Blog details

I've been saying it half as a joke for a few weeks now: I didn't think there were this many scaffolding companies in the world, let alone in the UK.

We found this out by spending time with Stellar Scaffolding. Stellar is based in Camberley and covers Hampshire, the Home Counties and London. They also run a YouTube channel about the trade, which is how we came to sponsor a video with Joe and Andy, and a steady stream of scaffolders have signed up since.

It turns out there are about 6,550 of them in the UK alone, according to IBISWorld's 2026 industry figures. That's a lot of firms pricing a lot of jobs, and in most small firms the person pricing them is the owner, often in the evening, with a calculator.

Speaking with them was a great opportunity to learn how the trade really prices work, and to show them what Assemble Pro could do for a scaffolder. They've since taken out an annual subscription.

"I used to do all the pricing myself. I used to do everything off my phone, off my notes, and it used to make things extremely stressful... We get so many people contact us about using different softwares and different systems, and there's a lot that don't really do the job. But that one there is something that's massive, and we cannot recommend it highly enough."

Joe, Stellar Scaffolding

Watch Joe and Andy using Assemble Pro on the Stellar Scaffolding YouTube channel (from 16:37)

This guide is what we learned. It covers how UK scaffolders build a price, a worked example, the mistakes that cost money, and how to get quotes out faster.

The short answer: how UK scaffolders price a job

A UK scaffold price is an erect and strike charge that includes an initial hire period, plus a weekly rate for every week the scaffold stays up after that. Extras like loading bays, chutes, temporary roofs and pavement licences are priced on top.

The main charge is driven by the size of the scaffold: the face area in square metres, how many lifts it needs, and how many elevations it wraps. Published UK guides put domestic work at roughly £20 to £25 per m² of scaffolded face (Checkatrade figures, summarised by Whito).

The included hire period varies by firm, from two weeks up to eight. After it runs out, overruns are often charged at around 5 to 10% of the original quote per extra week (MyBuilder).

The rest of this guide breaks each part down, step by step.

Step 1: Measure the scaffold

Every scaffold price starts with three measurements: the length of each elevation, the height to the top working platform, and the number of lifts.

1. List the elevations. Front, rear, gables and any returns. A full wrap on a detached house is four elevations; a mid-terrace front is one.

2. Measure the length of each elevation along the face, including any return bays at the corners.

3. Set the height to the top working lift, plus the handrail above it. For roof work that usually means a lift just below the eaves.

4. Count the lifts. Under the NASC's TG20:21 guidance, lifts are normally a maximum of 2.0m apart, with up to 2.7m allowed for a base or pavement lift (TG20 operational guide). A two-storey house to eaves is commonly three lifts (BestBuilders).

5. Work out the face area of each elevation, then add them up.

Face area (m²) = elevation length (m) × scaffold height (m)

Bay sizes, tie patterns and loading come from your TG20:21 compliance sheet, or from a bespoke design when the scaffold falls outside TG20. That matters for pricing too: a scaffold that needs a design costs more to plan, and should be priced that way.

If you're pricing from drawings rather than a site visit, measure every elevation off the plans, not just the front. Missing a rear return is one of the quickest ways to under-price.

Step 2: Price the erect and strike

The erect and strike charge is the biggest number on most scaffold quotes. It covers the labour to put the scaffold up and take it down, the haulage to and from the yard, and the use of the kit for the included hire period.

It costs the same whether the scaffold stands for one week or eight, which is why the first period is so much more expensive than every week after it.

Most firms build this charge from a rate per m² of face area, adjusted for:

• Height and lifts. Each extra lift adds tube, boards, fittings and erection time.

• Access. A tight rear garden, a footpath, a conservatory to bridge or a long carry from the wagon all add labour.

• Scaffold type. A straightforward independent tied scaffold is quicker than a cantilever, a birdcage or anything that needs a design.

• Distance from the yard. Haulage and travel time are real costs, and city jobs carry more of both.

Step 3: Set the hire period and the weekly extension

State the included hire period on every quote, then state the weekly rate that applies after it. That one line protects your margin when the job overruns.

Overruns are rarely the scaffolder's fault. Materials arrive late, the weather turns, or another trade runs over, and the scaffold sits there earning nothing unless the quote says what happens next.

A common approach is to charge each extra week as a percentage of the erect and strike price, typically 5 to 10%. Some firms charge per elevation per week instead, so that a client who finishes the front early can have it struck and stop paying for it.

Step 4: Price the extras line by line

Extras belong on their own lines, each with its own unit, so the client can see what they're paying for and you can charge for changes cleanly.

Two items catch people out more than any other.

