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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
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.
| 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).
Common Questions
What's included in a worktop price — and what's added on
A worktop quote is rarely a single per-m² figure. On stone and quartz jobs the slab itself is usually only 45–60% of the bill; the rest is fabrication and fitting. Before you compare two quotes line by line, check each one covers the same scope:
- Slab supply — the material at your chosen thickness (20mm or 30mm on most stone). Premium colours and marble-look ranges sit at the top of each band.
- Templating — a laser or digital template taken after your cabinets are installed and levelled, typically £150–£300. Nothing is cut until the template is signed off, which is why stone cannot be ordered before the units are in.
- CNC cutting & fabrication — cut-outs, tap holes, edge polishing and any mitred build-up, usually 10–14 days in the workshop.
- Cut-outs — a hob cut-out runs £80–£150, an under-mount sink with drainer grooves £200–£450, and each tap hole £30–£60.
- Upstands and splashbacks — a 100mm upstand from offcuts is £120–£240; a full-height splashback behind the hob £320–£650.
- Installation — levelling, joining, sealing and silicone finishing, normally a single on-site day for a stone kitchen.
Overhangs beyond about 300mm (breakfast bars and peninsulas) need a steel bar or batten support to stop the slab flexing, so ask whether that £80–£160 is in the quote. For the whole-kitchen picture, our kitchen renovation cost guide shows where worktops sit against cabinets, appliances and labour.
Material comparison: heat, scratch and stain resistance
Price is only half the decision. How a surface copes with daily kitchen use — hot pans, knife slips, red wine and citrus — varies sharply by material, and it is the biggest driver of long-term satisfaction:
- Heat — only Dekton and porcelain take a pan straight off the hob. Quartz resin softens near 150°C, so a 250–350°C pan can leave a permanent mark; granite tolerates heat well but extreme thermal shock can still crack it; laminate scorches and solid surface (Corian) is the most heat-sensitive of all.
- Scratches — quartz, granite and Dekton all shrug off normal knife contact (still use a board). Solid surface and wood scratch but sand out; laminate scratches are permanent.
- Stains and sealing — quartz, Dekton and solid surface are non-porous and never need sealing. Granite and marble are porous and need resealing every 1–2 years to stay stain-resistant.
- Joins — slabs come up to roughly 3050×1400mm, so long or L-shaped runs need a discreet pencil join at £90–£180 each. Dekton and quartz hide joins best; natural granite veining can make them more visible.
If you are torn between the two most popular stones, our in-depth quartz vs granite vs Dekton comparison weighs price, durability and resale value side by side. For fabricator-side safety, the HSE guidance on silica for stoneworkers explains why reputable UK workshops now wet-cut engineered stone and why low-silica quartz is worth asking about.
Worktop brands compared: Silestone, Caesarstone, Dekton, Corian, Egger and Neolith
Laminate is sold by the metre and stone by the slab, which is why quotes look so different. Quartz and sintered stone are the two most-specified premium surfaces, and they behave differently around heat.
| Brand | Known for | Ranges you will be quoted | Typical price per m² | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caesarstone | Quartz; wide colour and pattern range | Classico, Supernatural | £350–£650 | Excellent consistency between slabs, which matters on long runs |
| Corian (DuPont) | Solid surface; seamless joints, repairable | Corian Solid Surface | £400–£750 | Scratches sand out, and integrated sinks have no visible join |
| Dekton (Cosentino) | Sintered stone; very heat and scratch resistant | Dekton | £450–£800 | Takes a hot pan straight from the hob, unlike quartz |
| Egger | Laminate; the value workhorse | Egger laminate worktops | £40–£120 | A postformed laminate top is a tenth of the price of quartz |
| Neolith | Sintered stone; large-format slabs | Neolith | £450–£800 | Big slabs mean fewer joints on an island |
| Silestone | Quartz; the most recognised name in the UK | Silestone quartz, Silestone XM | £350–£600 | Low-silica XM ranges answer the industry's silica dust concerns |
Prices above are for the worktop material only — fitting is separate and is priced in the table further up this page. Brands are listed alphabetically, not ranked: BestBuilders does not sell or endorse any of them.
How to choose a worktop fitter and check a quote
Worktops are templated and fitted by specialist stone fabricators, not general kitchen fitters — laminate and wood are the exception and are usually cut on site by the joiner installing your units. When you compare vetted fabricators, use this checklist so you are comparing like for like:
- Confirm the template stage — a good fabricator templates only after units are fitted and levelled, and will not price a firm figure before then.
- Get the scope in writing — slab, thickness, colour, edge profile, every cut-out, upstands and joins should be itemised, as in our worked Manchester example above.
- Ask about silica and PPE — workshops should wet-cut and can usually offer low-silica quartz on request.
- Check the lead time — stone typically needs 10–14 days between template and install; be wary of anyone promising same-week stone.
- Compare three quotes — regional labour swings the total by 30%+ between London and the North, so local pricing matters.
To size your own job before you speak to a fabricator, try our worktop cost calculator or the wider kitchen cost calculator for a whole-room estimate.
How we researched these prices
Pricing in this guide is built from 460+ recent UK worktop quotes collected through BestBuilders between January and July 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).Reviewed by the BestBuilders editorial team on . Read more about how we research & fact-check.
Related Guides
More cost, comparison and planning guides to help you plan your kitchen project.
Quartz vs granite vs Dekton
Full side-by-side comparison — price, durability, look, maintenance & resale ROI.
Read Guide →Kitchen renovation cost UK 2026
Full kitchen renovation pricing — cabinets, worktops, appliances, install.
Read Guide →Worktop cost calculator
Instant estimate based on your linear metres, material and edge profile.
Try Calculator →Ready to plan your kitchen?
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