Jackhammer hire price
Last updated
Jackhammer, breaker and mixer hire prices for 2026
Every jackhammer, breaker and mixer price on our guide: day rates, machine only (no operator), excluding VAT. Delivery and collection are quoted as their own line. Prices updated: November 2026.
| Size | Rate | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Heavy electric jackhammer (27–30 kg) | Per day, machine only | R380–R610 |
| Medium electric breaker (15–16 kg) | Per day, machine only | R270–R440 |
| Light electric breaker (up to 11 kg) | Per day, machine only | R230–R400 |
| Concrete mixer (300–500 litre) | Per day, machine only | R370–R470 |
| Diesel compressor with pneumatic breaker | Per day, machine only | R680–R890 |
Diesel compressors with pneumatic breakers, trenchers and lighting towers are priced per job on WhatsApp. For which breaker suits which job, with the maker's specs, see jackhammer hire.
Get my jackhammer price on WhatsAppJackhammer hire per day, weekend and week
| Hire period | Heavy breaker, 27–30 kg | Medium breaker, 15–16 kg | Light breaker, up to 11 kg | Concrete mixer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 day | R380–R610 | R270–R440 | R230–R400 | R370–R470 |
| 2 days | R760–R1,220 | R540–R880 | R460–R800 | R740–R940 |
| 3 days | R1,140–R1,830 | R810–R1,320 | R690–R1,200 | R1,110–R1,410 |
| 5 days | R1,900–R3,050 | R1,350–R2,200 | R1,150–R2,000 | R1,850–R2,350 |
- Weekend hire: priced on WhatsApp. How a Friday-to-Monday hire is charged is written on your quote before you pay, so there's no surprise on the invoice.
- Weekly and longer: for a week or more, ask for a weekly rate rather than paying day by day.
- Deposit to book, with the balance and delivery as agreed on your quote.
Pick the breaker that finishes the job soonest
The day rate isn't the whole cost: the days are. A heavy breaker (Bosch GSH 27 VC or similar) lands 62 joules a blow against 23 joules for a light one (Bosch GSH 11 VC or similar), almost three times the energy, so it breaks a concrete slab far faster.
| Job | Breaker | Per day |
|---|---|---|
| Floor tiles and adhesive, plaster, thin screed | Light, up to 11 kg | R230–R400 |
| Screed, brick walls, steps, paving, thin paths | Medium, 15–16 kg | R270–R440 |
| Floor slabs, driveways, foundations, stone | Heavy, 27–30 kg | R380–R610 |
| Whole floors, thick reinforced slabs, rock | TLB with hydraulic breaker, with operator | R5,000–R6,550 |
Booking a light breaker to save on the day rate and then needing three days for a slab costs more than one or two days with a heavy breaker. If the tiles must come off without damaging the slab underneath, the light breaker is the right tool.
Delivery, and an example quote
Breakers and mixers come to site on a truck or trailer. Inside a main centre, delivery and collection come to R1,300–R3,840; out of town it's worked from the road distance. On a short hire, delivery can cost more than the tool, so book all the days you need in one go, and ask for the mixer or compactor on the same delivery.
Example: two days breaking out a slab in Johannesburg
An old garage floor slab to break out before a rebuild, heavy breaker for two days:
| Example quote (for illustration only) | Amount |
|---|---|
| Heavy electric jackhammer (27–30 kg), 2 days at R380–R610 a day machine only | R760–R1,220 |
| Transport both ways to Johannesburg | R1,300–R3,840 |
| Example total, excl. VAT | R2,060–R5,060 |
The rubble needs a home: a skip or a tipper truck, and a bobcat to load it if there's a lot. Your own price is confirmed in writing on WhatsApp before anything moves.
Compressor hire rates
A towable diesel compressor drives pneumatic breakers and air tools through hoses. It's the choice for heavy breaking all day, road and kerb work, and sites with no power. Compressor hire is priced per job, because the size of compressor depends on the air it must supply:
- How many breakers or tools run at once. A medium pneumatic breaker (Atlas Copco TEX 230 PE or similar, about 25.5 kg) uses about 64 cfm, roughly 30 litres a second, at 6 bar; a heavier one (TEX 280 PE or similar, about 31 kg) about 68 cfm.
