Playground markings prices

Pick the markings you have in mind and the estimator gives an installed range before VAT, with the minimum order applied. Below it are the published price ranges each figure comes from.

£250 to £1,800traditional games, installed
£850 to £1,200one netball court
£1,000 + VATa common minimum order

Estimate your scheme

Allowances per item are our planning figures, set inside the published ranges below. A guide, not a quote.

HopscotchSingle traditional game · £250 to £4500
Snakes and ladders3 × 3 m game · £700 to £1,3000
Compass or targetSingle graphic, 3 to 4 m · £250 to £5000
100 square or times-table gridAbout 4 × 4 m · £600 to £1,2000
Alphabet or number snakeLiteracy or counting trail · £350 to £7000
UK or world mapLarge educational graphic · £900 to £1,6000
Agility or footprint trailActive trail of 8 to 15 pieces · £300 to £9000
EYFS road layoutRoad loop, crossing, roundabout · £600 to £1,5000
Netball court linesOne full court · £850 to £1,2000
Basketball court linesOne full court · £850 to £1,5000
Multi-sport line setSeveral sports, one court area · £1,200 to £2,5000
Running lanePerimeter loop with start and lap markers · £800 to £2,5000

Installed estimate, before VAT

Pick some markings

Most schemes are a mix of games, learning markings and one court.

Old markings to remove first

With VAT at 20%–

Send this as a brief

Installed prices by type of work

Type of work	Installed, before VAT
Traditional games (hopscotch, snakes and ladders, compass, targets)	£250 to £1,800
EYFS and nursery markings	£250 to £2,000
Fitness and active trails	£300 to £2,500
Educational scheme (maths, literacy, maps)	£1,500 to £3,000
Netball court lines	£850 to £1,200
Basketball court lines	£850 to £1,500
Multi-sport (MUGA) line set	£1,200 to £2,500
Removing and replacing worn markings	£500 to £4,000
Road safety and zone lines	£3 to £12 per m

Painted lines

Painting job	Guide, before VAT
Line markings, one basketball court	£400 to £500
Wash, seal, colour coat and lines, one court	£4,000 to £5,000
Netball lines, one court, added to resurfacing	£360
Football lines, one pitch, added to resurfacing	£360
Basketball lines with keys, added to resurfacing	£520

Supply-only prices

The thermoplastic alone, before anyone lays it. Useful for seeing how much of an installed price is material.

Preformed marking	Size	Supply, before VAT
Classic hopscotch	2.0 × 0.57 m	£131
Compass with rounded core	about 3 m across	£182
Number snake 1 to 10	about 4 m long	£262
Chessboard set	2.5 × 2.5 m	£268
Alphabet snail A to Z	about 4 m across	£424
Number grid, outline only	about 4 × 4 m	£539
Obstacle activity course	trail	£706
Number grid, full colour	about 4 × 4 m	£918
Multiplication table	grid	£928
Snakes and ladders	3.0 × 3.0 m	£939
Simple world map	large	£1,080
Periodic table set	large	£1,221

Where these prices come from

Installed ranges and per-metre rates: published UK contractor price guides, autumn 2026 (not named or linked).
Minimum order: stated by several national contractors, about £1,000 plus VAT.
Supply-only prices: published UK price lists for preformed thermoplastic, autumn 2026 (not named or linked).
Basketball England, Outdoor project costs (per basketball-court-sized area)
Contracts Finder, contractor quotation and specification attached to a public notice (undated)
Estimator allowances: our own planning figures within those ranges.

What moves the price

Size and detail. A 4 × 4 m full-colour number grid uses several times the material of an outline one, and takes longer to lay.

The tarmac. Old or weathered surfaces need primer. Cracked or patched ones may need repair first, which is a separate job and a separate price.

What is already there. Old paint and cold plastic must come off before thermoplastic goes down. Removal and replacement jobs run from £500 to £4,000.

One visit or several. Travel and set-up are fixed. Ten markings in one visit cost far less per marking than three visits of three.

Timing. Holiday slots go first. A quote in the spring term for a summer install gives you the widest choice of contractor.

Questions about marking prices

How much do playground markings cost per marking?

A single traditional game such as hopscotch is about £250 to £450 installed, and a large educational graphic such as a map up to about £1,600, before VAT. Many contractors set a minimum order of about £1,000 plus VAT, so single markings are rarely bought alone.

Why is the installed price so much higher than the supply price?

Supply-only prices are for the plastic alone. Installed prices add travel, surface cleaning and priming, setting out, the burner work and the contractor’s guarantee.

How much does it cost to mark a whole playground?

A primary playground with a netball court, a running lane and six to eight games and learning markings usually lands between about £5,000 and £10,000 before VAT, depending on the size of each piece and the state of the tarmac. The estimator above gives a range for your own list.

Are playground markings cheaper in the summer holiday?

Not usually cheaper, but easier to book early. Contractors fill holiday slots first, so getting a quote in the spring term gives you the widest choice.

Do prices include VAT?

No. All figures on this site are before VAT at 20%. Maintained schools and academies can usually reclaim it; a PTA that is a separate charity usually cannot.

What makes one quote higher than another?

The size of each marking, the number of colours, whether old markings must be removed, primer on old tarmac, and travel. Ask each contractor for a scaled layout so you compare the same scheme.

Get prices for your playground

Three short steps: where the school is, what you want marked, and how to reach you. It takes about two minutes.

We are a free matching service, not a marking firm. You get the contractor’s name from us first, and the brief only goes to them once you say yes.

Step 1 of 3

Where is the school?

Postcode