The rates below are starting points you replace with your own — a worked shape, not market prices. Work out the bags with the plaster and render calculator, then check what an hour has to earn with the charge-out rate calculator.
A worked example: render to a 46 m² blockwork wall
Two-coat sand and cement render to new blockwork, ground level with hop-ups, sponge finish, plasterer supplying materials. Registered for GST.
| Line | Qty | Rate | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Set up, hop-ups and protection to windows and paving | 1 | $380.00 | $380.00 |
| Prepare substrate — clean, dampen and bond coat | 46 | $12.00 | $552.00 |
| Render — two coats, sand and cement | 46 | $58.00 | $2,668.00 |
| Beads, stop ends and external corners | 22 | $16.00 | $352.00 |
| Sponge finish and final rub | 46 | $14.00 | $644.00 |
| Materials — sand, cement, lime, bonding and beads | 1 | $690.00 | $690.00 |
| Clean down, remove waste and site tidy | 1 | $420.00 | $420.00 |
| Subtotal | $5,706.00 | ||
| GST (10%) | $570.60 | ||
| Total inc GST | $6,276.60 | ||
| Deposit to book in (20%) | $1,255.32 | ||
| Balance on completion | $5,021.28 |
Scaffold and protection sit above the render, and the clean-up sits below it. Both are real time on a job this size, and both are what a customer assumes is included in "rendering the wall" unless the quote says otherwise.
What to put on a plastering quote
- Business name, ABN, and your licence number where your state requires one for the value of the work.
- Which work this is — solid plaster, render, or sheeting and setting. They are different trades to you and the same word to a customer.
- The area in square metres, walls and ceilings separately, with the rate each is priced at.
- The level of finish the price assumes, and what a higher one costs. This is the single most common cause of a "it is not smooth enough" argument.
- The substrate condition the price assumes — new, sound, painted, or something that needs stripping. And what happens if it is not what you were shown.
- Number of coats, and the finish: sponge, trowel, texture, or set ready for paint.
- Beads, stop ends, corners and cornice — itemised with lineal metres, because they are labour that does not show up in a wall area.
- Who supplies materials, and whether that includes bonding agents, beads and fixings.
- Sanding, and who cleans up after it. Sanding dust travels through a whole house and the clean-up is a real cost — say whose it is.
- Drying time and access — how long between coats, whether the customer can use the room, and what happens to the schedule in cold or wet weather.
- Exclusions. Painting, waterproofing, structural repair, removal of existing render or plaster, mould and damp treatment, electrical and plumbing chasing, and scaffold above the height you named.
- Whether GST is included, how long the price holds, and deposit and payment terms.
- The variations sentence, which in this trade means: what is under the old surface, and how flat the frame or blockwork actually is.
Common mistakes, and what each one costs
- No finish level stated. The most expensive ambiguity in the trade, because the disagreement happens after all the work is done.
- Substrate taken on faith. A frame that is out, or old render that is drummy, is days of packing or stripping that nobody priced.
- Sanding clean-up absorbed. The dust goes everywhere and the clean-up is a real half-day.
- Beads and corners left out of the maths. They are lineal-metre labour hiding inside a square-metre rate.
- No allowance for drying time. Quoting a fixed finish date on a render job in a wet fortnight is a promise the weather makes for you.
- No deposit when you supply the materials. Bags, beads and bonding for a full render job is real money out before you start.
Three things that win the job
Look at the substrate before you price it. Drummy render, a bowed frame or a painted surface that will not bond are all invisible in a photo and all three are your margin.
Show the finish rather than describing it. A photo of the finish your rate is built on settles more disputes than a paragraph. Attach it to the quote and the standard is agreed before you start.
Follow it up. Plastering is scheduled between other trades, so quotes sit while the customer lines up a sparky or a chippy. Two short messages over a fortnight is the difference — wording in the quote follow-up templates.
Yamate keeps your rates, your standard inclusions and your usual exclusions, so a quote is a few taps rather than a blank page — then turns the accepted quote into the invoice without retyping it. Sign up before 30 September 2026 and lock in the Founder plan at $19/mo — forever. It's $29/mo after that. No lock-in, cancel anytime. Prices in AUD.
Send it, then know if they read it
The builder above priced the job. What it cannot do is remember that this plastering quote is still unanswered on Thursday, or turn the yes into an invoice without you retyping it.
Quote from your phone in Yamate → Free to try · no card · sign in with a link, no password to rememberFAQ
What should a plastering quote include?
Which work it is (solid plaster, render, or sheeting and setting), the areas for walls and ceilings, the level of finish the price assumes, the substrate condition assumed, coats and finish, beads and cornice by lineal metre, who supplies materials, who cleans up after sanding, exclusions, whether GST applies, and your deposit and payment terms.
How many bags of render do I need?
It depends on the area, the thickness and the product coverage rate. The plaster and render calculator works out bags of render, screed or plaster for a wall or floor at your thickness.
Should plastering be quoted per square metre?
Usually, with walls and ceilings priced separately and beads and cornice added by lineal metre. What causes disputes is a single square-metre rate that quietly includes some of those and not others.
Who cleans up the sanding dust?
Whoever the quote says. It is a real cost and it is the item customers most often assume is included, so name it either way rather than leaving it to be discovered.
Do I charge GST on a quote?
Only if you are registered, which is generally required once turnover reaches $75,000. See when a sole trader has to register.
Next steps
General information for Australian tradies, not tax, legal or financial advice. Every figure this page produces is an estimate based on what you type in, and the starting rates are placeholders rather than market prices. Licensing and deposit rules are set by each state and territory — check yours before relying on this page.