How Much Does a Warehouse Concrete Floor Cost per m²?

Understanding the True Cost of a Warehouse Concrete Slab

Warehouse concrete floors aren’t priced by guesswork; they’re engineered slabs built to carry serious loads. Costs vary based on thickness, finish, location, and specification — but knowing typical cost ranges per square metre helps you budget accurately and avoid underbuilding or overspending.

This guide breaks down realistic UK pricing per m² for warehouse concrete floors, whether you’re building a basic storage unit or a forklift-heavy logistics centre. We’ll also cover what drives costs up, what brings them down, and how to specify what your slab really needs.

Warehouse Concrete Floor Cost Breakdown per m² (UK)

Basic Ground-Bearing Slab: £80–£100 per m²

This is the most common setup for general storage and low-load warehouse spaces. It includes excavation, hardcore sub-base, 150–200 mm C35 concrete with fibre mesh reinforcement, and light power float finish. Costs may rise if ground conditions require soil stabilisation or extra depth. This range assumes standard access, flat site, and a slab size of 200 m² or more. Smaller pours or remote locations will increase price due to logistics.

Heavy-Duty Slab for Forklift Traffic: £110–£140 per m²

For slabs subject to heavy mechanical traffic, loading docks, or racking leg loads, you’ll need a thicker specification. Expect 200–250 mm concrete, steel mesh or rebar, better sub-base compaction, and often a steel-fibre reinforced mix. Add costs for armoured joints, saw-cut joints, and slab curling control. These floors must be finished to tighter tolerances and may require jointless or wide-bay panels. This cost does not include coatings or polish — only the structural slab.

Polished Concrete Finish: Add £25–£50 per m²

If you want a polished finish for dust control, reflectivity, or long-term maintenance savings, allow an additional £25 to £50 per m². This includes mechanical grinding, densifier treatment, polishing steps, and sealing. Heavier polishing (exposing aggregate or high gloss) costs more. Polished concrete is more cost-effective long-term than coatings, especially in large warehouse environments with ongoing forklift use.

Epoxy or Resin Coating System: Add £30–£70 per m²

Adding an epoxy, polyurethane, or MMA resin system adds to both material and labour costs. Expect £30 to £70 per m² depending on thickness, slip resistance, and cure speed. Coatings require extensive surface prep and downtime. While they offer strong chemical resistance, they are more expensive to maintain and recoat than polished surfaces. This option is often used in clean zones or specialist areas rather than across entire warehouses.

Factors That Increase Slab Cost

Common cost drivers include: poor ground conditions requiring deeper sub-base; remote site location; limited access for equipment or deliveries; steel reinforcement; shrinkage-compensating concrete; laser screeding; and night pours. Tight tolerances for automated racking or jointless slabs also increase cost. Always allow contingency in your budget for unknowns — especially if no site investigation has been done yet.

Cost-Saving Opportunities

You can reduce costs by: optimising slab thickness to actual use; combining pours to reduce joints; selecting fibre reinforcement over mesh where suitable; avoiding coatings unless required; and ensuring proper sub-base compaction to avoid future repairs. Using polished concrete instead of resin also removes the need for recoat cycles, saving on long-term operating costs. Pricing is always site-specific, but early planning with structural input can prevent overspecification.

What is the typical cost per m² for a warehouse concrete floor?

For most UK installations, expect £80–£140 per m² depending on slab thickness, loading, reinforcement, and location. Finishes like polishing or coatings are additional.

Is polished concrete cheaper than epoxy in the long run?

Yes; polished concrete has lower maintenance, no recoating cycles, and fewer repairs over time. It’s often the most cost-effective warehouse floor finish over 5 to 10 years.

How can I reduce the cost of my warehouse slab?

Avoid overspecifying. Match slab thickness to actual loads, use fibre-reinforced concrete where appropriate, and minimise joints. Good sub-base prep avoids future failures that cost more to fix.