What this site is for
Scaffolding is one of the few trades where most people have no idea what a fair price looks like. Quotes for the same job routinely differ by hundreds of pounds, and without a reference point it is impossible to tell whether that is genuine variation or padding.
Scaffolding Price Estimator exists to give you that reference point before you make a single phone call. Answer five questions and you get a realistic price range with every component itemised, the same components a scaffolder prices from.
Where the numbers come from
Our rate card is calibrated against published UK cost guides, including Checkatrade, MyBuilder, MyJobQuote, Best Builders and contractor price lists, and re-checked whenever those sources move. We test the model against fourteen real-world scenarios, from a chimney tower to a London three-storey wrap, and require every one to land inside its market benchmark before we ship a change.
How the model works
Scaffolding is priced per square metre of the vertical face it covers. Our model follows the same logic:
- Face area. Wall length × working height × the number of elevations. A full wrap is roughly 2.6× a single elevation.
- Marginal rate bands. The first 60 m² is charged at £14/m², then £11.50, £9.75 and £8.50 for each band above. Larger scaffolds cost less per square metre because transport, survey and mobilisation are fixed costs spread over more area. A flat rate overprices full wraps by a third.
- Height factor. Extra bracing and ties above 9 m and again above 15 m.
- Region. From 0.88× in the North and Scotland up to 1.25× in London and the South East.
- Hire period. Four weeks included, then about 6% of the base per extra week.
- Extras. Netting, conservatory bridging, chimney lifts, temporary roofs and permits.
The output is a ±15% range rather than a single figure, because that is the honest spread on a job nobody has surveyed. A two-elevation semi at 9 m × 6 m over six weeks in the Midlands, for example, comes out at £1,320 – £1,780, built from 103 m² at £12.96/m².
What we are not
We do not erect scaffolding, and we are not an agent for anyone who does. Our estimate is not a quotation and creates no contract. It cannot see your site, so restricted access, sloping ground, listed status or a design-engineered scaffold will always need a survey. Treat the number as a sanity check on the quotes you receive, not a replacement for them.
How we make money
The estimator is free and always will be. If, and only if, you explicitly opt in, we pass your enquiry to vetted scaffolding companies covering your area, and they pay us for that introduction. You are never charged, and nothing is shared without that opt-in. Declining it does not change the estimate you see.
Editorial independence
No supplier can pay to change a rate, adjust a benchmark, or influence what our cost guides say. If our numbers were shaded to favour the companies paying us, the tool would be worthless to you and, in short order, worthless to them.
Get in touch
Spotted a rate that looks wrong, or have quotes that disagree with our range? We genuinely want to hear about it, because that feedback is how the model improves. Email info@scaffoldingpriceestimator.co.uk or use the contact form.