Costs · Updated June 2026

Worktop Cost UK 2026: Real Per-m² Pricing by Material

A new kitchen worktop in 2026 typically costs £180–£650 per m² supplied & fitted, with most UK kitchens (6–9 linear metres of run) coming in between £1,400 and £5,200. Material dominates the bill: laminate from £180/m², solid wood £220–£380/m², quartz £380–£550/m², granite £340–£520/m², Dekton/porcelain £520–£680/m². Cut-outs, upstands, drainer grooves and edge profiles add £200–£900 to the typical job.

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Quick Answer

How much do kitchen worktops cost in 2026?

Typical 2026 UK worktop costs by material (supplied & fitted, per m²):

  • Laminate — £180–£280 per m² (£1,000–£2,300 typical kitchen)
  • Solid wood (oak, beech, walnut) — £220–£380 per m² (£1,400–£3,100)
  • Granite — £340–£520 per m² (£2,200–£4,400)
  • Quartz (Silestone, Caesarstone, Compac) — £380–£550 per m² (£2,500–£4,800)
  • Dekton / Porcelain — £520–£680 per m² (£3,400–£5,900)
  • Solid surface (Corian) — £400–£580 per m² (£2,600–£5,000)

A typical 7-linear-metre run with a peninsula, two sink cut-outs, one hob cut-out and a 100mm upstand falls between £2,800 and £4,800 for mid-range quartz or granite — fully fitted & templated.

Material Ladder

Worktop Cost by Material

Material choice is the biggest cost driver — it sets ~70% of the final bill. Here’s what each material costs supplied & fitted, what you get, and what it’s best for.

Laminate worktops

Engineered chipboard core with a printed plastic top layer. Hugely improved in 2024–26 with realistic stone-look prints. 28–38mm thick. Cuts on-site, post-form edges, square-edge or bevel options. Lifespan 10–18 years with good care.

Supplied & fitted
£180–£280/m²
Best for: Budget refits, rental properties, fast turnarounds. Avoid if: You want under-mount sinks (drilled cut-outs swell when wet).

Solid wood (oak, beech, walnut, iroko)

Staved or full-stave hardwood, 27–40mm thick. Needs oiling twice a year for the first 2 years, annually after. Burn marks sand out. Beech is cheapest, oak the safe favourite, walnut the premium. Average lifespan 25+ years with maintenance.

Supplied & fitted
£220–£380/m²
Best for: Shaker / country / Scandi kitchens, islands as a contrast surface. Avoid if: You don’t want to oil regularly or you cook with a lot of citrus / wine.

Granite

Quarried natural stone, 20mm or 30mm thick. Each slab is unique. Needs sealing every 1–2 years. Heat resistant but not heat proof. Cheaper colours (Star Galaxy, Black Pearl, New Caledonia) sit at the lower end; rarer stones (Blue Bahia, Azul Macauba) easily double the price.

Supplied & fitted
£340–£520/m²
Best for: Classic kitchens, busy family kitchens, kitchens with dark cabinetry. Avoid if: You want a perfectly uniform pattern — granite is naturally varied.

Quartz (Silestone, Caesarstone, Compac, Cimstone)

Engineered stone: ~93% natural quartz + 7% resin and pigment. 20mm or 30mm thick. Non-porous so no sealing needed. Hugely consistent pattern. Heat tolerance lower than granite — always use a trivet for hot pans. Premium marble-look ranges (Calacatta, Statuario) push the top of the range.

Supplied & fitted
£380–£550/m²
Best for: Modern kitchens, marble-look without natural marble’s fragility, busy households. Note: UK industry has phased in low-silica quartz post-2024 due to silicosis risk to fabricators — ask suppliers about silica content.

Dekton / Porcelain (Neolith, Lapitec, Laminam)

Ultra-compact sintered surface. 12mm, 20mm or 30mm. Heatproof, scratchproof, UV-stable so works outdoors too. Almost invisible joins. Most expensive in the market but lifespan 40+ years. Best worktop for outdoor kitchens, BBQ runs and surfaces near induction or gas hobs.

