Structural work (gros œuvre) cost per m² in Morocco in 2026

Foundations, reinforced concrete, masonry, waterproofing: here is what the structural work (gros œuvre) of a house costs in Morocco in 2026, trade by trade, according to the CITURBAREA simulator.

What does the structural work of a house include?

Structural work (gros œuvre) is everything that holds the house up and makes it weathertight. In the CITURBAREA simulator, it groups six trade packages, in site order:

Adjoining R+1 house, 150 m² of floor area, 75 m² footprint, mid-range, Kénitra, general contractor. CITURBAREA simulator, 2026 prices.

Watch the definitions: many quotes class partitions, internal render and screeds as "finishing works" (second œuvre). With that convention, the simulator puts structural work at 46% of the building cost. The structural core alone (reinforced concrete and external walls) accounts for about 1,220 DH excl. VAT/m².

What does structural work cost per m² depending on the soil and how you build?

With the basement, the structural work spread over the whole floor area (150 m² above ground + 75 m² of basement = 225 m²) comes to 2,981 DH excl. VAT/m².

With a jobbing builder, the simulator breaks the 1,695 DH/m² of structural work down into three parts: about 1,185 DH excl. VAT/m² of materials (concrete, steel, concrete blocks, hollow blocks, cement…) that you pay to the builders' merchant; about 445 DH/m² invoiced by the tâcheron (382 DH/m² of labour without social charges, 23 DH/m² of small tools and consumables, and his 10% margin, i.e. 40 DH/m²); and about 65 DH/m² of site set-up (2% of the works, an assumption, i.e. 9,680 DH). Hence 1,185 + 445 + 65 = 1,695 DH/m². This amount is consistent with the labour-only structural-work rates used by the engine, from 230 to 450 DH/m². For the full cost of the house, finishes included, see house construction cost per m².

Which unit prices should you check on a structural-work quote?

Installed selling prices excl. VAT (materials, labour, contractor's overheads and margin), city of Kénitra, with the simulator's low-high range in brackets:

These prices are based on materials surveyed in 2026 (B25 ready-mix concrete: 850 to 1,100 DH/m³; high-bond (HA) steel: 8.8 to 10.5 DH/kg; CPJ 45 cement: 72 to 85 DH per bag; 20 cm concrete block: 5 to 9 DH) and on laying times that are the engine's assumptions. Archiplan publishes similar ranges for cement (70 to 85 DH per bag) and steel (9,000 to 12,000 DH per tonne).

How much concrete, steel and cement per m²?

Quantities calculated by the simulator for the reference house (150 m², 16+4 hollow-block floor, isolated footings), per m² of floor area:

Bagged cement is low because the concrete is assumed to be plant-delivered (ready-mix). If the concrete is mixed on site, you must add the cement, sand and gravel for the concrete. Steel depends heavily on the soil and the project: the simulator rises to 27 kg/m² with a raft and to nearly 30 kg/m² with a basement. These ratios are preliminary-study assumptions: only the reinforced-concrete drawings from an engineering consultancy (bureau d'études) give the quantities to order.

How much does structural-work labour cost?

For a contractor, the simulator adds 21.09% employer social charges (CNSS, AMO, training tax) to these rates. For the whole house, it counts about 160 labourer days, 93 mason days, 15 steel-fixer days and 11 formwork-carpenter days. A "labour-only" quote should therefore be compared per m² (about 445 DH/m² here) or by number of days, never without knowing the list of items covered.

What are the pitfalls of a structural-work quote?

• Price per m² without quantities: a lump sum of "structural work at 1,500 DH/m²" says nothing about the foundation type or floor thickness. Insist on a bill of quantities with unit prices (see our sample quote).
• Mix not specified: the quote must state the concrete class (B25 minimum for the structure in the simulator) and whether it is plant-delivered or mixed on site.
• Reinforcement without drawings: without reinforced-concrete drawings, the steel is left to the site's judgement. Going from 17 to 27 kg/m², as on a raft, means about 1.5 tonnes more steel on 150 m², or nearly 15,000 DH for the material alone.
• No soil survey: switching from isolated footings to a raft adds about 46,000 DH excl. VAT to the structural work in our example.
• Waterproofing forgotten: it is often taken out of the structural work and then bought back cheaply. Here it costs about 200 DH/m² of floor area.
• Unclear VAT: the engine assumes that merchant prices which do not state VAT are excl. VAT. If they were incl. VAT, the difference would be 5 to 10% of the works. Have each quote state whether it is excl. or incl. VAT.

How do you get your structural work priced?

1. Have the architect's drawings and the soil survey done, then the engineering firm's (BET) reinforced-concrete drawings.
2. Estimate the structural work trade by trade in the simulator to get a reference price.
3. Send the same bill of quantities to three contractors or jobbing builders. See choosing a construction company.
4. Compare trade by trade and ask for a justification of any price that departs by more than 20% from the reference.

For the overall budget (architect, engineering firm, taxes), see also architect fees and building permit fees and taxes. For a small plot, see house plan on 100 m².

What do other sources say?

Habitat Services Plus (November 2024) puts the structural work of a villa at 2,000 to 3,500 MAD/m², i.e. 300,000 to 525,000 MAD for 150 m², covering foundations, masonry, reinforced concrete, roof and basic insulation. Our estimate of 2,393 DH excl. VAT/m² with a contractor falls within that range. Our jobbing-builder figure (1,695 DH/m²) is below it, because it includes neither contractor margin nor overheads on materials.

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