials, plant and waste are always separate. Ranges are indicative, not a rate card.
The gap between the bottom and top of each range is largely paper: NVQs, 18th Edition, Gas Safe, SSSTS/SMSTS, plant tickets. Electricians and plumbers sit at the top because certification is mandatory and mistakes are dangerous — the same logic applies within every trade. One qualification can move you £30–£50 a day permanently.
A CIS subcontractor's £200 loses 20% at source (reclaimable — see the CIS guide), then covers van, tools, insurance, holidays and the weeks between jobs. Agency and PAYE rates look lower but carry employment rights and paid holidays. Compare like with like before calling a rate good or bad.
Quoting a client? Your charge-out must carry the worker's rate PLUS employer costs, supervision, kit, insurances, and margin — a £180 tradesman is rarely profitable charged at under £260. Fixed price for the defined scope, agreed day rate for extras, and every extra recorded as a variation the day it happens.
"The going rate for a carded bricklayer here is £220–£260" is a negotiation; "I want more" is a wish. Track your days and money owed — and if a firm stops paying, act early with our unpaid work guide.
Graftum tracks hours, jobs and money per project in real time — so you see which jobs pay and which quietly eat your margin. Free to start, built for small UK firms.
Try Graftum free →No — they're indicative ranges from published 2026 guides. Big commercial projects, shortage trades and night/weekend work run higher; quiet regions and oversupplied trades run lower.
Divide by 8 for a rough hourly figure, but short visits usually carry minimum charges — half-day minimums are common for good reason.
Cost of living, congestion/ULEZ and parking, and sheer demand — 15–25% uplift is the published norm, more for shortage trades on major projects.
Piece rates (per m², per point, per plot) reward speed and are common in brickwork, plastering and second fix — good money for fast, clean workers, but always agree measurement rules in writing first.
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