How much does a concrete driveway cost per m²?

Concrete is one of the few trades you can price before anyone visits. The cost is close to linear: area in square metres, by the finish, by the slab thickness and mesh the soil calls for, plus a few site costs. So you do not have to wait for a measure to learn a rough number. Here is where the figures sit around Geelong, supplied and laid, in 2026.

What concrete costs per m²

• Cheap quote. no thickness or mesh named, poured over fill $45 to $60/m²
• Plain / broom finish. the grey workhorse, compacted base, control joints $65 to $95/m²
• Exposed aggregate. decorative stone, washed back and sealed $100 to $150/m²
• Coloured / stencil. colour or pattern, sealed, paver look without the joints $100 to $160/m²
• Honed / decorative. ground, polished and sealed, the top of the range $130 to $200/m²

These are a guide only, not a quote. The cheap-quote row is in red for a reason. A number that low usually means a slab poured thinner than the soil calls for, no mesh or reo named, a pour straight over loose fill, and no control joints cut. It is cheap because of what it leaves out, and that is the part that cracks and lifts within two summers.

What moves the number

• The finish. The single biggest lever. Plain or broom finish sits at the bottom, then exposed aggregate, coloured or stencil, and honed or polished at the top. The finish is the surface and the sealing, and it is named on the quote, never left as just "concrete".
• The area in m². Cost is close to linear in area, so the size is the single biggest number on the quote. A small path and a full driveway are not the same job, which is why we price by the m² after a measure rather than off a photo.
• Thickness, mesh and reo. The slab thickness and the mesh and reo, sized off the site classification, not a guess. A standard driveway is 100 mm with SL72 mesh, stepped up to 125 to 150 mm with SL82 or bars for reactive soil or heavier vehicles. This is the part a cheap quote quietly skimps.
• Site prep and excavation. Excavation, the compacted base and any cut and fill are real costs and are itemised. Rock, spoil removal and imported fill can move the number, which is why we pin heavy excavation on the measure rather than fold it into a round figure.
• Access for the truck or pump. Easy access for the concrete truck or the pump keeps the cost down. A long barrow run or a pump line to a tight backyard adds labour, and we cost it on the quote once we see the site, never spring it on you at the end.
• The site classification and design. A structural house or shed slab is designed to AS 2870 off a soil test, which sets the thickness, the footings and the reo. The structural design and the registered paperwork cost a little more than a guessed slab, and they are what stop it moving.

The honest comparison is not which quote is cheapest. It is which quotes price the same finish, the same thickness and mesh, and the same base prep. Line those up and the gap usually explains itself.

Why the base and the reo decide the real cost

The part you pay for twice is the part you cannot see. A slab that cracks across the middle is a base and reo problem, not a finish problem. We excavate to depth, compact the base, and size the mesh to the soil classification, then cut control joints so any shrinkage follows the joint line. That costs a little more than a pour over loose fill, and it is the reason the slab is still flat and crack-free in ten years.

How we price at Slabline

Our estimator gives you a real by-the-m² range in under a minute, before you book anyone. Then the free measure pins the exact figure on site, itemised line by line, with the finish, the thickness, the mesh and the MPa named, and the site classified before we quote it. You can lay it next to any other quote and see, line for line, where the difference sits.