How much does concreting cost in Townsville?
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Townsville searches lean toward slabs and driveways, so start there: a shed base of about 20 square metres costs $1,625–$3,775, and plain concrete for any slab is $81–$160 per square metre. Exposed aggregate is $130–$215 a square metre, which puts a whole driveway in that finish at $5,200–$9,700 against $2,800–$6,500 for plain. Resurfacing a tired driveway is $54–$86 per square metre. In this city the calendar matters as much as the finish: a dry-season pour is far easier to schedule than one booked in the middle of the wet.
Comparing cities, or after the Australia-wide picture? See the national guide: Concreting cost in Australia.
Detailed Pricing — Concreting Cost in Townsville 2026
Marking out a car park, warehouse floor or loading bay? See our line marking cost guide for Townsville.
| Service | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plain concrete slab (per sqm) | $81/sqm | $120 | $160 |
| Coloured concrete (per sqm) | $105/sqm | $150 | $215 |
| Exposed aggregate (per sqm) | $130/sqm | $175 | $215 |
| Stamped / stencilled (per sqm) | $130/sqm | $165 | $215 |
| Polished concrete — polish existing slab (per sqm) | $65/sqm | $120 | $185 |
| Spray-on resurfacing (per sqm) | $54/sqm | $70 | $86 |
| Driveway — plain (typical 40 sqm) | $2,800total | $4,850 | $6,500 |
| Driveway — exposed aggregate | $5,200total | $7,000 | $9,700 |
| Concrete path / footpath | $81/sqm | $120 | $175 |
| Concrete patio / entertaining | $86/sqm | $135 | $195 |
| Shed slab (typical 20 sqm) | $1,625total | $2,375 | $3,775 |
| Old concrete removal (stand-alone, incl. disposal) | $32/sqm | $65 | $110 |
| Ready-mix concrete, 25 MPa delivered (supply only, per m³) | $325per cubic metre | $410 | $520 |
| Polished concrete — new slab poured + mechanical polish (per sqm) | $175/sqm | $225 | $280 |
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Get Townsville quotes →Prices include GST. Based on Townsville metro area, October 2026. Outer suburbs may vary.
What to Know About Concreting Work and Cost in Townsville
In Townsville the crossover comes under a Road Works Permit for property access — $101 in 2026/27 for a self-assessable single house, and $441 for other development.
Taking out an old crossing is the old-concrete removal row, $32–$110 a square metre in our table, and a plain slab $81–$160.
In Townsville the calendar that matters is the wet season, not the southern summer. About 90% of the year's rain falls between November and April — February alone averages 312 mm, against about 10 mm in September (Bureau of Meteorology climate averages, Townsville Aero). A pour booked for the dry season is far less likely to be rained off; a wet-season pour needs slack in the schedule for weather delays. Local soil conditions, yard slope, and existing site features also affect costs — yards needing extra fill, rock excavation, or root removal can add to the cost before a single pour starts.
In Townsville, a driveway that connects to the road usually needs approval from the council or road authority, and crossover work has to meet its specifications. A good concreter handles the application as part of the quote; a cheap one will leave it to you and risk a failed inspection. We've seen this catch out homeowners more times than it should.
What Affects Concreting Costs in Townsville
Slabs for sheds and carports
Ask whether a shed slab quote includes the thickened edges and any footings the shed maker's drawings call for, along with the hold-down bolts or cast-in plates. A plain slab is $81–$160 a square metre, but the typical 20 sqm shed base lands at $2,375 once formwork, mesh and set-out are included. A carport pad is priced the same way.
The wet and the dry
Rain here arrives in one long burst: February averages 312.4 mm and January 274.4 mm, yet September gets only 9.9 mm (BOM averages). Concreters fill their diaries for the months when the ground stays dry, so book early if you want a slot then. If your pour has to happen in the wet, find out in advance whether a washed-out day moves the date, the price, or both.
Cyclone season
The Bureau of Meteorology's cyclone season runs from November to April. A storm in those months can wash out a prepared base or flood the formwork before the truck arrives. Get it in writing who pays to re-level and re-compact the ground if weather undoes the preparation, and avoid leaving loose formwork timber and mesh lying on site when a warning is issued.
