How much does a carpenter cost in the UK?

Carpenter pricing varies more than people expect, and there is no single "correct" figure — it depends on where you live, what the job involves, whether materials are supplied by the carpenter or by you, and how experienced the tradesperson is. This guide sets out the typical ranges reported across UK pricing guides in 2026, so you have a realistic sense of what to expect before you start getting quotes.

For general hourly work, most qualified carpenters across the UK commonly charge somewhere between £40 and £75 per hour, though the figure moves with location and specialism. In London and the South East, rates for highly skilled carpenters typically climb to around £80-£95 per hour, reflecting higher living and business costs in the capital. In northern England and Wales, rates tend to sit lower, commonly £35-£55 per hour. Some pricing guides report a somewhat lower national band, around £28-£46 per hour rising to £46-£70 in London — the exact figures differ between sources, which is a useful reminder to treat any single number as a starting point for comparison rather than a fixed price, and to always get a written quote for your specific job.

Many jobs are priced by the day rather than the hour, particularly anything likely to take a full working day or more. A typical carpenter's day rate across most of the UK commonly falls between £180 and £320, rising to roughly £280-£450 in London and the South East. Some guides cite an average day rate of around £300 nationally. It's also worth asking whether a call-out fee applies — some carpenters charge £50-£100 to attend before hourly work begins, while others fold this into their standard rate, so it is worth clarifying up front which approach applies to your quote.

Beyond hourly and day rates, it helps to have a sense of what common jobs actually cost in practice. Hanging an internal door on a sound, existing frame while reusing the hinges and handle typically costs around £50-£90 in labour, rising to roughly £70-£120 if new hinges, a new latch and a new handle are needed. Once you add the cost of the door itself, along with any frame repairs, a full supply-and-fit job for one door commonly totals somewhere between £100 and £400, averaging around £250. If you need several doors done, booking them together in one visit is generally more cost-effective than calling a carpenter back for a single door later, since much of the cost is in the visit itself rather than the work on each individual door.

Skirting board work is priced a little differently, generally per linear metre rather than per item. Supply-and-fit for a standard skirting board commonly costs around £22 per linear metre, with the carpentry labour itself averaging roughly £31 per hour. For a full room — a mid-sized bedroom or reception room, for example — replacing all the skirting typically costs somewhere in the region of £225 to £440 in total, depending on the room's size and how many corners and awkward cuts are involved, since intricate cutting adds time.

Fitted wardrobes and built-in storage sit at the more expensive end of typical carpentry work, largely because of the amount of material and bespoke fitting involved. Overall, fitted wardrobes commonly range from around £1,500 up to £7,000 or more, with an average cost cited around £2,600. A standard three-door fitted wardrobe averages roughly £3,250, a six-door version around £4,800, and sliding-door designs commonly average about £3,700. Priced per linear metre, expect roughly £600-£900 for a quality mid-range fit, rising to £900-£1,500 or more for fully bespoke joinery. We cover fitted wardrobes and storage in more detail in a dedicated guide.

A few other factors consistently move the price beyond region and job type. Whether the carpenter supplies materials or you do makes a meaningful difference — supply-and-fit pricing bundles in a markup on materials alongside labour, while labour-only pricing means you're sourcing timber, doors and fixings yourself, which can save money if you're comfortable choosing the right products but shifts more responsibility onto you if something doesn't fit. Access and site conditions matter too — a job in a cramped period property with awkward angles and old, uneven walls generally takes longer, and costs more, than the same job in a modern, square-walled new-build. And urgent or out-of-hours call-outs, for something like a broken door lock or storm damage, typically carry a premium over work booked in the normal course of a diary.

As a general rule, the best way to get an accurate price for your own job is to ask a few local carpenters for a written, itemised quote rather than relying on averages — this also gives you the chance to compare not just the bottom-line figure but exactly what is included, such as materials, disposal of waste, and any making-good to walls or flooring once the work is finished.

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