Building costs & estimating
Our team of experienced building industry researchers and estimators continually gather the latest prices for building materials, the costs of labour, plant hire and other items. From this, they build a comprehensive database of supply and supply/fix rates - for any location in Australia.
The building cost information products produced by Reed Construction Data are the leading authority on construction cost information for the building, property and insurance industries throughout Australia.
The information is used by builders, subcontractors, architects, engineers, legal firms, financial institutions and government departments - in fact anyone who needs to know or estimate building costs.
Read on for more information on our range of Building cost and Estimating products:
Online/electronic solutions:
Cordell estimator v3 - An online estimating solution that gives you access to the Cordell pricing database of your choice and provides you with tools to produce estimates more easily than ever before. The complete estimating solution.
Cordell estimator v3 Training - Specially designed training sessions to teach you how to use the Cordell estimator v3 system.
Cordell eCosting - An Internet-based program giving users electronic access to a range of pricing databases, plus a simple tool for preparing estimates.
Cordell m2 Building Cost Guide - A new electronic square-metre rate pricing database for building industry professionals who need to estimate costs for complete buildings quickly and easily.
Cordell CBI Report - A new pdf format report detailing the movement in costs associated with building work within particular segments of the industry.
Printed guides:
Cordell Commercial & Industrial Building Cost Guide - A comprehensive library of supply and fix costs for the non-housing building industry.
Cordell Housing Building Cost Guide - A comprehensive library of supply and fix costs for the housing market - new and alterations/additions.
Cordell Plumbing & Drainage Trade Cost Guide - A handy pocket guide allowing you to estimate a plumbing and drainage job quickly and easily.
Cordell Landscaping & External Works Trade Cost Guide - A handy pocket guide which will allow you to create comprehensive and accurate landscaping estimates.
Cordell Price Index - Over 14,000 material prices giving you all the pricing information you need to prepare an estimate quickly.
Cordell estimator v3
Our new online estimating solution can incorporate any of our pricing databases allowing you to access and create accurate estimates on any computer with Internet access, 24hrs a day, 7 days a week.
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Estimator is also available in a Windows®-based computer software package if the Internet option is not appropriate for you. Please contact one of our representatives by calling 1800 80 60 60 for further information.
Download the Cordell estimator v3 brochure
Download the Cordell estimator v3 demo (full version)
Download the Cordell estimator v3 demo (part 1)
Download the Cordell estimator v3 demo (part 2)
Contact Us about estimator v3
Cordell estimator v3 Training
Our Cordell estimator v3 training sessions are run by our own staff and are specially designed to help users of Cordell estimator v3 get started using the system.
We run our estimator training courses on demand, but usually they are held monthly in NSW, Victoria and Queensland, with sessions in South Australia and Western Australia held periodically throughout the year.
Each participant at our courses has access to a computer on which they can perform real-life examples set by our trainer. This really is ‘hands-on’ training.
At the end of the full-day of training, you will have acquired a range of skills and expert tips that you can put into practice straight away. No hi-brow theory or useless padding - just good, practical, hard-nosed advice that will get you estimating quickly and easily.
Download the Cordell estimator v3 Training brochure
Contact Us about estimator v3 Training
Cordell eCosting
Cordell eCosting is an Internet-based program designed for people who want the pricing information contained in our printed cost guides delivered electronically. eCosting also provides some simple tools to help you put estimates together.
Cordell eCosting provides online access to the following pricing databases:
- Commercial & Industrial
- Housing
- Plumbing & Drainage
- Landscaping & External Works
- Building m2 Models & Elements
- Insurance Claims
For more information on the content of the Commercial & Industrial, Housing, Plumbing & Drainage, Landscaping & External Works or Building m2 Models & Elements databases, please see below.
The Insurance Claims database, only available online through eCosting, is a specialised library of prices designed for use in preparing insurance-related estimates. Click here to download the Insurance Claims database brochure
Being a web-based program, Cordell eCosting can be accessed at any time, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, regardless of where you are. As long as you have Internet access, you can use eCosting. The system is backed up as you go, so you don’t have to worry about saving files, or creating copies.
| Format | Internet |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 12 month subscription, updated quarterly |
| Research coverage* | National, ie. NSW, VIC/TAS, QLD, SA/NT, WA |
| Rates and trade categories | Varies depending on chosen database, see details for Cost Guides below |
| Labour and material rates | Shown separately for each cost item |
| Technical support | Free of charge |
| Estimating tips | Free of charge |
* You choose to suit your business
Download the Cordell eCosting brochure
Contact us about eCosting
Cordell m2 Building Cost Guide
The Cordell m2 Building Cost Guide is a new electronic database for building industry professionals who need to estimate costs for complete buildings quickly and easily.
The Cordell m2 Building Cost Guide is the only square-metre rate electronic pricing database in Australia. It’s so simple to use, you don’t need any knowledge or experience in building estimating.
Delivered through Cordell eCosting (see above), the Cordell m2 Building Cost Guide database allows you to simply and easily select relevant items and then add them to the estimates screen.
The database contains graphical illustrations so you can be sure you’re selecting the correct element for your estimate, and all prices are updated quarterly, so you’ll know your estimate is always up to date.
| Format | Electronic, via eCosting |
| Frequency | 12 month subscription, updated quarterly |
| Research coverage* | National, ie. NSW, VIC/TAS, QLD, SA/NT, WA |
| Industry sectors | Currently available for Commercial. |
* You choose to suit your business
Download the Cordell m2 Building Cost Guide brochure
Contact Us about the m2 Building Cost Guide
Cordell CBI Report
The Cordell Building Indicies (CBI) Report is a new product which provides details of the movement in costs associated with building work within particular segments of the industry.
