Volume pricing
Liquid Screed Cost per m³: What Changes the Price
Screed suppliers sell by the cubic metre; installers usually quote by the square metre. Here is how the two connect, and why a per-m³ figure on its own tells you less than you think.
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If you have been searching for a liquid screed price per m³, you have probably seen material prices from suppliers. That is only part of the cost. An installed floor also includes the pump, the crew, edge strip and membrane, the levelling on the day and the moisture checks before handover. That is why we, like most installers, quote per m² of floor rather than per m³ of material.
We do not publish a per-m³ price, because the material cost changes with the product and the supplier's load sizes, and it is only one line of an installed job. What we can do is show how volume, depth and area relate, so you can sense-check any quote. For our indicative installed rates by job size, see the floor screed cost guide.
How far one cubic metre goes
| Screed depth | Floor area per m³ (before wastage) |
|---|---|
| 40mm | 25 m² |
| 50mm | 20 m² |
| 65mm | about 15.4 m² |
| 75mm | about 13.3 m² |
Why depth matters more than area
Volume is simply area multiplied by depth. A 100 m² floor at 50mm needs 5 m³; the same floor at 65mm needs 6.5 m³, which is 30% more material for the same room. Over underfloor heating we usually pour 50–65mm, so the depth needed to cover the pipes properly is one of the biggest drivers of the material bill.
Uneven bases push the volume up too. If a slab is out of level, the screed fills the low spots, and a few millimetres across a large floor adds up quickly. That is why we check levels before quoting and allow for wastage; our screed volume and wastage page explains how that allowance is worked out, and how to measure a screed area shows how to get the area right first.
Residential liquid screed
- Level floors for extensions and self-builds
- Screed suitable for underfloor heating
- Build-up planned around your floor finish
What changes the price per m³
- The product: anhydrite screed is typically 8–15% cheaper on materials than cement-based liquid screed.
- Small loads: on small pours, fixed costs such as mobilisation are spread over fewer cubic metres, so the effective rate is higher.
- Pump access and hose length: a long run through a house takes more crew time on the day.
- Underfloor heating: extra edge detailing and pipe checks typically add £2–£4 per m² to the installed rate.
- Travel: Exeter and our regular area carry no surcharge; edge-of-patch jobs have a small mobilisation fee stated on the quote.
Get a fixed price for your floor
Send your floor area, depth and postcode and we'll come back the same working day with a written quote.
Turning a per-m³ figure into a fair comparison
If you have a per-m³ material price from a supplier and a per-m² price from an installer, convert them to the same basis before comparing. Work out your volume from the area and depth, add a wastage allowance, then remember the installer's figure also covers pumping, labour, levelling and handover. A quote that only lists cubic metres, without the depth and product it is based on, is hard to check.
Our screed quote checklist lists what a written quote should include. Send us your area, depth and postcode and we will reply the same working day with a fixed written price.
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Get a fixed price for your floor
Send your floor area, depth and postcode and we'll come back the same working day with a written quote.