Builders and merchants talk about screed in cubic metres and tonnes, because that is how sand, cement and ready mix are ordered. Screeding contractors and cost guides talk in square metres, because that is how a finished floor is priced. If you are checking a quote, you need to move between the two.
Short answer: there is no reliable published 2026 UK average for screed per m³, so the honest figure comes from converting per m² prices by depth. Published 2026 laid prices for floating sand and cement screed at 65 to 75mm work out at about £190 to £310 per m³ (trade2base) or £240 to £335 per m³ (MyJobQuote, at its typical 75mm), which is roughly £90 to £160 per tonne of laid screed. Bonded screeds at 25 to 40mm cost far more per m³, because the labour is spread over less material.
This post covers sand and cement screed, site mixed or delivered as semi-dry ready mix. For flowing screed, see our post on liquid screed cost per m3.
Screed cost per m3 and per tonne by construction
The table converts the published 2026 per m² prices into per m³ and per tonne figures. Per m³ is the per m² price divided by the depth in metres. Per tonne assumes laid sand and cement screed weighs about 2,100kg per m³, the figure our screed calculator uses.
| Construction and depth | Published laid price per m² | Works out per m³ | Works out per tonne laid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bonded, 25mm | £12 to £18 (trade2base) | £480 to £720 | £229 to £343 |
| Bonded, 40mm | £12 to £18 (trade2base) | £300 to £450 | £143 to £214 |
| Unbonded, 50mm | £13 to £19 (trade2base) | £260 to £380 | £124 to £181 |
| Floating, 65mm | £14 to £20 (trade2base) | £215 to £308 | £103 to £147 |
| Floating, 75mm | £14 to £20 (trade2base) | £187 to £267 | £89 to £127 |
| Traditional screed, 75mm | £18 to £25 (MyJobQuote) | £240 to £333 | £114 to £159 |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
Two things stand out. The two guides disagree by several pounds per m², which is normal for national averages. More usefully, the price per m³ falls as the screed gets deeper. A 25mm bonded topping can cost more than twice as much per cubic metre as a 75mm floating screed, even though the per m² prices overlap. That is the single most important thing to understand before comparing a per m³ figure with anything.
MyJobQuote says traditional screed is typically laid at about 75mm, though the depth varies with the base, insulation and underfloor heating, so its row uses 75mm. The per m³ and per tonne columns are our arithmetic on published averages, not a price list.
Materials per m3: sharp sand, cement and fibres
A traditional screed is a semi-dry mix of cement and sharp sand. BS 8204-1, as summarised by the Mineral Products Association (MPA), recommends nominal proportions of 1 part cement to 4 parts fine aggregate by weight, with limits of 1:3 and 1:4.5. Using the 2,100kg per m³ laid weight, each cubic metre of finished screed needs roughly:
| Mix by weight | Cement per m³ | 25kg cement bags per m³ | Sharp sand per m³ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1:3 | about 525kg | about 21 | about 1.6 tonnes |
| 1:4 | about 420kg | about 17 | about 1.7 tonnes |
| 1:4.5 | about 380kg | about 15 | about 1.7 tonnes |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
To price materials per m³ yourself, take your merchant's current price for a bag of cement and a tonne (or bulk bag) of screeding sand, then multiply by the quantities above. Add polypropylene fibres if they are specified (the FAQ below shows what they add per m³), then 5 to 10% for waste and an uneven base.
For a supply only comparison, MyJobQuote (August 2026) gives traditional screed at about £12 to £15 per m² for materials. At its typical 75mm depth, that is about £160 to £200 per m³ of materials. Merchant prices change often and vary by region and by load size, so treat your own quote as the figure that counts.
Ready mix screed delivered vs site mixed: price per m3
Ready mix (retarded) screed is batched in a plant and delivered ready to lay. Site mixed screed is made from sand and cement delivered separately. We looked for a published 2025 or 2026 UK average price per m³ for ready mix screed and did not find a reliable one, so we do not quote one. Supplier prices depend on the plant, the strength class, the distance and the size of the load.
What you can do is compare like for like. A ready mix price per m³ normally covers the batched material delivered. A site mixed price per m³ is the sum of the cement, the sand and the fibres, plus the mixer, the person running it and the waste. Use this checklist when you read a ready mix quote:
- Strength class. BS 8204-1 says ready mixed screeds should conform to the performance requirements of BS EN 13813, and the MPA notes that BS 8204-1 accepts a compressive strength class of C20 or C25 as meeting its in situ crushing resistance criteria. Make sure two quotes are for the same class.
- Fibres. Is the price with or without polypropylene fibres?
- Delivery and minimum load. Is delivery included, and is there a charge for a part load?
- Waiting time. Does the supplier charge if the lorry waits on site?
- Working time. Retarded screed stays usable for a set time, so the floor must be ready and the crew big enough to lay the whole delivery that day.
- How it gets in. Loose ready mix is tipped. If it has to be barrowed a long way or pumped, that labour or equipment is extra.
