How Much Does Composite Decking Cost in the UK? 2026 Complete Price Guide
Pricing composite decking accurately is harder than it should be. Quotes vary wildly depending on whether you're looking at supply-only or fully installed figures, which board grade is being quoted, and — increasingly — whether the boards have come through a UK distributor or factory-direct from China. This guide sets out the real 2026 numbers for the UK market: supply-only costs per m² across hollow, solid and capped boards, what a subframe adds to the bill, fully installed pricing by deck size, the factors that move the price up or down, and a 10-year cost comparison against timber. If you're still weighing up composite against the alternatives, our composite decking UK buyer's guide covers the wider material case; this article focuses purely on the money.
Composite Decking Price Summary 2026
For UK buyers working to a budget, here is the headline picture before the detail. Supply-only WPC composite decking ranges from roughly £37/m² for entry-level hollow uncapped boards to £92/m² for premium capped (co-extrusion) boards. Fully installed costs — including subframe, fixings and labour — typically land between £150/m² and £350/m² depending on board grade, site complexity and regional labour rates. By comparison, treated timber decking costs £20–£45/m² supply-only but carries ongoing annual maintenance costs and a shorter replacement cycle.
| Board Type | Supply-Only (£/m²) | Fully Installed (£/m²) |
|---|---|---|
| Treated Timber | £20–£45 | £80–£180 |
| Hollow Uncapped WPC | £37–£55 | £150–£230 |
| Solid Uncapped WPC | £55–£70 | £190–£280 |
| Capped (Co-Extrusion) WPC | £70–£92 | £230–£350 |
These figures reflect UK retail and trade pricing in 2026. Buyers sourcing factory-direct — covered later in this guide — can expect to land considerably below the supply-only figures shown here, before installation.
Supply-Only Costs per m²
Supply-only pricing is the cost of the decking boards themselves, delivered to your site or warehouse, before any subframe, fixings or labour are added. This is the figure most relevant to merchants, contractors buying their own materials, and self-builders comparing quotes. Three grades dominate the UK market, and the price gap between them reflects genuine differences in construction and performance rather than marketing positioning.
Hollow Uncapped WPC — approx £37–£55/m²
Hollow uncapped boards are the entry point to genuine WPC composite decking and remain the highest-volume product in the UK trade market. The hollow core reduces material usage and weight without compromising structural performance when installed on correctly spaced joists, which keeps the supply price down. Uncapped means the board has no separate protective outer layer — the wood-plastic composite is exposed directly to the elements. At £37–£55/m², these boards represent strong value for budget-conscious residential projects, rental properties and any application where the slightly higher long-term maintenance of an uncapped surface is an acceptable trade-off for upfront savings.
Solid Uncapped WPC — approx £55–£70/m²
Solid-core boards use significantly more material than hollow boards, which is reflected directly in the price. The benefit is a denser, heavier board with greater structural rigidity, better sound absorption underfoot, and a more substantial feel that some specifiers prefer for commercial or high-traffic applications. Solid uncapped boards sit in the £55–£70/m² range — a meaningful step up from hollow boards, but still considerably cheaper than capped alternatives. They are a sensible middle-ground choice where load-bearing performance matters more than surface finish.
Capped (Co-Extrusion) WPC — approx £70–£92/m²
Capped boards add a co-extruded HDPE shell — typically 0.5–1.5mm thick — fused to the core during manufacture. This cap layer is the single biggest driver of the price difference between board grades, and it's also the single biggest driver of long-term performance. Capped boards resist scratching, staining, fading and moisture absorption far better than uncapped equivalents, which is why they command £70–£92/m² supply-only. For commercial projects, pool surrounds, and any application where appearance and durability over 20+ years matter most, the premium is generally considered worthwhile. We cover this trade-off in detail in our guide to capped vs uncapped composite decking.
Subframe and Fixing Costs
Every composite deck needs a subframe — the joists and bearers that the boards are fixed to — and this is a cost that's frequently underestimated in early-stage budgeting. For a standard residential deck, subframe materials (treated timber joists, bearers, posts and concrete pad foundations or ground screws) typically add £15–£35/m² to the project, depending on whether the deck is ground-level or raised, and whether existing structural elements can be reused.
