What the fixed fee covers
The fee for a standard residential site classification includes everything the report needs.
- The site visit by a field engineer, with a drilling rig or hand equipment
- Two boreholes to 2.5 metres, which is what AS 2870 expects for a residential footing
- The soil profile logged and described to AS 1726
- Laboratory testing where the classification depends on it
- A signed AS 2870 site classification report, as a PDF, that your builder, slab designer and certifier can use
The fee by zone
The price is fixed by where the site is, because the travel is the main thing that changes between one standard job and another. Every zone has one fee for a standard site, and the instant quote page shows yours from the postcode.
- Sydney Metro: $890 + GST
- Wollongong / Illawarra: $990 + GST
- Macarthur / Wollondilly: $990 + GST
- Southern Highlands: $1,090 + GST
- South Coast / Shoalhaven: $1,190 + GST
- Blue Mountains / Lithgow: $1,190 + GST
- Hawkesbury / North-West Fringe: $1,090 + GST
- Central Coast: $1,090 + GST
- Central West / Bathurst: $1,290 + GST
- Hunter: $1,290 + GST
- Wagga Wagga / Riverina: $1,290 + GST
What makes a soil test cost more
A standard site means two boreholes to 2.5 metres with normal access for the rig on a flat or gently sloping block. Anything beyond that is quoted before it is booked, and it appears as its own line so you can see what you are paying for.
- More boreholes, for a larger footprint, a duplex or several structures
- Deeper boreholes, for a basement, deep excavation or a retaining wall
- Difficult access, where the rig cannot get to the footprint and hand equipment or a smaller rig is needed
- Laboratory testing beyond what a standard classification needs
- A full geotechnical report rather than a classification: bearing capacity, founding levels, excavation and retaining advice
- Travel beyond the priced zones
When a geotechnical report is needed instead
Steep or sloping sites, basements and deep excavations, retaining walls, pools close to a boundary, fill, rock or groundwater, duplexes and townhouses, and any council DA or CC condition that asks for a geotechnical report by name all need more than a classification. A geotechnical report describes the ground profile, gives bearing capacity and founding recommendations, and comments on excavation, retaining and drainage. Because the scope depends on the site, it is a custom quote from the address rather than a fixed fee.
GST and paying
Prices are shown excluding GST with the GST-inclusive amount alongside, and quotes and invoices show both. Nothing is charged online. Once the site visit is booked the invoice is sent, it is paid before the visit, and the signed report is emailed to you when it is done.
Questions
Last checked 9 September 2026. Written by the engineers at Australian Ground Sciences, who prepare and sign the reports.