The first CBI report available for purchase is the Cordell Housing Index Price (CHIP) Report which, as the name suggests, is specific to the Housing sector of the industry.
The CHIP report not only provides the current index figures across 20 different categories, but is also gives historical figures going back 15 years, as well as a comparison between the CHIP and CPI (Consumer Price Index), and instructions on how to use our Index.
| Product | Profile |
|---|---|
| Format | Adobe Acrobat (pdf) file, delivered by email |
| Frequency | 12 month subscription, updated quarterly |
| Research coverage* | National, ie. NSW, VIC, QLD, SA, WA |
| Industry sectors | Currently available for Housing. Will be available for Commercial, Industrial & High-rise Residential in the future. |
* You choose to suit your business
Download the Cordell CBI Report brochure
Contact Us about the CBI Report
Cordell Commercial & Industrial Building Cost Guide
The Cordell Commercial & Industrial Building Cost Guide is a comprehensive library of supply and fix costs for the building industry.
Specifically catered to the Commercial and Industrial building sectors, this Cost Guides includes over 8,000 rates across 46 separate trade categories.
Each rate is broken up into its various labour, material and plant hire costs, so that you can see how each rate has been made up.
The Cost Guide is available quarterly in printed or electronic format (see Cordell eCosting).
| Format* | A4 book (250+ pages), or online via Cordell eCosting |
| Frequency | 12 month subscription, updated quarterly |
| Research coverage* | National, ie. NSW, VIC/TAS, QLD, SA/NT, WA |
| Rates and trade categories | Over 8,000 rates, 46 trade categories |
| Labour and material rates | Shown separately for each cost item |
| Technical support | Free of charge |
| Estimating tips | Free of charge |
* You choose to suit your business
Contact Us about the Commercial & Industrial Building Cost Guide
Cordell Housing Building Cost Guide
The Cordell Housing Building Cost Guide contains all the pricing information you need to create estimates for jobs in the housing sector of the building industry.
This Cost Guides includes over 6,500 supply and fix prices across 41 separate trade categories.
Each rate is broken up into its various labour, material and plant hire costs, so that you can see how each rate has been made up.
The Cost Guide is available quarterly in printed or electronic format (see Cordell eCosting).
| Format* | A4 book (250+ pages), or online via Cordell eCosting |
| Frequency* | 12 month subscription, updated quarterly |
| Research coverage* | National, ie. NSW, VIC/TAS, QLD, SA/NT, WA |
| Rates and trade categories | Over 6,500 rates, 41 trade categories |
| Labour and material rates | Shown separately for each cost item |
| Technical support | Free of charge |
| Estimating tips | Free of charge |
* You choose to suit your business
Contact Us about the Housing Building Cost Guide
Cordell Plumbing & Drainage Trade Cost Guide
Our handy pocket guide allows you to estimate a plumbing or drainage job quickly and easily. It contains all the day-to-day pricing information you need, presented in a guide small enough to fit in your glove box or pocket!
By using the supply and fix rates contained in the Cordell Plumbing & Drainage Trade Cost Guide, you’ll not only save valuable time, but you’ll also reduce the possibility of making a mistake.
Unlike our Commercial/Industrial & Housing Cost Guides, the Plumbing & Drainage Trade Cost Guide is not a subscription-based product, so you can simply purchase it once if you prefer. However, to keep abreast of rate changes, we do offer a Plumbing & Drainage pricing database on a 12-month subscription through Cordell eCosting.
| Format* | Handy pocket-sized printed guide, and also available online through Cordell eCosting |
| Frequency* | Printed guide is a one-off purchase, with a new version available yearly. Online database is updated quarterly. |
| Research coverage* | National, ie. NSW, VIC/TAS, QLD, SA/NT, WA |
| Rates and trade categories | Over 4,000 supply and fix prices, 16 trade categories |
* You choose to suit your business
- Download the Cordell Plumbing & Drainage Trade Cost Guide brochure
- Download a sample
- Download a list of suppliers (trade stockists)
Contact Us about the Plumbing & Drainage Trade Cost Guide
Cordell Landscaping & External Works Trade Cost Guide
From turf to tiles, pipes to plants, this handy pocket guide will allow you to create comprehensive and accurate landscaping estimates.
With a sole focus on landscaping costs, this guide allows you to price jobs quickly and accurately. With all the information you could ever need in one location, estimating your jobs couldn’t be easier.
| Format* | Handy pocket-sized printed guide, and also available online through Cordell eCosting |
| Frequency* | Printed guide is a one-off purchase, with a new version available yearly. Online database is updated quarterly. |
| Research coverage* | National, ie. NSW, VIC/TAS, QLD, SA/NT, WA |
| Rates and trade categories | Over 4,000 supply and fix prices, 16 trade categories |
* You choose to suit your business
- Download the Cordell Landscaping & External Works Trade Cost Guide brochure
- Download a sample
- Download a list of suppliers (trade stockists)
Contact Us about the Landscaping & External Works Trade Cost Guide
Cordell Price Index
Over 12,000 building material prices covering everything from filling sand to letterboxes, concrete to landscaping supplies, giving you all the pricing information you need to estimate quickly. Containing 141 different suppliers complete with all their contact details, letting you source different materials easily, saving you valuable time. The Price Index is fully updated every month and is available in printed format.
| Format | A4 printed book |
| Frequency | 12 month subscription, updated monthly |
| Research coverage | NSW only |
| Rates and trade categories | Over 12,000 material prices, 88 main categories & 218 sub-categories |
| Technical support | Free of charge |
| Estimating tips | Free of charge |
- Download the Cordell Price Index Brochure
- Download a sample
Contact Us about Cordell Price Index
For more information please call 1800 80 60 60