Fixings are a smaller but non-trivial line item. Hidden fixing clips for grooved-edge boards (the T-clip system, with one clip per joist per board edge) cost approximately £1.50–£3 per clip, and a typical installation requires 4–6 clips per m². Stainless steel face-fix screws for square edge boards are cheaper per unit but require more labour time to install neatly. Allow £3–£6/m² for fixings on most projects.
Aluminium subframe systems are increasingly specified for commercial projects and anywhere ground conditions or longevity requirements make timber joists undesirable. Aluminium adds a premium of roughly £20–£40/m² over treated timber but eliminates the risk of joist rot beneath the deck — a consideration worth factoring into any 25-year warranty discussion, since the boards may significantly outlast a timber frame.
Fully Installed Composite Decking Costs
Fully installed pricing — the figure most homeowners and many commercial clients actually budget against — combines board cost, subframe, fixings, groundworks and labour into a single £/m² figure. In the UK, this typically ranges from £150/m² for a straightforward hollow uncapped installation on level ground, up to £350/m² for a premium capped board on a more complex raised or multi-level structure.
Labour Rates (£250–£400/day)
Decking installation labour in the UK costs £250–£400 per day per contractor, with regional variation — London and the South East sit at the upper end, while the Midlands, North and Wales tend toward the lower end. A two-person team can typically install 15–25m² per day for a straightforward ground-level deck on a prepared subframe, or 8–15m² per day including subframe construction. For a 20m² residential deck, total labour is therefore commonly in the range of £600–£1,600, depending on site access, ground preparation needs, and the complexity of the layout (diagonal laying, multiple levels, or cutting around features all add time).
Total Installed Cost by Deck Size
The table below shows indicative fully installed costs across common UK deck sizes, using the £150–£350/m² range to capture the spread from budget hollow uncapped through to premium capped specifications.
| Deck Size | Hollow Uncapped (£150–230/m²) | Capped/Premium (£230–350/m²) |
|---|---|---|
| 10m² | £1,500–£2,300 | £2,300–£3,500 |
| 20m² | £3,000–£4,600 | £4,600–£7,000 |
| 30m² | £4,500–£6,900 | £6,900–£10,500 |
| 50m² | £7,500–£11,500 | £11,500–£17,500 |
These figures assume a relatively straightforward ground-level installation. Raised decks, multi-level designs, balustrades, integrated lighting, and difficult access (such as rear gardens with no vehicle access for materials) will push costs toward the higher end of each range or beyond it.
What Affects the Price?
Board Grade, Thickness, Colour, Supplier Type
A number of variables move the final price beyond the basic hollow/solid/capped distinction. Board thickness within the standard 22mm–25mm range has a modest effect — thicker boards use more material and cost slightly more, though the difference is usually a few pounds per m² rather than a major factor. Width (135mm, 140mm or 150mm) similarly has a minor effect, though wider boards can reduce installation time slightly by covering more area per fixing run.
Colour has almost no effect on raw material cost — Charcoal, Light Grey, Teak, Walnut, Cedar and Dark Brown are typically priced identically within a given grade — but darker colours in capped boards may carry a small premium from some suppliers due to UV-stabiliser formulation requirements.
By far the largest variable, however, is supplier type. UK-branded products (Cladco, Trex, Millboard, Assured Composite) carry retail and brand margins on top of the manufacturing cost, and these margins compound through the distribution chain. A board that costs a Chinese factory roughly £15–£25/m² to produce can retail in the UK at £45–£90/m² once factory margin, export logistics, importer margin, distributor margin and retailer margin are all stacked on top. This is the single biggest lever UK trade buyers have over their material costs, and it's explored fully in the next section.