Supplied & fitted
£520–£680/m²
Best for: High-end new builds, outdoor kitchens, designer interiors. Avoid if: Budget is tight — you pay a 30–40% premium over quartz for properties where that won’t translate to resale value.

Solid surface (Corian, Hi-Macs)

Acrylic-resin composite, fabricated off-site and seamlessly joined on installation. Allows integrated sinks and curved profiles you can’t do in stone. Scratches but you can sand them out. Heat sensitive — never put a hot pan directly on it.

Supplied & fitted
£400–£580/m²
Best for: Bespoke designer kitchens, curved islands, integrated drainers. Avoid if: Heavy cooking with hot pans is a daily reality.
Cost Drivers

What Adds £1,000+ to a Worktop Quote

Two kitchens with the same linear metres can quote £1,500 apart. The five drivers that account for almost all of that gap:

✌

1. Linear metres & layout

A galley kitchen runs 5–6 linear metres. A U-shape with island runs 9–12. The island alone adds £700–£1,400 in worktop plus the second slab cut and joint.

✂

2. Cut-outs & drainer grooves

Hob cut-out: £80–£150. Under-mount sink with drainer grooves polished into the stone: £200–£450. Tap holes: £30–£60 each. Pop-up sockets: £150–£250 cut-out only.

⏐

3. Edge profile

Square (pencil) edge is standard. Mitred 90° waterfall edge to look like a 60mm slab: +£180–£320 per metre. Bullnose, ogee or chamfered profiles in stone: +£40–£90 per metre.

🔳

4. Upstands & splashbacks

100mm upstand from offcuts: £120–£240. Full-height splashback behind hob: £320–£650. Full splashback wall-to-wall: £750–£1,800.

🗺

5. Region

London fabricators run +25–35% on labour. South East +15–20%. Midlands and North sit at the UK average. Wales and Scotland slightly below. Template & install access can add congestion charge / parking surcharges in zones 1–2.

💧

6. Slab joins

Stone slabs come in standard sizes (typically up to 3050×1400mm). Runs longer than that need a discreet pencil join. Each join: £90–£180 labour + extra slab waste. Long L-shapes often need 2 joins.

Regional Pricing

Worktop Cost by UK Region

Based on 460+ recent UK kitchen worktop quotes, mid-range quartz, 7 linear metres, 2 sink cut-outs + 1 hob cut-out, 100mm upstand:

RegionTypical 7m quartz jobvs UK avg
London (inner)£4,200–£5,400+32%
London (outer)£3,700–£4,700+18%
South East£3,400–£4,300+10%
South West£3,100–£3,900UK avg
Midlands£2,800–£3,600-8%
North West£2,700–£3,400-12%
Yorkshire£2,600–£3,300-15%
North East£2,500–£3,200-18%
Scotland£2,600–£3,300-15%
Wales£2,500–£3,200-18%
Worked Example

Real Project: Mid-range Quartz, Manchester M20

Open-plan kitchen-diner in Didsbury. Galley layout with peninsula. Caesarstone Cloudburst Concrete quartz, 20mm, mitred 60mm waterfall edge on the peninsula. Completed April 2026.

Brief
8.4 linear metres total. Three runs: rear wall (4.2m), peninsula run (3.0m, waterfall to the floor on the dining side), short return (1.2m). One under-mount Franke sink with drainer grooves. One induction hob cut-out. Two pop-up sockets. 100mm matching upstand to back wall (3.4m).
Final cost
£3,940
inc. VAT
Caesarstone 20mm slab (1.5 slabs, Cloudburst Concrete)£1,820
Template, fabrication & CNC cutting£620
Mitred 60mm waterfall edge (peninsula, 2 sides)£480
Under-mount sink cut-out + drainer grooves£320
Hob cut-out + 2 pop-up socket cut-outs£240
100mm matching upstand (3.4 lin m)£180
Discreet pencil join (rear wall → peninsula)£120
Installation, levelling, silicone, finish£280
Total (2 weeks lead time, 1 day on-site install)£3,940

Comparable in granite: £3,200–£3,500 (same scope, Star Galaxy granite). Comparable in laminate: £1,400–£1,700 (same scope, premium Egger laminate, no waterfall edge possible).

