Price guide · Builders
How much does a concrete retaining wall cost?
- Prices checked November 2026
Price guide
What it costs
Retaining wall block supply
From 5 shops' published prices in Pretoria and Cape Town, checked November 2026.
More prices
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Concrete retaining wall up to 1.5 m high; contractor's published guide range
R2,500 to R5,000 per m
From Sinqobile Construction's published prices in Gauteng, checked November 2026.
What these prices include: The built price is per metre of wall up to 1.5 m high. Block prices are supply only, per block; building, drainage and backfill are extra.
What changes the price:
Get a price for your job
Tell us the job and a builders pro that covers your area calls you with a written quote.
What you can ask for
- Renovations (Bathrooms, Kitchens, Other Rooms)
- New Building (Houses, Granny Flats, Garages)
- Additions and extensionsAn extra room, garage or second storey.
- Boundary wallsBrick or block walls around your property.
- BricklayingWalls, braais, planters and small structures.
- PlasteringInside and outside walls plastered or replastered.
How an interlocking block retaining wall is built
Much of a retaining wall's cost is below and behind the blocks you see: the base, the drainage and the compacted soil.
- Setting out
- The wall line is surveyed and pegged, inside the property boundary, before the excavation is dug.
- Levelling pad
- A compacted crushed-stone pad at least 150 mm thick runs under the first course, about 150 mm wider than the block in front and 300 mm behind. A weak concrete pad can be cast instead.
- Drain pipe
- A drain pipe with a steady fall to an outlet is laid at the base before the blocks go up.
- Stone behind the blocks
- Clean crushed stone fills the hollow cores of the blocks and runs at least 300 mm behind them. It adds weight and lets water out, so pressure does not build up behind the wall.
- Compaction
- Soil within a metre of the wall is compacted with a light plate compactor; well compacted soil behind the wall stops it settling and pushing the blocks out of line.
- Taller and loaded walls
- Where a wall is higher than the blocks can hold on their own, or carries a slope, a driveway or a building above it, layers of geogrid are laid between the courses into the soil to an engineer's design.
- When an engineer is needed
- Check the local building rules for retaining walls before you start; where engineering is needed, the approved drawings are followed exactly.
Bosun (South African concrete block maker), segmental retaining wall installation guidelines, bosun.co.za, checked 12 Nov 2026.
More checked prices
Factors Affecting Cost Of Formwork In Construction
- 100 mm ground-floor slab using 25 MPa concrete, installed (Gauteng): Ground-floor slab (100 mm, 25 MPa) R450 – R800 /m²
- 25 MPa structural ready-mix delivered to site; pumping, formwork, reinforcement and labour excluded (Gauteng): R1,750 – R2,100 /m³
Prices checked 13 November 2026 ›
How much do bricklayers cost?
- Building and plastering: screen, feature and boundary walls, labour only: R350 per m²
- Stock brick wall; materials, labour and mortar (Gauteng): Stock brick wall (per m²) | R150 – R220 /m²
Prices checked 12 November 2026 ›
How much does a second storey addition cost?
- Single-storey room addition; construction only (Gauteng): Single-storey extension (per m²) R10,000 – R16,000 /m²
- Second-storey addition; construction only (Gauteng): Second-storey addition (per m²) R15,000 – R25,000 /m²
Prices checked 13 November 2026 ›
How Much Does An Average Bathroom Renovation Cost?
- Standard bathroom remodel (Gauteng): R35,000 – R75,000
- Mid-range full renovation, including supply and installation (Gauteng): R55,000 – R120,000
Prices checked 13 November 2026 ›
How much does concreting cost?
- 100 mm ground-floor slab using 25 MPa concrete, installed (Gauteng): Ground-floor slab (100 mm, 25 MPa) R450 – R800 /m²
- 100 mm reinforced concrete driveway, installed (Gauteng): Concrete driveway (reinforced, 100 mm) R300 – R450 /m²
Prices checked 13 November 2026 ›
Questions about these prices
Where do these prices come from?
