By the ConConnect team · Updated August 2026 · Rates verified against published operator rate cards
Concrete pump hire costs $170–$200 per hour for a line pump in most of Australia, and $220–$355+ per hour for boom pumps depending on reach — plus $7–$8 for every cubic metre pumped, a 3–4 hour minimum and about an hour of travel. For a typical residential pour, budget $700–$1,400 on top of the concrete itself. Here's the full fee stack, so nothing on the invoice surprises you.
Wet hire — pump with operator — is how nearly all residential work is priced. Rates below are per hour, ex-GST, with a 3–4 hour minimum almost everywhere. Brisbane tends to sit at the bottom of these ranges and Sydney at the top.
| Pump type | Hourly rate (wet hire) | Most quotes |
|---|---|---|
| Line / trailer pump | $150–$235 | $170–$200 |
| Boom pump, 20–30 m | $195–$260 | $220–$260 |
| Boom pump, 31–40 m | $215–$295 | $250–$295 |
| Boom pump, 41–50 m | $240–$355 | $285–$355 |
| Boom pump, 51 m+ | $360–$440+ | often quote-only |
Compiled August 2026 from published Australian operator rate cards and national hire guides. All figures ex-GST — add 10%.
The hourly rate is only the start. A real pump invoice stacks travel time, a per-m³ pumping charge and set-up costs on top — and every one of them is usually quoted ex-GST.
| Charge | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Travel / call-out | 1 hour at the hourly rate (each way for long runs) |
| Concrete pumped | $7–$8 per m³ (up to $9–$12 on large booms) |
| Slurry / priming | $12–$19 per set-up |
| Extra line beyond ~40 m | $3–$12 per metre, or +$100–$170/hr on long lines (70–150 m) |
| Washout | Free with a compliant washout area on site; ~$100 otherwise |
| Extra labour / spotter | $70–$90 per hour |
| Saturday rates | $170–$290 per hour, 4-hour minimum |
| Sunday / public holidays | From ~$270 per hour, 6-hour minimum |
| Late cancellation | $250 up to the full minimum hire |
Four hours at $185/hr = $740, plus one hour travel = $185, plus 6 m³ pumped at $7 = $42, plus priming slurry = $15. That's $982 ex-GST — about $1,080 on the invoice once GST goes on. Know your volume before you book: work it out with the concrete calculator.
A concrete truck's chute reaches about 3–4 metres from the back of the truck — roughly 6 metres with extensions. If the truck can park against the pour, you don't need a pump at all. The moment the pour is further away than the chute, behind the house, up a level or down a slope, you're choosing between a pump and a long day of barrowing.
As a rule of thumb: anything more than about 6 metres from truck access, any elevated pour, or any pour over 5 m³ that needs to go down fast is pump territory. A line pump's hose runs about 40 metres as standard and can push past 100 metres with long-line surcharges, so "the truck can't get in" almost never means "it can't be poured".
Concrete travels through a hose along the ground. Cheapest option, sets up in tight streets, and handles slabs, driveways, footings, pools and backyard pours. Typical half-day cost: $850–$1,400.
A truck-mounted arm places concrete over houses, fences and up storeys, and moves big volumes fast. Priced by reach — a 24 m boom half-day runs $1,200–$1,800, a 42 m boom $2,000–$3,000.
All-in pump costs — hire, travel, per-m³ and set-up — for common residential jobs. The concrete itself is on top (roughly $250–$400 per m³ supplied; estimate the full job here).
| Job | Typical pump cost |
|---|---|
| Backyard slab or path (4–6 m³, line pump, half day) | $700–$1,400 |
| Driveway or footings (line pump, half day) | $900–$1,400 |
| House slab or extension (20–32 m boom) | $950–$2,300 |
| Large or high pour (42 m+ boom, half day) | $2,000–$4,500 |
One more thing worth knowing: the pump is almost always booked by the concreter, not the homeowner, and passed through on the bill. If you're getting concreting quotes, ask whether pumping is included or an extra — it's a $700–$1,400 question on a typical job.
Line pump hire costs $170–$200 per hour in most of Australia (2026), with a 3–4 hour minimum plus about an hour of travel time. Boom pumps run $220–$355+ per hour depending on reach. On top of the hourly rate you pay $7–$8 per cubic metre pumped, so a typical half-day residential pour lands at $700–$1,400 in pump costs.
Pumping adds $7–$8 per cubic metre on line pumps and small booms, rising to $9–$12 per m³ on large booms — charged on top of the hourly hire rate, and on top of the concrete itself (roughly $250–$400 per m³ supplied). Some Victorian operators skip the per-m³ charge and price purely on time.
You need a pump when the truck can't chute straight into the forms. A standard chute reaches only 3–4 metres from the back of the truck (about 6 m with extensions), so if the pour is further than that, elevated, or behind the house, you're pumping — or barrowing all day. Line pump hose runs about 40 m as standard and can extend past 100 m for a surcharge.
A line pump pushes concrete through a ground-level hose — cheapest and right for most residential slabs, driveways and backyards. A boom pump uses a truck-mounted articulating arm to place concrete at height or over obstacles — multi-storey pours, pouring over a house, or big slabs where speed matters. Booms are priced by reach: the bigger the arm, the higher the rate.
Usually the concreter books the pump and passes the cost through — but whether it's inside the quoted price or an extra line item varies. Always ask. A pump adds roughly $700–$1,400 to a typical residential job, so an unclear quote can move by that much.
Almost never — nearly every published rate card in Australia is ex-GST, so add 10% to compare against your budget. A '$185 per hour' pump is really $203.50 per hour on the invoice. When comparing quotes, check every line: hourly rate, travel, per-m³ and surcharges are all typically quoted ex-GST.
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