- Hose length from the compressor to the work.
- Days, diesel and the town.
For air tools and spray guns, send the air use on the tool's plate (in cfm or litres a second). WhatsApp us the list and the price comes back in writing.
Concrete mixer hire price
A site mixer with a 300–500 litre drum is R370–R470 a day, machine only. A 340-litre drum mixes about 280 litres a batch (Altrad Belle AT350 or similar), and runs off a socket or a portable generator. The mixes per bag of cement are on jackhammer, compressor and mixer hire.
- Footings, slabs and paths: a site mixer and two people loading is the usual way.
- Pours of several cubes: ready-mix delivered by a concrete mixer truck is ordered per cube of concrete, and saves days of mixing.
- Hire it for the pour days only. Concrete must be placed within about an hour of mixing, so have the formwork, steel and labour ready before the mixer arrives.
What changes the price
- The tool's size: heavy, medium or light breaker; mixer drum size; compressor output.
- Days on hire, and weekends as written on your quote.
- Delivery and collection to your town.
- Power: a generator where there's no supply.
- Chisels: a point chisel for breaking, a wide chisel for tiles and screed. Say which when you book.
Hire or buy a jackhammer?
For a renovation or a once-off slab, hire: you get the heavy breaker the job needs, for the days you need it. Ten days of heavy breaker hire is R3,800–R6,100, spread over however many jobs a year. Buying makes sense only for a builder who breaks concrete most weeks and will maintain the tool.
Trencher hire rates
Walk-behind and ride-on trenchers for cable and irrigation are priced on WhatsApp. For deeper trenches, see the trenching price per metre.
Wear hearing protection, a dust mask (FFP2/P2 or better) and safety boots, and wet the surface while breaking. More: safety and certificates and how hiring works.
WhatsApp us the job, days and townQuestions people ask
How much is jackhammer hire per day?
R380–R610 for a heavy 27–30 kg breaker, R270–R440 for a medium 15–16 kg one and R230–R400 for a light one up to 11 kg, machine only and excluding VAT. Delivery and collection are a separate line.
How much does it cost to hire a jackhammer for the weekend?
Weekend hire is priced on WhatsApp, and how the weekend is charged is written on your quote before you pay. As a guide, two days of a heavy breaker at the day rate come to R760–R1,220.
What are compressor hire rates?
Diesel compressors with pneumatic breakers are priced per job, because the size depends on how many breakers or air tools run at once. A medium pneumatic breaker uses about 64–68 cfm (30–32 litres a second) at 6 bar. Send the tools, the hose length, the days and the town on WhatsApp and the price comes back in writing.
How much does it cost to hire a concrete mixer?
A 300–500 litre site mixer is R370–R470 a day, machine only. A five-day week at the day rate is R1,850–R2,350. Delivery is its own line.
Do I need a generator for an electric jackhammer?
Only where there's no power. Electric breakers draw about 1,700–1,900 W and run off a normal 230 V socket. On a site with no supply, a portable generator is R320–R520 a day machine only; see generator hire rates.
Is a jackhammer or a TLB with a breaker cheaper?
For a few square metres, the jackhammer: R380–R610 a day. For a whole floor, a thick reinforced slab or rock, a TLB with a breaker at R5,000–R6,550 a day with operator finishes in hours what takes days by hand, and loads the rubble too.
Related
Sources we checked
- Bosch Professional GSH 11 VC demolition hammer: 11.4 kg, 23 J, 1,700 W
- Bosch Professional GSH 16-28 demolition hammer: 18.3 kg, 41 J, 1,750 W
- Bosch Professional GSH 27 VC demolition hammer: 29.5 kg, 62 J, 1,900 W
- Atlas Copco medium pneumatic breakers (TEX 230 PE, TEX 280 PE): weight and air consumption
- PPC: how to lay a foundation (place concrete within 1 hour of mixing)
- Altrad Belle AT350 mixer specification: 340-litre drum, 280-litre mixing volume
Need a jackhammer?
WhatsApp us the job, the town and the dates. We confirm the machine, the start date and the price in writing before the machine moves.
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