# Carpentry & joinery – what to charge in 2026 (UK)
You price carpentry in 2026 off roughly a £250–£350 day rate outside London and around £300–£400 in London, then build fixed prices for the common jobs most homeowners ask for.
1. Day rates – carpentry & joinery in 2026
All figures are labour‑only, pre‑VAT. Current UK guides put carpenters at about £37.50/hour and an average day rate around £300.
Newly qualified / first year self‑employed
- London & South East: £200–£240/day
- Midlands: £170–£210/day
- North of England: £160–£200/day
- Scotland / Wales / rural: £150–£200/day
Experienced (around 3–5 years on your own)
- London & South East: £260–£330/day
- Midlands: £220–£280/day
- North of England: £210–£270/day
- Scotland / Wales / rural: £200–£260/day
Highly experienced / specialist (fitted furniture, high‑end)
- London & South East: £320–£400+/day
- Midlands: £260–£340/day
- North of England: £240–£320/day
- Scotland / Wales / rural: £230–£310/day
Checkatrade's carpentry price guide: average £37.50/hour, £300/day; day rate of "around £300 for most jobs" is their headline. Salary data shows employed carpenters averaging £31,600/year (about £13.80/hour), with experienced/self‑employed carpenters hitting £36k–£52k+.
2. Common carpentry jobs and typical 2026 prices
From Checkatrade's carpentry price guide and similar 2026 data.
Hang an internal door (labour only)
- Typical price: £100–£140 per door, average £120.
- Includes: Rehanging or fitting new internal door, fitting hinges and latch, minor adjustments.
- Price goes up if: Frames are out, doors need trimming heavily, fire doors, new linings needed.
Supply and fit skirting board
- Typical price: £20–£40 per metre, average £30/m.
- Includes: Cut, fix, basic mitres, standard profile MDF/softwood.
- Price goes up if: Detailed profiles, hardwood, lots of fiddly cuts, old adhesive to remove.
Fit architraves / door linings
- Typical price: often priced similarly to skirting – expect £80–£150 per doorway depending on spec.
- Includes: Linings, architraves, basic making good.
- Price goes up if: Walls are badly out, thick plaster, big packs.
Construct a fitted wardrobe (standard size)
- Typical price: £800–£1,400, average ~£1,100 supply and fit.
- Includes: Carcass, hanging rails, shelves, doors, basic paint‑ready or pre‑finished front.
- Price goes up if: Bespoke internals, high‑end doors, awkward alcoves, integrated lighting.
Fit laminate flooring
- Typical price (labour only): £40–£50/m², average £45/m².
- Includes: Underlay laid, boards fitted, basic trims.
- Price goes up if: Lots of doorways, complex layouts, herringbone patterns.
Fit engineered wood flooring
- Typical price (labour only): £45–£55/m², average £50/m².
- Includes: As above but typically slightly more care/time.
- Price goes up if: Glued systems, heavy prep, levelling sub‑floors.
Fit solid wood flooring
- Typical price (labour only): £50–£60/m², average £55/m².
- Includes: Fixing boards, basic finishing.
- Price goes up if: Complex patterns, staining/finishing on site.
Herringbone pattern install (any wood type)
- Typical price (labour only): £65–£90/m², average £77.50/m².
- Includes: Setting out, fitting pattern, more cutting and time.
- Price goes up if: Borders, inlays, lots of cuts around fixtures.
Install decking (labour only)
- Typical price: £80–£120/m², average £100/m².
- Includes: Frame and boards, basic posts and fixings.
- Price goes up if: Raised decks, balustrades, difficult ground, access.
These are the ranges being quoted in mainstream guides and still broadly right for 2026 once you adjust for your own costs.
3. What carpenters actually earn (2026)
A few solid data points:
- Jobted: average carpenter salary £31,600/year, with experienced carpenters up to £52,000/year.
- MyJobQuote 2026:
- Apprentice: ~£13,300/year
- Newly qualified: ~£17,500/year
- Employed, experienced: £47,800–£62,400/year (roughly £23–£30/hour).
