Most holes cost $50 to $400 each, plus a setup charge. Size, depth, and whether it is a wall or a floor move the price most.
Concrete core drilling usually costs $50 to $400 per hole, plus a setup fee of about $200. One published price list from Carolina Precision Core Drilling charges $85 for a 4 inch floor hole. The same hole through a wall costs $140.
Papaneri & Sons has cut, poured, and repaired concrete across South Jersey since 1987. Coring looks like a small job, but the setup fee and the hole size decide most of the bill.
This post explains how coring is priced and how to keep the cost down. For the full range of cutting work we handle, see our concrete cutting page.
Core drilling uses a hollow diamond bit to cut a clean, round hole through a slab or wall. It is how plumbers, electricians, and HVAC crews pass pipe, conduit, and ducts through concrete.
Many crews start from a simple rule. Castle Concrete prices core drilling at about $50 per inch of bit diameter. Depth changes that, and small jobs carry a minimum.
A 4 inch sidewalk and a 12 inch foundation wall are very different holes. Thicker concrete means more drilling time and more wear on the bit.
Drilling sideways means anchoring the rig to the wall and catching the core and the water. That extra setup is why wall holes cost more than the same hole through a floor.
Steel inside the concrete takes longer to cut and wears diamond segments faster. Post-tension slabs are a special case, because cutting a tendon can be dangerous and very expensive to fix.
Coring uses water to cool the bit and control dust. The crew needs water, power, and a plan to catch the slurry. Tight crawl spaces, ceilings, and upper floors take longer to set up.
Every job carries the cost of getting the rig, water, and crew to the site. That is why one hole can cost almost as much as three.
Here are real floor prices from Carolina Precision Core Drilling's published price list. A 2 inch hole runs $60 and a 4 inch hole $85. A 6 inch hole runs $140, an 8 inch $200, and a 12 inch $400.
Through walls, the same list charges $100 for 2 inch, $140 for 4 inch, $180 for 6 inch, and $475 for 12 inch holes.
That list adds a $200 minimum setup charge to every job, and it discounts jobs of 100 holes or more. Most coring companies use some kind of trip or minimum fee.
Four 3 inch holes through a sidewalk run $75 each on that list. Add the $200 setup, and the job totals $500. The same list shows how small jobs are mostly setup.
These numbers come from one North Carolina shop, so treat them as a guide. Local rates differ, and after-hours or hard-to-reach work costs more almost everywhere.
Papaneri & Sons core drills holes for pipes, conduit, drains, and utilities. The lesson that matters most is that the drilling is the easy part. Knowing what is inside the slab is the hard part.
Before a bit touches concrete, we mark the hole and check for rebar, conduit, and pipes. Hitting a live line or a key piece of steel turns a small job into a big repair.
Size and angle have to be exact. A hole that is a little off can mean a pipe that will not seal, a leak, or a second hole. We measure carefully before we drill.
Dust control is not optional either. Cutting concrete releases fine silica dust. OSHA notes that applying water when cutting concrete, brick, and block greatly reduces the dust. We wet cut wherever we can.
The bit matters as much as the plan. We match the blade or bit to the material, whether it is a hard cured driveway, a reinforced floor, or a fresh slab. The right tool cuts cleaner and keeps the job on time.
Cleanup counts too. Coring throws off slurry, and slurry stains. On a finished basement floor or a storefront walk, protecting the surface around the hole is part of doing the job right.
Group your holes into one visit. Because the setup fee is fixed, every extra hole on the same trip costs far less than a return visit.
Know your sizes before you call. Ask your plumber or electrician for the exact pipe or conduit size and where it needs to pass. Guessing leads to redrilling.
Understand the difference between coring and sawing. Our guide to how concrete cutting works explains when a round hole makes sense and when a saw cut is better.
If you are placing posts in an existing lot, coring is often part of that job. Our breakdown of concrete bollard installation cost shows how it fits into the total.
Planning a new slab instead? Joints and sleeves are cheaper to plan before the pour. Our guide to concrete control joint spacing covers what to lay out ahead of time.
Ask about minimums, too. Some shops set a minimum charge instead of a setup fee, so a single small hole can cost the same as two or three.
Finally, ask whether the price includes scanning for steel, water control, cleanup, and patching around the hole. Those extras are where quotes differ.
A single small hole through a floor slab goes fairly quickly once the rig is set up. Thick walls, big diameters, and heavy rebar take longer. Setup and cleanup add time on every job.
Yes, diamond core bits cut through rebar. It slows the work and wears the bit, so it can raise the price. On structural or post-tension concrete, the steel should be located first so the hole avoids it.
Coring itself rarely needs its own permit, but the plumbing, electrical, or structural work behind it often does. Check with your township first. Papaneri & Sons handles concrete cutting and coring in Cherry Hill, Pennsauken, and nearby towns.
A per-hole price gets you close. A quick site visit locks in the sizes, the depth, and what is inside the concrete before anyone drills. Papaneri & Sons serves Cherry Hill, Voorhees, Haddonfield, Mount Laurel, and Marlton. Family crew since 1987, ACI certified, licensed, and insured.