Ready-Mix Concrete Prices in Kenya, by Class and Per Cubic Metre
What ready-mix costs per cubic metre
Rates below are for concrete delivered to a Nairobi site, reviewed August 2026, and exclude pumping and placing.
Supply-only against placed: two different numbers
This is where most confusion about Kenyan concrete pricing comes from, and it is worth being precise.
Two independent published sources were compared for this page. A supplier’s own ready-mix rates give Class 15 at 9,490, Class 20 at 11,470, Class 25 at 13,480 and Class 30 at 15,200 per cubic metre. Contractor rates derived from Kenya National Bureau of Statistics figures, VAT included, give 9,500, 11,900, 14,500 and 19,200 for the same classes.
They agree closely at the low grades and diverge sharply at Class 30. That is not a contradiction. Contractor rates include placing, labour, formwork and compaction, and the gap widens with cement content because richer mixes are more work to place and compact properly.
So: use the first table when you are buying concrete and placing it yourself. Use the second when somebody is quoting to supply and place. Comparing one against the other, in either direction, will mislead you by up to a quarter.
What moves your price
Class. The largest single factor, and it is set by your engineer rather than by preference.
Volume. Full loads are cheaper per cubic metre than part loads, and below the minimum there is a surcharge for the drum.
Distance. From the plant to your site, at the actual time of day the pour is scheduled.
Pumping. From about 700 per cubic metre on top, if the truck cannot reach the pour or the pour is above ground floor.
Waiting time. Free for a defined discharge window, charged after it. This is within your control and it is the cost most often incurred unnecessarily.
Getting a comparable quotation
Ask every supplier for four things: the class, whether the rate is delivered, the minimum load and the part-load surcharge, and the free discharge time. Quotes that look different frequently are not, and quotes that look identical sometimes differ by a great deal on the fourth question.
Rates
| Work | Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Class 15 | KES 9,500 - 10,500 /m³ | Blinding, mass fill, pathways. Not for anything structural |
| Class 20 | KES 11,500 - 13,000 /m³ | Residential ground slabs, light foundations |
| Class 25 | KES 13,500 - 16,000 /m³ | Suspended slabs, columns, beams. The usual residential structural grade |
| Class 30 | KES 15,200 - 19,000 /m³ | Heavy foundations, transfer beams, water-retaining work |
| Pumping | from KES 700 /m³ | Added to the supply rate. Booked with the pour, not on the day |
| Part load | surcharged | Below the minimum load you pay for the drum, not the concrete. Ask for the figure |
Rates reviewed August 2026. Every job is confirmed with a written quotation before work starts.
What a concrete supply rate does not include
Every one of these sits under the surface, which is exactly why cheap quotes omit them. They are itemised here rather than discovered once the blocks are already down.
- Pumping. Quoted per m³ on top of supply, and booked with the pour rather than requested on the day
- Placing, compaction and finishing. The rate buys concrete in the drum, not concrete in the formwork
- Formwork, reinforcement and their fixing
- Waiting time beyond the free discharge window. A truck held on site is a truck not doing its next pour
- Part-load surcharges below the minimum order
- Access works. If a loaded truck cannot reach the pour, the answer is a pump, and that is priced
- County levies and any road-use permit where a plant vehicle needs one
Worked examples
| Work | Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Class 15 placed | KES 9,500 /m³ | |
| Class 20 placed | KES 11,900 /m³ | |
| Class 25 placed | KES 14,500 /m³ | |
| Class 30 placed | KES 19,200 /m³ | Against 15,200 supply-only: the gap is labour, formwork and vibration |
Rates reviewed August 2026. Every job is confirmed with a written quotation before work starts.