Factory Direct vs UK Retail: Real Price Comparison
The gap between UK retail pricing and factory-direct pricing for composite decking is substantial and consistent across board grades. UK buyers sourcing through factory-direct wholesale pricing typically save 30–40% versus equivalent UK retail or branded products, even after accounting for shipping, import duty (approximately 3.7% under commodity code 3918.10) and the 25–35 day sea freight lead time from China.
| Board Type | UK Retail (Supply-Only) | Factory-Direct Landed UK Cost | Approx. Saving |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hollow Uncapped | £45–£55/m² | £28–£38/m² | ~30–35% |
| Solid Uncapped | £60–£70/m² | £38–£48/m² | ~30–35% |
| Capped (Co-Extrusion) | £80–£92/m² | £48–£62/m² | ~35–40% |
For a builders merchant or distributor placing a container order, this difference compounds quickly. On a 20ft container of capped boards (roughly 200–300m²), the saving versus UK retail pricing can exceed £6,000–£9,000 on a single shipment — and on a 40ft container, well over £15,000. This is why an increasing share of UK trade buyers now work with a composite decking supplier UK that operates factory-direct, rather than buying through a domestic brand or distributor with multiple margins built into the price.
10-Year Total Cost of Ownership: Composite vs Timber
Upfront price comparisons favour timber — £20–£45/m² supply-only versus £37–£92/m² for composite is a meaningful gap on day one. But upfront cost is only part of the picture, and over a 10-year ownership period the comparison changes considerably once maintenance and replacement are factored in.
Treated timber decking requires annual maintenance — typically an oiling, staining or pressure-treatment cycle costing £3–£6/m² per year in materials and labour if done by a contractor, or significant DIY time if done by the homeowner. Over 10 years, that's £30–£60/m² in maintenance alone, on top of the original supply cost. Timber decking also has a realistic lifespan of 10–15 years in UK conditions before boards begin to rot, warp or split badly enough to require partial or full replacement — meaning many timber decks installed today will need significant remedial work or replacement within the 10-year window itself.
Composite decking, by contrast, requires essentially no annual treatment — an occasional wash with soap and water is sufficient, as covered in our maintenance guidance. With a 25-year product warranty and a realistic service life of 20–30 years, a composite deck installed today should still have 10–20 years of useful life remaining at the 10-year mark, with no replacement cost incurred.
| Cost Element (20m² deck, 10 years) | Treated Timber | Composite (WPC) |
|---|---|---|
| Initial supply cost | £400–£900 | £740–£1,840 |
| Installation | £1,200–£2,100 | £1,800–£3,200 |
| 10-year maintenance | £600–£1,200 | £0–£100 |
| Replacement/major repair risk (within 10 years) | Moderate–High | Negligible |
| Approximate 10-year total | £2,200–£4,200 | £2,540–£5,140 |
The 10-year totals are closer than the upfront figures suggest, and the gap narrows further — and typically reverses — once the comparison extends past year 10, when a timber deck is approaching or past the end of its useful life while a composite deck remains under warranty. For full detail on lifespan and the longer-term picture, see our composite decking vs timber UK comparison.
FAQ
Q: How much does composite decking cost per m² in the UK?
A: Supply-only, composite decking in the UK ranges from approximately £37–£55/m² for hollow uncapped boards, £55–£70/m² for solid uncapped boards, and £70–£92/m² for capped (co-extrusion) boards. Fully installed — including subframe, fixings and labour — costs typically range from £150/m² to £350/m² depending on board grade and project complexity. Factory-direct buyers can land boards 30–40% below UK retail supply-only prices.
Q: Is composite decking cheaper than timber in the long run?
A: Over a 10-year period, total costs for composite and timber decking are broadly comparable once timber's annual maintenance (£3–£6/m² per year) is included. Beyond 10 years, composite becomes significantly cheaper, because timber typically needs major repair or replacement at 10–15 years while composite carries a 25-year warranty and a 20–30 year realistic lifespan, avoiding a second installation cost entirely.
Q: How much does it cost to install a 20m² composite deck?
A: A 20m² composite deck fully installed typically costs £3,000–£7,000 in the UK, depending on board grade. Hollow uncapped boards on a straightforward ground-level subframe sit toward £3,000–£4,600, while capped premium boards with a more complex design can reach £4,600–£7,000. This includes boards, subframe materials, fixings and labour at typical UK day rates of £250–£400.
Q: Why is composite decking more expensive than timber upfront?
A: Composite decking costs more upfront because it's manufactured from a blend of recycled hardwood fibres and recycled HDPE polymer through an extrusion process, often with an additional co-extruded protective cap layer — a more complex manufacturing process than sawing and treating timber. That higher manufacturing cost buys significantly reduced maintenance, better moisture and rot resistance, and a longer warranted lifespan, which is where the cost difference is recovered over time.
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