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Frequently Asked

Common Questions

Premium laminate (Egger, Formica, Bushboard Omega) at £220–£280/m² fitted. 2024–26 stone-look prints are genuinely convincing at arm’s length and the post-form bullnose edges are clean. Use square-edge profiles to avoid the dated 1990s post-form rounded look. Avoid generic B&Q-style 38mm post-form at £120/m² — the substrate swells around sinks within 3 years.
Granite is roughly 15% cheaper in the entry tier (£340–£420/m² vs £380–£480/m² for quartz) but needs sealing every 1–2 years. Quartz is consistent and zero-maintenance. For ROI on a 7m kitchen, granite saves you around £250–£400 upfront but quartz protects resale value better in modern open-plan kitchens. We recommend quartz for households that won’t reliably reseal granite; granite for traditional kitchen styles or anyone who wants natural-stone character.
No — the resin binder in quartz softens around 150°C. A pan straight off the hob (250–350°C) leaves a permanent burn mark or hairline crack. Always use a trivet. Granite tolerates direct heat far better but extreme thermal shock can still crack it. Only Dekton/Porcelain can take a hot pan straight from the hob.
Stone & quartz: a template visit after cabinets are in (1 day), then 10–14 days in the fabricator’s workshop, then 1 day on-site install. Laminate: usually fitted by the kitchen fitter as part of the cabinet install — 0.5–1 day on-site. Solid wood: same as laminate timing but allow 48 hours after install before heavy use for oiling to cure.
30mm costs around 20% more than 20mm and looks more substantial without needing a mitred edge build-up. 20mm with a mitred 60mm or 100mm waterfall edge looks identical from the front but is lighter for cabinet structure and uses less stone. For islands with the slab visible from multiple sides, 30mm gives a cleaner result; for runs against a wall, 20mm is the smart spend.
For the homeowner, yes — once installed it’s completely inert. The risk is to fabricators cutting it dry without proper PPE. Following 2024 industry changes (and Australia’s 2024 ban on high-silica engineered stone), most UK suppliers now offer low-silica quartz with under 40% crystalline silica. Ask suppliers to confirm silica content if it matters to you. The HSE has tightened workplace exposure limits and reputable UK fabricators now wet-cut.
Standard 18mm carcasses easily handle 20mm and 30mm quartz, granite or Dekton on continuous runs. Overhangs over 300mm (breakfast bars, peninsulas) need a steel bar or batten support to prevent flexing & cracking. Fabricators will spec this at templating. Add £80–£160 for an embedded steel support.
Sources & Methodology

How we researched these prices

Pricing in this guide is built from 460+ recent UK worktop quotes collected through BestBuilders between January and May 2026, plus published 2026 trade pricing from material suppliers. Cross-checked against:

  • Caesarstone UK, Silestone, Compac & Cosentino Dekton 2026 trade price lists
  • Egger & Bushboard Omega 2026 retail laminate pricing
  • Worktop Express & Wickes 2026 solid wood retail pricing
  • HSE guidance on respirable crystalline silica (2024 update) for fabricator-side risk context
  • Office for National Statistics Construction Output Price Indices for regional labour weighting
  • Cross-checked against published 2026 quotes on Checkatrade, Houzz & Real Homes

Prices include VAT. Where ranges are quoted, they cover the 10th–90th percentile of observed jobs (i.e. excluding outliers). Last reviewed . Read more about how we research & fact-check.

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