From Sinqobile Construction, Kubu Concrete, INFRAMAT, Imperial Paving, Celmar Fencing and Pavers and Retreat Block & Brick: businesses that publish their own prices. We copied the figures as published and checked them on 12 November 2026. They are not quotes; every pro sets their own price.
Do I have to hire the pro who quotes?
No. You decide once you have the written quote.
The full guide
General advice, written April 2024.
Retaining wall material
Retaining walls can be made from a range of products, but absolutely nothing beats concrete when it comes to strength and toughness. With the brand-new moulded concrete retaining wall interlocking systems today, a concrete retaining wall is fast to construct, affordable, resilient and easy on the eye.
Typical concrete retaining wall costs in South Africa
- Size and scale
- Height
- Products utilized
- Style, consisting of excavation and drain requirements.
- Earthmoving requirements
- Expert charges
How much do cinder block retaining walls cost?
This only includes the blocks themselves but not the labour for constructing the wall and the earthmoving required for the project.
How much does a Besser block retaining wall cost?
Core-filled Besser blocks are another typical interlocking block option.
This only includes the blocks themselves and not the labour for constructing the wall and the earth moving required for the project.
Do I require a structural engineer?
If your retaining wall is going to be over a metre in height, you'll need to employ a structural engineer to style and manage the building and construction of the wall.
The main reason why towns require the services of a structural engineer is if a retaining wall collapses, it can pose a considerable threat to you and your household or anyone in the vicinity of the retaining wall.
- plus additional design costs if required.
Why would you build a retaining wall in your garden?
There are many applications for retaining walls in gardens. They can be used structurally to create terraces with varying levels or to contain slopes.
Controlling water runoff is yet another practical reason to install a retaining wall. A well-designed retaining wall may keep the surrounding area dry, avoid erosion and flooding, and even collect rainwater for plants, which is particularly helpful in arid climates.
A retaining wall can be used to divide a garden into several sections and build a network of planter boxes. This is a fantastic technique to give your backyard a unique look and feel and transform an uninteresting suburban garden into something magnificent.
The advantages of using interlocking concrete blocks for your retaining wall?
Some of the advantages of choosing an interlocking concrete block retaining wall block:
- The best thing about interlocking block retaining walls is how simple they are to build and that they often require no foundation work.
- They are very affordable to construct and do not require any specialized equipment during the construction phase.
- They are easy on the eye and are perfect for landscaping projects.
- Some designs allow for water collection in dry areas.
- They can minimize erosion and flood damage if designed correctly.
Contact Local Pros for the best Retaining Wall contractors in your area.
Interlocking Concrete retaining wall building process and guidelines
- They will make sure there are no cables or pipelines in your digging area by contacting your local public utilities office and studying your building plans.
- Get the vertical surface area and the corresponding number of interlocking blocks by measuring the length and vertical height.
- The NHBRC requirement states that one can construct a wall up to 1.2 metres high without consulting an engineer, although as a general rule, 1.5 metres for walls no steeper than 65 degrees is also permitted. South African legislation is particularly rigorous on these issues. Even though only 1.2m high, any steeper or walls functioning as a load-bearing wall must be designed by a licenced engineer.
How to choose a retaining wall contractor.
- Are you an accredited or certified NHBRC builder?
- Does the wall come with a guarantee?
- How long will the wall take to complete?
- Can you offer a detailed quote?
- Ask the contractor for references and do a visual inspection of previous work if possible.
Get quotes for your concrete retaining wall's cost.
An expert retaining wall builder understands how to do the task right and will develop a retaining wall that will last as long as the concrete blocks themselves.
Getting a quote for a retaining wall cost will provide you with a sense of what market rates presently are.
How it works
- 1
Tell us the job
- 2
A builders pro who covers your area calls you
- 3
Get a written quote and decide
