Core Cutting Cost in Dubai: What Changes the Quote

A core cutting quote in Dubai is not a single rate per hole. Two openings with the same diameter can differ once depth, reinforcement, access and working hours are on the table. Contractors who send only “need core cutting” get a wide range. Contractors who send a hole schedule get a number they can compare.

This is the brief we use before pricing core drilling. It is also why a cheap verbal rate often grows once the crew sees the slab.

What to send before anyone prices the job

• How many holes, and the diameter and depth of each
• Slab or wall, and whether the drill is vertical, horizontal or angled
• Floor level, lift access, and whether the area below is occupied
• Conventional rebar or a post-tension slab
• Day shift or night shift
• A marked drawing or a clear WhatsApp photo

If any of those are missing, the quote is an allowance, not a fixed price. Say so in the comparison, or you will be looking at different scopes.

Diameter and depth move the time

A small sleeve for a conduit can be a handheld drill. A large drain drop needs a rig, a heavier barrel, and more time in the cut. Depth matters the same way: a 200 mm slab is not a 600 mm wall. Bits wear faster in hard aggregate and in heavy steel, so a hole that looks simple on a plan can be slow if the core comes out full of rebar.

For MEP packages, list every size instead of writing “various”. Our hole-size guide shows the diameters teams usually ask for, from small anchors up to stacks that are better stitch-drilled.

Reinforcement is a wear issue. Post-tension is a safety issue.

Cutting ordinary rebar dulls the segments and slows the hole. Cutting a stressed tendon is a different problem: the cable can release energy, and the slab was designed assuming that tendon stays intact. If the drawing says post-tension, do not treat a per-hole rate as fixed until someone has scanned and the engineer has accepted the centre point. Read the post-tension drilling notes before you lock a programme.

Access, slurry and the hour of the day

High floors, occupied malls, hospitals and live towers add setup that never appears in a ground-floor rate. Water has to reach the drill. Slurry has to be caught so it does not stain finishes or run into a drain. The floor below may need protection. Night work is often the right call when other trades cannot stop, and it should be in the quote, not added after mobilisation.

If the site is already occupied, the live-site preparation guide lists what the main contractor should have ready before the rig arrives.

What a comparable quote includes

Ask every contractor to state the same items: hole schedule, whether concrete scanning is included, how slurry is controlled, and what is excluded. Making good, fire stopping, frame installation and debris removal are often builder’s work. They should be written as excluded, not quietly assumed.

Send that pack once, to one crew, and the number you get back is for the opening you actually need. Photos and drawings are enough to start a quote.

Common questions

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