How much does carpet fitting cost in the UK?
Carpet fitting costs £15 to £40 per m² in the UK, typically around £25. What moves the price most is carpet grade and quality, so a simpler job sits near the bottom of that range and a larger or higher-spec one near the top. Prices reviewed July 2026.
Carpet is priced by the square metre supplied and fitted, with the underlay, grippers and any stairs adding to the labour. Fitting-only rates are lower if you supply the carpet.
Carpet fitting cost calculator
Use the calculator to price your carpet fitting in 2026. Adjust the options and area for a UK cost range. Nothing is sent anywhere.
Carpet fitting cost breakdown
Typical carpet fitting costs, by the unit:
| What | Typical UK cost |
|---|---|
| Per m², supplied and fitted | £15 to £40 per m² |
| + Underlay and grippers | add £4 to £8 per m² |
| + Uplift and dispose of old carpet | add £2 to £5 per m² |
| + Stairs (per flight) | add £40 to £120 |
| 10 m² | £150 to £400 |
| 20 m² (typical) | £300 to £800 |
| 40 m² | £600 to £1,600 |
What's included in the price?
Typical carpet fitting prices include:
- Carpet, supplied and laid
- Underlay and gripper rods, where the quote includes them, since many firms price them as an extra
- Trimming and finishing
- Doorway edging
What changes the price?
The things that move carpet fitting prices most:
Carpet grade and quality
Underlay type
Stairs, which are charged separately
Uplifting and disposing of the old carpet
These are why two quotes for the same job can differ, and the only way to know your price is to get prices from local firms (through Bark; we may earn a fee, at no extra cost to you).
Does where you live change the cost?
In London, carpet fitting typically costs around £30 per m², about 20% above the UK average of £25. In the North, Scotland and Wales the guide figure is nearer £25.
| Region | From | Typical | Up to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Midlands / East (UK average) | £15 | £25 | £40 |
| London | £20 | £30 | £50 |
| South East / South West | £15 | £25 | £40 |
| North / Scotland / Wales | £15 | £25 | £40 |
Guide prices per m², scaled with the same regional multipliers as the calculator. Not quotes.
Carpet fitting cost in major UK cities
| City | From | Typical | Up to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belfast | £15 | £25 | £40 |
| Birmingham | £15 | £25 | £40 |
| Bristol | £15 | £25 | £40 |
| Cardiff | £15 | £25 | £40 |
| Edinburgh | £15 | £25 | £40 |
| Glasgow | £15 | £25 | £40 |
| Leeds | £15 | £25 | £40 |
| Liverpool | £15 | £25 | £40 |
| London | £20 | £30 | £50 |
| Manchester | £15 | £25 | £40 |
| Newcastle | £15 | £25 | £40 |
| Sheffield | £15 | £25 | £40 |
City guide estimates, scaled by local labour costs. Indicative averages for carpet fitting, not quotes.
Fairly consistent nationally, with London and the South East a little higher on labour.
Compare this with a real quote
The figures above are guide prices. Two or three quotes for your carpet fitting tell you what it costs where you live.
Free and no obligation. You answer a few questions on Bark, local pros get in touch, and you decide who, if anyone, to hire. We may earn a fee, at no extra cost to you.Common questions
How much does carpet fitting cost?
Carpet fitting costs roughly £15 to £40 per m² supplied and fitted in the UK, typically around £25, so a 20 square metre lounge is about £300 to £800. Fitting-only labour, where you supply the carpet, is nearer £3 to £6 per m². Underlay and grippers add £4 to £8 per m², and stairs are charged separately at £40 to £120 a flight.
How much does it cost to carpet a 3-bed house?
Carpeting a typical 3-bed house, say the lounge, three bedrooms, stairs and landing, usually comes to £1,500 to £4,000 supplied and fitted, depending on the carpet grade. Budget carpet with standard underlay sits at the lower end; a wool or heavy-domestic carpet with good underlay reaches the top. Get the quote to separate the carpet, the underlay and the fitting.
How much does it cost to carpet stairs?
Carpeting a straight flight of about 13 to 14 stairs typically costs £40 to £120 in fitting on top of the carpet, because stairs are fiddly and slow compared with a flat room. Winding or turned staircases cost more. If you are carpeting the stairs and landing together, ask for them priced as one job.
Is it cheaper to fit carpet yourself?
Fitting a simple room yourself saves the £3 to £6 per m² labour, and for a small square room with no awkward edges it is doable with hired tools. The catch is stairs, doorways and stretching the carpet tight, which is where DIY jobs go wrong and look loose or rippled within weeks. For anything beyond one simple room, a fitter is usually worth it.
Does the price include underlay and gripper?
Not always, so check. Some quotes are carpet-only, with underlay (£4 to £8 per m²), gripper rods and door bars added separately. A good underlay makes a cheaper carpet feel better and last longer, so it is worth paying for rather than reusing old underlay. Ask for an itemised quote so you can compare like for like.
Does new carpet add value when selling a house?
Not really as an investment. At £15 to £40 per m² fitted, fresh carpet helps a room show well and can speed up a sale, but buyers rarely pay more than the cost of laying it. Treat it as presentation rather than added value. If carpets are tired and stained, replacing them before selling is worth it mainly for the first impression.
Who is responsible for getting rid of the old carpet?
The fitter, if lifting it is part of the job. The waste duty of care code of practice for England and Wales, issued under section 34 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, says a tradesperson working on your property is responsible for the waste they produce and should include the cost of disposing of it in their price, which is what the £2 to £5 per m² uplift charge covers. If you lift the old carpet yourself and then ask them to take it, it is your waste, so check they hold an upper tier waste carrier registration, a number starting CBDU, on the Environment Agency or Natural Resources Wales register.
Official guidance and sources
The rules and schemes referenced on this page come from these official UK sources. The price figures are Costwise's own; see how we price.
- Waste duty of care: code of practice GOV.UK · The statutory code for England and Wales: a tradesperson is responsible for the waste their own work produces and should price its disposal into the job, while waste you produced and hand over brings in your own duty to check they are an authorised carrier.
Cite this data
These figures are free to use in articles, reports and research under a CC BY 4.0 licence. All we ask is a credit to Costwise, and online a link. Where your style allows, please make "Costwise" the linked word so readers can check the figure for their own region.
Costwise (2026): Carpet fitting typically costs £25 in the UK, ranging from £15 to £40 per m². Reviewed July 2026. costwiseuk.co.ukSource: Costwise (costwiseuk.co.uk)Costwise (2026). Carpet fitting cost. Costwise UK cost data, version 2026-10-05. https://costwiseuk.co.uk/carpet-fitting-cost/2026-10-05 (158 jobs)Dataset DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.21159943 · also on Kaggle, Hugging Face and Figshare. Method: how we price. Downloadable CSV.
These are independent guide prices based on typical UK jobs in 2026. Your actual cost depends on your property, spec, access and where you live. Always get at least three written quotes before committing.