Heat and the setting time
Townsville is in NCC climate zone 1, and even its nights stay warm, with January minimums around 24.4 °C and December highs near 31.6 °C (BOM averages). Warm concrete sets quickly, so a larger crew or an early start is common for driveways. Ask whether the concreter plans to use a set retarder or a curing compound to stop the surface cracking as it dries.
Exposed aggregate and colour
Exposed aggregate is $130–$215 and coloured concrete $105–$215 a square metre, both above the plain rate. Under a hot sun, a dark tint will feel warmer underfoot than a light one, which is worth weighing for a pool surround or a patio used barefoot. Stamped or stencilled finishes are $130–$215.
Council's road works permit
Townsville City Council's fee schedule lists a Road Works Permit for property access, the strip between your boundary and the road, with a self-assessable compliance fee of $101.00 for a single detached dwelling. Ask your concreter whether lodging the permit is part of their service or left to you, and add the fee to the budget either way.
Resurfacing instead of replacing
When a driveway is solid underneath and only the surface has faded, a sprayed topping costs $54–$86, and the dearest end of that range still undercuts typical new plain concrete. A driveway with wide cracks or sunken sections is a different job: it needs breaking out at $32–$110 a square metre before new concrete goes down.
How to Save Money on Concreting Cost in Townsville
- A QBCC licence is needed for Queensland building work from $3,300 up, and a typical driveway is valued above that line, so check the licence number on the QBCC register before signing.
- If you plan to keep a new slab damp with a sprinkler while it cures, Townsville's permanent water conservation measures allow sprinklers only between 5pm and 8am on your odd or even rostered days, and never on a Monday.
- Ask for the slab to be laid with a gentle fall away from the house, so wet-season downpours run off the concrete instead of pooling against the walls.
- Book the pour for the dry months between May and October, when the rain is lowest and the date is least likely to move.
- Check that the quote shows where the control joints and the isolation joint against the house slab will go, since a slab without them cracks where it chooses.
- Separate houses make up 80.1% of Townsville homes (ABS 2021 Census), so side access is often wide enough for the truck to chute straight into the formwork; ask for a price without a pump if yours is, and move the trailer or boat out of the way first.
Concreting Cost in Townsville by Slab Area
Take a 25 square metre carport pad, the example's own assumption, priced the same way as a shed base. On the plain slab row at $81–$160 a square metre it comes to $2,025–$4,000. The shed slab row, $1,625–$3,775, covers about 20 square metres as a whole job.
What moves a pad or shed base of that size in Townsville is the wet and the footings. Thickened edges, footings and bolts or cast-in plates are quoted lines, February is the wettest month and September the driest, and a cyclone warning means loose formwork timber and mesh should be cleared from site.
Concreting Cost in Townsville: What the Quote Should Include
In Townsville the wet season and the cyclone season decide when concrete can be poured, so a quote should say who carries the risk. Heavy rain in January and February, a storm that can wash out a prepared base, and heat that sets concrete quickly each need a line, whether the job is in North Ward, Kirwan or Douglas.
- Who covers re-levelling and re-compacting if a storm undoes the base, set out before work starts.
- What happens to the date, the price or both when a wet-season day is washed out.
- Loose formwork timber and mesh cleared from site when a cyclone warning is issued, and who does it.
- A shed slab or carport pad described, with edges, footings and bolts, the shed slab of about 20 square metres at $1,625–$3,775 and a plain slab at $81–$160 a square metre.
- Heat on pour day: a larger crew or an early start, and a set retarder named where the surface sets quickly.
- A slab laid with a fall away from the house so downpours run off, with joint positions marked on a plan, including the one against the house slab.
- Side access that lets the truck chute directly into the forms, with the pump line left off if it is not needed and any trailer or boat moved first.
- Exposed aggregate at $130–$215 a square metre or coloured concrete at $105–$215, with the tint noted for a pool surround or barefoot patio, since dark colour feels warm underfoot.
- Start and finish dates, payment stages, warranty and GST in writing.
Frequently Asked Questions — Concreting Cost in Townsville
Our Methodology
These are independent estimates from public cost guides, marketplaces and industry rate data, and no tradesperson can influence them, so always get a few quotes. Last reviewed October 2026. Read our full methodology →