Pavement licences. Under Section 169 of the Highways Act 1980, you need a licence from the council before scaffolding goes on or over the public highway. Fees and periods vary by council: Merthyr Tydfil charges £44 for four weeks, while Derbyshire charges £93 for 14 days, plus £55 per extension. Price the renewals, not just the first licence.

Inspections. The HSE requires a construction scaffold to be inspected before first use and then every 7 days until it comes down, and after bad weather or alterations. On a long job that's a lot of visits. Either build them into the weekly rate or price them as their own line, but don't give them away.

Worked example: a two-storey semi re-roof

Here's a full price for a common job: scaffold to the front and rear of a two-storey semi-detached house for a re-roof, with the front elevation on a public footpath. The rates are illustrative, so swap in your own.

Measurements

• Front elevation: 8.0m long. Rear elevation: 8.0m long.

• Three lifts at 2.0m, with the top lift just below the eaves and a handrail above it, giving a scaffold height of 7.0m.

• Face area: 8.0 × 7.0 = 56 m² per elevation, so 112 m² in total.

The quote

If the roofer runs three weeks over, the extension line adds £555. Because it's written on the quote, that's a conversation about a number the client already agreed to, not an argument.

Notice what the example doesn't do: it doesn't hide the licence inside the m² rate, and it doesn't leave the hire period unstated. Those two habits are where most scaffold margin leaks.

Common scaffold pricing mistakes

• Bundling hire into every rate. One QS bill of rates we worked through for a scaffolder had six weeks of hire baked into every line. It looks tidy, but it leaves no clean way to charge for an overrun. Keep erect and strike separate from hire.

• Not stating the hire period. If the quote doesn't say how many weeks are included, the client will assume the scaffold stays up for as long as they need it.

• Pricing from the front elevation only. Rear returns, gables and bridges over extensions add up fast. Measure every elevation.

• Forgetting licence renewals. A 14-day licence on an eight-week job is four licences, not one.

• Giving away adaptations. Every time a lift is moved for another trade, that's a crew visit. Put a rate for adaptations on the quote.

• Quoting too slowly. Builders and roofers ring round several scaffolders. The first clear, itemised price often wins, even when it isn't the cheapest.

What we learned from Stellar, and how Assemble Pro fits

We came into scaffolding thinking of it as one trade. Stellar's own service list showed us it's closer to dozens: domestic wraps, temporary roofs, loading bays, crash decks, façade retention, each with its own way of being priced.

What stayed the same across all of it was the shape of the estimate. Measure the elevations, count the lifts, price the face area, then add the extras one line at a time. That's exactly the kind of estimate Assemble Pro was built for.

Here's how a scaffolder uses it:

1. Upload the drawings. Assemble Pro sets the page scale and names the drawing pages for you.

2. Measure each elevation with the length and area tools, straight off the PDF.

3. Store your rates once in the Library: your m² rate, loading bays, chutes, temporary roofs, licences and your weekly extension.

4. Build an assembly per scaffold type, so a domestic three-lift scaffold brings its rate, hire and inspection lines with it.

5. Start each job from a template. We've set up scaffolding templates for customers, such as commercial street work and residential scaffolds with progressive lifts.

6. Send an itemised estimate that shows the hire period and extension rate on the page.

"It scales your drawing straight away... I can put lifts into this. I'll put one lift around it and get the whole load list for that lift... I won't have to get a ruler out again. I won't have to print any drawings."

Andy, Stellar Scaffolding

Assemble Pro is £60 a month, or £500 a year, with a free trial. If you price scaffolding and want to see it on one of your own jobs, start a free trial.

FAQ

How much does scaffolding cost per m² in the UK?

Published UK guides put domestic scaffolding at roughly £20 to £25 per m² of face area in 2026, including erection, dismantling and an initial hire period. Height, access and location move it either way.

How long is scaffold hire usually included for?

It varies by firm, from two weeks up to eight. Whatever you include, state it on the quote along with the weekly rate that applies after it.

How do scaffolders charge for overruns?

Usually a weekly extension rate, often 5 to 10% of the original erect and strike price per extra week, or a rate per elevation per week.

What is a lift in scaffolding?

A lift is one level of the scaffold, measured from one working platform to the next. Under TG20:21, lifts are normally a maximum of 2.0m, with up to 2.7m for a base or pavement lift.

Do I need a licence to put scaffolding on a pavement?

Yes. Section 169 of the Highways Act 1980 requires a licence from the council before scaffolding goes on or over the public highway. Fees and licence periods vary by council.

How often does scaffolding need to be inspected?

Before first use, then at least every 7 days until it's taken down, and after bad weather or any alteration, under the Work at Height Regulations 2005.

What's the best estimating software for scaffolders?

Look for software that measures elevations straight off the drawings, stores your rates and extras once, and produces an itemised quote that shows the hire period. Assemble Pro does all three for £60 a month in the UK.