What formwork work really costs, and what to charge over it
For the formwork jobs quoted most: the benchmark cost of actually doing the work, and the sell rates that land a floor, healthy or premium margin, on the national card and on every regional card. All ex GST, derived from Sumitt's 2026 rate cards. Type your own rate into the checker to see where you sit.
← The full indexFormwork: the benchmarks
| Job | Cost | Floor | Healthy | Premium | Healthy, by region | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspended slab, class 3per m² · benchmark scope: 150 m2 suspended slab 150 thick class 3 soffit | $86 | $101 | $123 | $143 | $116 to $140Adelaide / SA metro → Sydney / NSW metro | Check your rate |
| Slab edge boardsper lm · benchmark scope: 60 lm edge boards 150 high | $25 | $29 | $36 | $42 | $34 to $40Adelaide / SA metro → Sydney / NSW metro | Check your rate |
The healthy rate, card by card
The same reference scope priced on each regional rate card, ex GST, at the healthy margin. Each card carries its own material and labour factor against the national average.
| Rate card | Materials | Labour | Suspended slab, class 3 | Slab edge boards |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia-wide average (default) | 1.00 | 1.00 | $123 | $36 |
| Sydney / NSW metro | 1.06 | 1.14 | $140 | $40 |
| Melbourne / VIC metro | 1.00 | 1.00 | $123 | $36 |
| Brisbane / SEQ | 1.04 | 1.06 | $130 | $38 |
| Perth / WA metro | 1.03 | 1.02 | $125 | $37 |
| Adelaide / SA metro | 0.96 | 0.94 | $116 | $34 |
| Canberra / ACT | 1.05 | 1.12 | $137 | $40 |
| Hobart / TAS | 1.00 | 0.96 | $118 | $35 |
| Darwin / NT | 1.15 | 1.10 | $135 | $40 |
| Regional (freight + travel) | 1.08 | 1.03 | $127 | $37 |
Method.Every figure is derived, not surveyed: Sumitt’s 2026 regional rate cards (the original eleven trades recalibrated July 2026 against named-supplier pricing; carpentry, roofing, bricklaying and rendering calibrated on their addition in August 2026) are priced over the reference scope shown under each job by the same deterministic takeoff engine the app quotes with, then grossed up to each margin level. All figures ex GST. Regional spread uses the same rate cards’ material and labour factors. No AI, no user data, and nothing here reflects what any Sumitt user charges.
These are the current edition’s figures; the edition label and its publication date are on the index. Rates are guidance for your own pricing, not gospel and not advice; your costs are the ones that matter, and every derived number stays editable inside Sumitt.