Construction labour and machinery rates in Malaysia
Material prices get the attention, but labour and machinery decide whether a rate holds up on site. Look up a rate by trade or machine for the state you are building in, see how it has moved, and carry it straight into a rate build-up.
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Two price types, looked up the same way
Labour
Rates by trade, such as carpenters, scaffolders, formwork installers, plant operators and general construction workers. Labour is shown as a minimum to maximum band.
Machinery
Rates by machine type, such as backhoes, motor graders, compactors, dozers, compressors and pumps.
In the Chat Workspace, ask in plain language or open Analyse, then choose the price type, the category, the state and, where a state has more than one, the city. Pick one item for its full analysis, or scan the whole category to list every rate in it.
When the rates are published
Labour and machinery rates are published twice a year, in January and July, so each figure compares against the previous half-year. Material prices are published monthly.
Every answer names the period it is for and defaults to the latest one published. For labour, where the rate is a band, the change between periods is calculated on the midpoint.
What comes with every rate
- The current rate and the unit it is quoted in.
- A price history chart with selectable ranges.
- The 12 month movement, with the high and the low over the period.
- The same item in other states, so you can see where yours sits.
From a labour rate to a cost per unit of work
A labour rate on its own is a cost of time. To price an item you need the time one unit of work takes:
Labour cost per unit = labour rate × time per unit of work
If a gang costs RM40 an hour and lays 2 m² of a finish in that hour, the labour in the rate is RM20 per m². Those figures are illustrative. Machinery works the same way, from a hire rate and an output.
This is exactly what a rate build-up does: it combines material, labour and plant into one composite rate, and Caprix can drop the live labour or machinery figure into each row.
Compare and watch
Compare rates charts two to four rates over the same years, for one trade across states or a material against the labour that fixes it. Track pins up to 10 rates to a watchlist that updates itself when a newer period is published, with a price alert you can set at no charge.
What the Free plan covers
Analyse is on every plan at 2 credits a query. The Free plan reaches 8 categories in each price type and 5 locations; the rest stay visible in the pickers, marked Pro.
| Price type | Categories on the Free plan |
|---|---|
| Labour | Carpenter (Joinery) · Scaffolder (Tubular) · General Construction Worker (Civil) · Scrapper Operator · Motor Grader Operator · Slinger / Dogger · System Formwork Installer · Roof Truss Installer (Timber) |
| Machinery | Backhoe · Motor Grader · Compactor · Dozer · Compressor · Pump · Drill · Hammer |
| Locations | Johor Bahru · Kuantan · Ipoh · Sandakan · Sibu |
Pro and Max open every trade, every machinery type and all 13 states and the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur. Free gives 50 credits every month. Pro is RM99 a month with 2,000 credits, and Max is RM149 a month with 4,000. See the full plan comparison →
Questions about labour and machinery rates
How often are labour and machinery rates updated?
Can I look up a labour rate for a specific trade and state?
Why is a labour rate shown as a range?
Which labour and machinery rates are on the Free plan?
Can I use these rates in a Bill of Quantities?
Is it free to try?
Get the rate before you price the job
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