When the budget is tight, the question of cheaper concrete comes up early. Should you pour ready mix concrete or lay a concrete block wall? Both methods use concrete, but the costs behind them are quite different. Concrete costs catch many builders out. You price up materials, forget about equipment hire, underestimate the labour, and suddenly a job that looked affordable is running over budget.
Material prices, labour rates, equipment hire, even long-term maintenance... these all affect the calculation for your project. A driveway and a garden wall do not follow the same cost logic, and choosing the wrong method can add hundreds to a job that should have been straightforward. Use our concrete volume calculator below to determine the exact amount of concrete required for your project.
This article covers the full cost breakdown, with realistic UK figures to guide your decision before work starts on site.
What Do Concrete Materials Actually Cost?
Ready-mix concrete is priced per cubic metre. According to Checkatrade, the average cost of ready-mix concrete in the UK is around £120 per m³, with prices ranging from £100 to £160 per m³ depending on your region, grade, and supplier. Delivery adds a further £100-£200 on top of that. For a typical domestic foundation measuring 6m x 0.6m x 0.3m, you would need roughly 1.1m³, putting material and delivery costs combined at around £210 to £375 before any equipment or labour is factored in [1].
Concrete blocks are priced per unit. A standard 440 x 215 x 100mm dense aggregate block costs between £1.50 and £2.50 at builders' merchant prices. For the same foundation run, you would need considerably more blocks than that figure suggests once you account for mortar, waste, and coursing. At a small project scale, the per-unit cost of blockwork can appear lower, but the volume required often closes that gap quickly.
At medium scale, poured concrete becomes more cost-efficient. Ready-mix is ordered in bulk and priced accordingly, so larger pours benefit from a lower effective cost per m³. Blockwork does not scale in the same way, and material costs rise proportionally with each additional course.
For a more detailed look at how ready-mix concrete is priced in the UK, including grade variations and supplier considerations, our ready mix concrete prices guide covers the full breakdown.
The Real Cost Difference Sits in Labour & Equipment
Pouring concrete requires less skilled labour than laying blocks, but carries higher equipment costs. Hiring a mixer, vibrating poker, and shuttering can add £150-£300 or more to a domestic job, with pump hire pushing costs higher still. The work is also faster, which keeps day-rate labour costs lower overall.
Blockwork is more labour-intensive and requires a skilled tradesperson, typically charging £150-£250 per day. A job that takes one operative a day in poured concrete could take two days of skilled blockwork. According to the Building Cost Information Service (BCIS), construction labour costs are forecast to rise 15% between Q1 2026 and Q1 2031, with 62% of professionals surveyed expecting an uplift in the next 12 months. A shrinking skilled workforce is a key driver, and blocklaying sits squarely in the trades most affected [2].
For DIY projects, blockwork is more forgiving than managing a ready-mix pour, which has a narrow working window and less room for error. However, if you are weighing up whether to manage the pour yourself or bring in a professional, our guide to the dangers of DIY concrete pouring is worth reading before you commit.
Maintenance & Durability Catches Builders Out Long Term
Poured concrete, when correctly specified, has a long service life with minimal maintenance. According to the Concrete Centre's (CC) guide to BS 8500, concrete is designed for intended working lives of 50 or 100 years, with many project specifications adopting 60 years as standard. Achieving that lifespan depends on selecting the right exposure class, strength grade, and cement type for the conditions the structure will face. Get those decisions wrong, and maintenance costs will follow [3].
Concrete blocks perform well in above-ground applications such as walls and retaining structures. Individual units can be replaced without disturbing the surrounding structure, making localised repair more straightforward than remedying a cracked slab. However, mortar joints are a potential weak point over time, particularly in exposed or wet conditions where freeze-thaw cycling can accelerate deterioration.
For both methods, the long-term cost case is the same: correct specification at the outset is cheaper than remedial work later. For a practical look at the most common causes of concrete deterioration and how to address them, our guide, troubleshooting concrete cracking: common causes & fixes, covers the key failure points.
Proven Tips to Keep Your Build Costs Down
There are practical steps you can take to keep costs down, whichever method you choose.
Use these three principles to control costs on site:
- Plan your pour volume carefully to avoid ordering more concrete than the job requires.
- Combine methods where it makes sense, such as pouring a concrete base and using blocks for the wall above it.
- Choose the correct mix grade or block type for the application rather than over-specifying.
Ordering ready-mix concrete in a single pour is more cost-efficient than splitting delivery across multiple smaller loads. Each delivery carries a minimum charge, so consolidating your order saves money. For blockwork, buying in full packs from a builders' merchant reduces waste and unit cost compared to buying loose.
So, Which Method is Cheaper?
Before the figures are available, it is easy to assume that one method is simply cheaper than the other. Once you account for materials, labour, equipment, and the structure's lifetime, the answer depends on what you are building and at what scale. For larger pours, foundations, and slabs, ready-mix concrete is usually the more cost-efficient choice once labour time and equipment are factored in. For smaller above-ground structures or projects where a skilled labourer is already on site, blockwork can be cost-competitive.
Wright Readymix supplies ready-mix concrete and concrete blocks to domestic and commercial projects across Bristol, Avonmouth, Newport, Cheddar, and Paignton. With five concrete plants across the South West and South Wales, a 24/7 team, and the backing of The LGW Group, we are well placed to advise on mix specification, volume, and the most cost-effective approach for your project.
Call 0117 958 2090 or get in touch to discuss which option suits your project and budget.
External Sources
[1] Checkatrade, What Is the Cost of Ready Mix Concrete per M³: https://www.checkatrade.com/blog/cost-guides/ready-mix-concrete-cost/
[2] Building Cost Information Service (BCIS), Beyond Materials: Why Labour Costs Remain a Key Pressure Point for Construction: https://www.bcis.co.uk/insight/beyond-materials-why-labour-costs-remain-a-key-pressure-point-for-construction/
[3] Concrete Centre (CC), How To Design Concrete Structures Using Eurocode 2, BS 8500 for Building and Civil Structures: https://www.concretecentre.com/getmedia/89d9767b-4a4b-468c-8f78-cd05c8294b21/MB_FD_HowToGuide_Feb24.aspx