Concreter
Construction trade placing and finishing concrete for slabs, footings, driveways and decorative surfaces.
What a concreter actually does
Concreting runs on the truck. Most pours start at first light, around 6am, with the crew already on site setting up screeds, helicopters and bull floats. A typical residential slab pour for a single home takes a 3-4 person crew between 4 and 6 hours from first truck to final trowel. Larger commercial slabs can run all day with multiple agitator trucks and a concrete pump on site. Once the concrete hits, the crew has a clock - place, screed, bull-float, edge, then trowel as it sets. Stamped, exposed and decorative finishes add time and skill at the final stage. Concreting is one of the most weather-affected trades - rain ruins a pour, heat speeds up the set. Hot pours start at 4am, cold pours wait until the slab has cured. Days finish when the slab finishes, not at a clock time. Hands, knees, back and shoulders all take a beating from screed and trowel work. Pay is good once you're skilled but the body has to last the work.
Skills you'll use
- Reading slab and footing drawings
- Setting out and box-up of formwork and reinforcement
- Pour management and slump testing
- Screeding, bull-floating and trowelling
- Decorative finishing (exposed, stamped, polished)
- Use of laser levels and helicopters (power trowels)
- Weather and curing-window decision making
How to become one
- 1Finish Year 10 with maths
- 2Get a White Card (CPCWHS1001) for construction sites
- 3Sign a 3-year apprenticeship with a concreting contractor or builder
- 4Complete the CPC30320 Certificate III in Concreting through TAFE
- 5Add a working-at-heights and confined-space ticket if doing commercial work
- 6Optional - obtain a forklift, EWP and slewing crane licence for site versatility
Where you can work
- Residential builders on new estates
- Commercial slab specialists on warehouses, factories and supermarkets
- Civil contractors on roads, kerbs and infrastructure
- Tilt-panel specialist crews
- Polished and decorative finishing firms
- Mining and resources concrete contractors
- Self-employed crew owner with 3-4 staff
Career progression
Typical stages and pay bands. Figures are sourced from Job Outlook, the Fair Work Building Industry Award, or industry bodies; brackets are 25th-75th percentile.
- Apprentice3 yearsTypical roles: First-year apprentice concreter, Third-year apprentice concreterSalary band: $28,000 - $50,000 per year (source, sourced 2026-05-21)
- Tradesperson0-4 yearsTypical roles: Residential concreter, Commercial slab placer, Decorative concrete specialistSalary band: $65,000 - $90,000 per year (source, sourced 2026-05-21)
- Leading hand or crew boss5-10 yearsTypical roles: Leading hand, Concrete supervisor, Crew bossSalary band: $90,000 - $120,000 per year (source, sourced 2026-05-21)
- Subcontractor or business owner8+ yearsTypical roles: Subcontract concreting crew owner, Decorative concrete contractor
Is this for you?
You might love this if
- You're physically strong and can keep going through a long pour
- You can read a slab and act fast when weather changes
- You don't mind early starts and weather-driven days
- You take pride in a flat, true slab finish
- You can work calmly when the truck is on its way
This might not suit you if
- Your back, knees or shoulders are unreliable
- You need a predictable weekly schedule
- You can't tolerate working outdoors in heat or cold
- You're allergic to wet-cement burns or dust irritation
Entry requirements
- Year 10 or equivalent
- A signed apprenticeship training contract with a host employer.
State licensing
Not nationally licensed. Some states impose contractor licensing once work exceeds a value threshold.
| State | Licensing authority |
|---|---|
| NSW | Not licensed in this state |
| VIC | Not licensed in this state |
| QLD | Not licensed in this state |
| SA | Not licensed in this state |
| WA | Not licensed in this state |
| TAS | Not licensed in this state |
| NT | Not licensed in this state |
| ACT | Not licensed in this state |