Ready mix usually costs more per m³ than buying the raw materials, but it removes the batching labour and the risk of an inconsistent mix. Site mixing is often cheaper in materials, and it suits small floors and tight access. Our post on ready mix screed vs site mixed covers which suits which job. On a fixed laid price from a contractor, the supply method is already built in.
From per m3 to per m2: depth makes the difference
Volume is area times depth, so the conversion is simple:
- Per m³ to per m²: multiply the per m³ price by the depth in metres. At 65mm, £250 per m³ is £16.25 per m².
- Per m² to per m³: divide the per m² price by the depth in metres. At 75mm, £20 per m² is about £267 per m³.
- Per tonne to per m³: multiply by about 2.1 for laid sand and cement screed. £120 per tonne is about £252 per m³.
The depth is set by the construction, not by choice. BS 8204-1, as summarised by the MPA, gives a bonded screed a minimum of 25mm, with 40mm normally specified; an unbonded screed a minimum of 50mm, with 70mm specified to allow for deviations in the base; and a floating screed a minimum of 75mm, with 65mm normally considered satisfactory for domestic housing. Our screed thickness guide explains each build-up.
Every extra 10mm of depth across 50m² adds half a cubic metre, or about a tonne of screed. If your base is out of level, the average depth can end up well above the nominal one, which is where most budget surprises come from. For the exact volume and the cement and sand for your floor, use the screed calculator rather than estimating by eye.
What labour adds and why compaction is the expensive part
Material is bought by volume, but labour is mostly driven by area. MyJobQuote (August 2026) puts screeding labour at about £10 to £12 per m², or £120 to £200 per day. trade2base (June 2026) gives a skilled screeder at about £180 to £280 per day and a general labourer at about £120 to £160 per day.
At 75mm, £10 to £12 per m² of labour is about £133 to £160 per m³. On a 25mm bonded screed, the same labour is £400 to £480 per m³. That is why thin floors look so expensive per cubic metre: the crew still has to prepare, level, compact and finish every square metre.
The time goes into the steps a semi-dry screed cannot skip:
- Setting levels. Datums and screed rails or levelling bays are set across the floor to the finished height.
- Placing in sections. The screed is laid in bays small enough to finish before it starts to set.
- Compaction. A semi-dry mix only gains its strength when it is fully compacted. Poor compaction leaves a weak layer that can crumble or sound hollow, whatever the cement content.
- Ruling off and floating. The surface is ruled to level with a straightedge, then closed by trowel or power float.
- Curing. The MPA advises covering ready to use screeds with plastic sheeting or similar to retain moisture for at least five days.
A cheap per m³ material price says nothing about any of this. When two laid quotes differ, the difference is usually in labour, preparation and the depth allowed, not the sand and cement.
Fixed costs on small floors
trade2base lists a minimum charge of about £300 to £500 for jobs under 20m². On a small room that minimum can be most of the price, so the per m³ figure for a small floor will look high however it is worked out.
A worked example: checking a 40m² quote
Take a 40m² extension floor, sand and cement floating over insulation at 75mm.
- Volume: 40 × 0.075 = 3m³, or about 3.2 to 3.3m³ with a 5 to 10% allowance. That is roughly 6.6 to 6.9 tonnes of laid screed.
- Published laid price: £14 to £20 per m² (trade2base) gives £560 to £800; £18 to £25 per m² (MyJobQuote) gives £720 to £1,000.
- Per m³: £560 to £1,000 across 3m³ is about £187 to £333 per m³ of finished floor.
If a quote for that floor falls well outside that range, ask why. The answer may be good (a deeper screed, fibres, a DPM, difficult access) or a warning (a shallower depth than the build-up needs). The wider factors are in our floor screeding cost guide.
Get a fixed price for your floor
We supply and lay sand and cement screed from our base in Slough across London and the Home Counties. We do not sell screed by the cube, so our price is for the finished floor, with the depth, materials, waste and labour written into one figure. That saves you pricing each part separately. See how we lay it on our sand and cement screed page.
Send us:
- the floor area in m², or drawings;
- the depth available, or the finished floor level;
- the build-up: bonded, on a membrane or over insulation, and any underfloor heating;
- what flooring goes on top;
- your postcode and any access or parking notes.
Use our contact form or call 07466 650936. We call back the same day, send a written quote within 24 hours, and the price agreed before work starts is the price you pay.
Sources
- Floor Screeding Cost Guide 2026: How Much to Screed a Floor?, MyJobQuote, updated 12 August 2026, accessed 1 October 2026
- Floor screed costs UK 2026, trade2base, published 8 June 2026, accessed 1 October 2026
- Data sheet 22: Screeds, Mineral Products Association (MPA Mortar), issue 3, October 2023, accessed 1 October 2026
- BS 8204-1:2003+A1:2009 Screeds, bases and in situ floorings: concrete bases and cementitious levelling screeds to receive floorings, code of practice, BSI, accessed 1 October 2026
