Slabs, footings & structure

House slabs: waffle pod vs raft, engineering and cost

A house slab is designed by an engineer from a soil test: the site classification under AS 2870 (A, S, M, H1, H2, E, P) decides the slab type, beam depth and steel..

102 businesses listedUpdated October 2026
In short

A house slab is designed by an engineer from a soil test: the site classification under AS 2870 (A, S, M, H1, H2, E, P) decides the slab type, beam depth and steel.

What house slabs involves

  1. Soil test and site classification
  2. Engineer's slab design (waffle pod or stiffened raft)
  3. Site cut, plumbing rough-in, termite barrier and vapour barrier
  4. Pods or trench beams, reinforcement and formwork
  5. Steel inspection by the engineer or certifier before the pour
  6. Pour, finish and cure
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How much house slabs costs

House slabs are priced by the builder from the engineer's design; there is no honest single per-m² figure. As context, plain residential concrete costs $75–$150 per m² and 25 MPa ready-mix is about $300–$480 per m³ delivered.

Price ranges in Australia (GST incl.)

Source: whatsthedamage.com.au, Concreting cost Australia 2026 (verified October 2026). Prices include GST. Checked October 2026.

Plain concrete slab: typical price per m² by state

NSW$126
VIC$116
QLD$110
WA$116
SA$101
TAS$100
NT$110
ACT$120
National typical price × capital-city price index (October 2026). Click a state to open the calculator.

Estimate your job in the calculator Is my quote fair?

Before you hire

  • Get the soil report and engineer's drawings before quotes
  • Check the quote includes pods, steel, termite and vapour barriers and the pump
  • Make sure the steel inspection is booked before the pour
  • Ask what concrete strength (MPa) and slump the engineer specified

Standards and approvals

Residential slabs and footings are designed to AS 2870; concrete structures to AS 3600; reinforcing steel to AS/NZS 4671. Inspections are carried out by the engineer or building surveyor. Concreting for homes is licensed building work in most states. In NSW a contractor licence from NSW Fair Trading is needed for residential work over $5,000 (labour and materials, incl. GST); in Queensland a QBCC licence is needed for work over $3,300; in Victoria, domestic building work over $10,000 must be done by a registered builder (Building and Plumbing Commission). Check the licence number on the regulator's public register before paying a deposit.

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Who does house slabs

102 businesses in the directory list this service; 102 of them mention it on their own website (the quote is on each business page).

New South Wales 28 businesses
  • Concreter
    A1 Concreters MaitlandMaitland, NSW
    • Concrete driveways
    • Concrete paths & footpaths
    • House slabs
  • Concreter
    A1 Concreters NewcastleToronto, NSW
    • Concrete driveways
    • Concrete paths & footpaths
    • Car parks & loading bays
  • Concreter
    Australian Concrete Pty LtdBlacktown, NSW
    • Concrete driveways
    • Driveway crossovers
    • Concrete paths & footpaths
  • Concreter
    Concreting Services NSWPenrith, NSW
    • Concrete driveways
    • Concrete paths & footpaths
    • House slabs
  • Concreter
    Di Prinzio ConcretingMorisset, NSW
    • Concrete paths & footpaths
    • Car parks & loading bays
    • House slabs
  • Concreter
    DMK ConcreteKurri Kurri, NSW
    • Concrete driveways
    • Concrete paths & footpaths
    • House slabs
  • Concreter
    DRP ConcretingDoyalson, NSW
    • Concrete driveways
    • Concrete paths & footpaths
    • Concrete steps & ramps
  • Concreter
    H.c.s ConcretingCessnock, NSW
    • Concrete driveways
    • Concrete paths & footpaths
    • House slabs
  • Concreter
    Make It ConcreteMoruya, NSW
    • Concrete driveways
    • Concrete paths & footpaths
    • Car parks & loading bays
  • Concreter
    Narooma ConcretingMoruya, NSW
    • Concrete driveways
    • Concrete paths & footpaths
    • House slabs
  • Concreter
    Rok Solid ConcretingCrookwell, NSW
    • Concrete driveways
    • Concrete paths & footpaths
    • Concrete steps & ramps
  • Concreter
    Smithcrete ConcretingArmidale, NSW
    • Concrete driveways
    • Concrete paths & footpaths
    • House slabs

All concreters in New South Wales

Victoria 1 business
  • Concreter
    Kalm ConcreteBerwick, VIC
    • Concrete driveways
    • Driveway crossovers
    • Concrete paths & footpaths
Queensland 33 businesses

All concreters in Queensland

Western Australia 10 businesses
South Australia 7 businesses
Tasmania 8 businesses
Northern Territory 5 businesses
Australian Capital Territory 10 businesses
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Common questions

What is a waffle pod slab?

A slab poured over a grid of polystyrene pods, so it sits on the ground with a grid of beams. It is quick to build on flat sites with fairly stable soil.

What is a raft slab?

A slab with deeper beams dug into the ground around the edges and under load-bearing walls. It suits sloping or more reactive sites.

What do soil classes A, S, M, H and E mean?

They describe how much the soil moves with moisture under AS 2870 – from A (stable sand or rock) to E (extremely reactive clay). P means a problem site that needs special engineering.

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