- Travis Perkins quoting Checkatrade research:
- Apprentice carpenter: £11,414/year
- Newly qualified: £17,560/year
- Employed carpenter: £35,360/year.
Self‑employed carpenters:
Checkatrade and joiner guides suggest self‑employed or limited‑company joiners can charge up to £45/hour, equating to £360/day+ for top‑end work.
Employed carpenters average low‑30s; experienced self‑employed carpenters who keep a solid 2026 day rate and stay booked can push into the high‑40s and 50s before tax – but only if their rates cover all the gear, travel and downtime.
4. What's usually NOT included in carpentry quotes
The bits that often get assumed:
Painting/finishing Priming, undercoating, top coats on doors, skirting, wardrobes and decks. Usually excluded; you leave ready‑to‑paint.
Floor prep and levelling Smoothing or self‑levelling floors for laminates/wood, removing old adhesive and nails – often extra.
Electrics and other trades Moving sockets, wiring for wardrobe lights, cutting and refitting radiators – separate trades unless clearly included.
Waste and disposal Old doors, skirting, carpets, offcuts – often a separate charge if it's more than a small amount.
Design changes mid‑job Changes to wardrobe layouts, extra shelves, extra doors – should be variations, not freebies.
5. How carpenters charge – day rate vs fixed price
Domestic work
Most domestic carpentry is fixed price per job:
Hanging doors, fitting skirting and architraves, laying floors, building alcove units/fitted wardrobes – all usually quoted as fixed amounts.
Behind the scenes, carpenters often work off a target day rate (~£250–£350) and expected outputs (doors per day, metres of skirting per day, m² of flooring per day).
Day rates come out when:
- The scope is unclear (lots of little bits, unknown rot, repair work).
- You're doing snagging or punch‑list items for a builder.
- You're on site on CIS as a pair of hands.
Workshop vs site joinery
- Workshop joiners (bespoke furniture, cabinets) are more likely to price by the piece with an internal hourly/day rate behind it.
- Site carpenters (1st/2nd fix, roofs, facings) will mix day rates for builders and fixed prices for domestic jobs.
Carpenters mostly use fixed prices and internal day rates in domestic work, with more straight day‑rate and piece‑work style charging on site for builders.
6. Materials and markup for carpentry (2026)
Carpentry materials can be a big ticket if you're supplying timber and boards.
- For standard materials (MDF, softwood, skirting, architraves, sheet materials, fixings), adding 10–20% on your cost is normal to cover sourcing, storage and waste.
- On bespoke jobs (fitted wardrobes, alcove units, custom furniture) using premium boards or hardwoods, markups closer to 15–25% are common, especially when you've measured, specified, ordered and checked everything.
- Merchant and timber yard prices often give trades better deals than the public, especially on volume – that difference is part of your margin.
Plain wording for customers:
"There's a small margin on materials to cover measuring, ordering, collection and dealing with any problems. You still benefit from my trade prices – buying small quantities yourself is usually dearer once you factor in your time and delivery."
What to do next
- Read: 14.2 – How to price your first job without underselling yourself
- Read: 14.4 – Why you should never be the cheapest quote
- Read: 14.8 – Materials: who supplies, who pays, where's the margin?
- Read: 14.1 – Day rate vs price work vs quoted
- Download: Payment schedule and deposit terms template
- Use: Late Payment Calculator – to see what "I'll sort you next month" is actually doing to your hourly rate
Sources (UK, 2026‑relevant)
- Checkatrade – "Carpentry prices guide | Carpenter UK rates in 2026" – hourly and day rate averages, common job prices.
- MyJobQuote – "How Much Do Carpenters Make? Salary & Earning Potential" – hourly, daily and annual income examples.
- Jobted, PayScale, Reed – average carpenter salary benchmarks around £31k–£39k/year.
- Travis Perkins – "How Much Does a Carpenter Earn?" – apprentice, newly qualified and employed carpenter salary figures.
- Contractor markup guides – typical materials markup ranges for small construction businesses.
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