Mini Mix & Small Load Concrete in Birmingham
Half a cube for fence posts or a couple of cubes for a footing — batched on site, metered at the chute, and priced at the same per-m³ rate as a full load. No short-load fee, ever.
What Counts as a Small Load?
Anything from 0.5m³ — half a cubic metre, about ten barrow loads. That's our minimum, and it exists because below that a few bags from the merchant genuinely make more sense. We'll tell you if that's your job.
For scale: volumetric suppliers typically won't come out for less than 1m³, and plant-batched drum suppliers commonly set minimums of 2–6m³ — with minimum charges of £500 or more at some. If your job needs 0.7m³, most of the industry rounds you up. We don't: the meter reads 0.7, so you pay for 0.7.
Typical mini mix territory: a run of fence posts, a shed base, a small footing for a porch or garden wall, a repair panel in a driveway, a set of steps. Not sure of your volume? The concrete calculator turns dimensions into cubic metres in a few seconds.
Why There's No Part-Load Fee on a Volumetric Truck
The part-load fee exists because of how a drum truck earns its keep. A 6m³ or 8m³ drum costs the same to send out whether it's full or nearly empty, so drum suppliers bill you for the fresh air: typically £15–£40 for every empty cubic metre, depending on supplier, or flat small-load fees of £50 and up — £100–£200 per delivery in some regions. Bring any surplus back and that's chargeable too.
A volumetric truck doesn't carry your concrete. It carries raw stone, sand, cement and water, and batches your mix on the spot — so there's no empty drum space to bill for and no surplus to cart back. The invoice is one line of arithmetic: metered volume × the per-m³ rate, +VAT. That's it.
From a 6m³ drum truck, 1.5m³ leaves 4.5m³ of empty space — at a typical £15–£40 per empty cube, that's £67–£180 added before any concrete is poured. From our truck, 1.5m³ is simply 1.5 × the rate. Nothing else.
Small Jobs and the Mixes We'd Batch
Right-sizing the grade matters as much as right-sizing the volume — don't pay for C35 where a general-purpose mix will do.
| Job | Mix we'd typically batch |
|---|---|
| Fence posts & repair work | A general-purpose C8/10-strength mix — the job builders reach for "GEN1" on |
| Strip footings, small extension, normal ground | C8/10-strength at S3 consistence; trench fill goes S4 — see concrete for foundations |
| Unreinforced shed or garage base | C20 (C16/20) at S2 — see shed & garage bases |
| Reinforced footings | C25/30 at S3 — anything with embedded metal counts as reinforced |
| Driveway repairs & parking pads | Air-entrained C25/30 — a PAV1-equivalent mix that resists frost scaling; see concrete for driveways |
Because the truck batches to order, a mixed visit is no trouble either — footings first, then switch the spec for the shed base, all in one visit. Grade names all decoded at concrete grades explained.
Small Load, Tight Access? Here's the Honest Maths
Plenty of small jobs live where trucks don't — behind terraces, down shared drives, through side gates. First, the honesty: our truck is full-size, about 2.55m wide and needing roughly 3m of clear width. "Mini mix" means a mini quantity, not a mini truck. What we do about it:
- Chute first. Our extension chutes reach around 5m from where the truck stands — roughly double a drum mixer's reach, and often enough to land the pour directly.
- Barrows next. About 20 barrow loads per m³, at 100kg-plus a load. Plan at least one barrow and one able adult per cubic metre to keep pace — our driver discharges into the barrows, but the pushing is yours.
- Pump when the volume demands it. Barrowing half a cube is one thing; barrowing three is a morning of hard labour. Pumps move roughly 1m³ a minute and line pumps reach hundreds of metres — see concrete pump hire.
The right call is access plus volume, never one alone. A photo of the route sent with your enquiry usually settles it in one look.
Small Load Prices — the Same Table as Everyone Else's
No small-load tariff, no minimum charge, no premium for ordering less. These are the same guide prices every customer gets, whatever the volume.
| Mix | Guide price per m³ |
|---|---|
| C8/10 designed mix (the "GEN1" job) | from £99 +VAT |
| C20 (C16/20) (the "GEN3" job) | from £105 +VAT |
| C25 | from £110 +VAT |
| C30 | from £115 +VAT |
| C35 | from £120 +VAT |
| C40 | from £128 +VAT |
Per m³, excluding VAT — add 20%. Guide prices, confirmed when you book. The meter decides the final bill: order 0.8m³, use 0.6m³, pay for 0.6m³.
Mini Mix FAQs
What's the smallest concrete delivery you'll do?
0.5m³ — about ten barrow loads. Below that, a few bags from the merchant genuinely make more sense, and we'll tell you if that's your job.
Do small loads cost more per cubic metre?
No. There's no small-load surcharge — you pay the same published guide prices as any full pour, from £99/m³ +VAT. Drum suppliers commonly add £50–£200 short-load fees or charge for every empty cubic metre of drum space; we don't, because there's no empty drum to pay for.
Is mini mix delivered in a smaller truck?
Honest answer: no. Our volumetric truck is a full-size vehicle — about 2.55m wide, needing roughly 3m of clear width to get in. Mini mix means a mini quantity, not a mini truck. If access is tight, the extension chute reaches around 5m, and beyond that we barrow or pump. Send a photo of the access and we'll tell you which.
What mix do I need for fence posts or a shed base?
Fence posts and general repair work: a C8/10-strength general-purpose mix — the job builders reach for "GEN1" on — does it; don't pay for C35. An unreinforced shed base wants C20 (C16/20) at around 100mm thick. We batch to order, so you get the right mix either way.
How many wheelbarrows is a cubic metre of concrete?
Reckon on about 20 barrow loads per m³, at 100kg or more per barrow. Plan at least one barrow and one able adult per cubic metre to keep pace with the pour. Our drivers discharge into the barrows, but the pushing is yours.
Can I get a small load at short notice?
Same-day slots are often available — call early in the day and we'll tell you straight. We deliver seven days a week, 7am–5pm.
Half a Cube or Three — Priced the Same Way
Tell us the job and the postcode. Metered volume, published rates, no short-load fee. 7 days a week, 7am–5pm.