Steel fixer invoice template: per tonne price work, day work and CIS
Steel fixers are usually paid per tonne fixed, with day work for anything that can't be measured. The invoice needs to show the tonnage against the bar schedule, keep tie wire and spacers apart from labour, and handle the gang if you run one. Here's a layout with a checked example.
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Steel fixer rates
There's no reliable, dated public source for subcontract steel fixing rates. Figures on job boards and agency sites vary widely and rarely say what they include, so we don't quote one here. Rates depend on the tonnage, the bar sizes (lots of small bar takes longer per tonne than heavy bar), the element (slabs, walls, columns, cages), and whether you're paid per tonne or by the day.
To set your own, work out the day rate you need with the day rate calculator, then check your per-tonne price against how many tonnes your gang can fix in a day on that kind of work. If a tonnage rate only works on heavy bar, say so in the price, and agree a separate rate (or day work) for light bar and fiddly details.
What goes on a steel fixer's invoice
- The element and location ("raft slab, block B" or "core walls, levels 2 to 3").
- Tonnage fixed, taken from the bar bending schedule, with the schedule or drawing reference, and the rate per tonne.
- Day work: re-fixing after a design change, waiting for an inspection, loading out. Date it and say who instructed it.
- Materials you bought: tie wire, spacers, chairs. Put them on a separate line with receipts so CIS isn't taken from them. The rebar itself is usually supplied by the contractor and stays off your invoice.
- Retention if your subcontract has it, shown as a deduction.
Agree how tonnage is measured before you start: from the schedule, not from delivery tickets, and whether laps and chairs count. Most steel fixing disputes are about the tonnage, not the rate.
CIS for steel fixers
Fixing reinforcement for foundations, slabs and structures is construction work, so a contractor deducts CIS from your labour: 20% if you're registered, 30% if you're not, or nothing with gross payment status. HMRC's manual CISR14220 says manufacturing components off site is outside CIS, which would normally cover a supplier cutting and bending rebar in its own yard,, while a contract to supply and fix is inside.
Running a gang: CIS 340 says a gang leader who organises labour for construction work and pays the gang is a contractor as well as a subcontractor. If you invoice for the gang's tonnage and pay the others yourself, you have to register as a contractor, verify them, deduct CIS from their pay and file monthly returns. If each fixer invoices the main contractor separately, you're not their contractor.
Worked example: a raft slab for a frame contractor
Tom's two-man gang fixes the steel for a raft slab. The contractor supplied the rebar. Tom invoices the work and pays his mate himself, so Tom also operates CIS on him. Tom is CIS registered (20%) and not VAT registered. The rates are illustrations, not market figures.
| Line | Qty | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fix reinforcement, raft slab block B, schedule BBS-04 (labour) | 8.4 t | £240.00 | £2,016.00 |
| Day work: re-fix starter bars after revision C, instructed by site engineer 8 Oct (labour) | 1 day | £230.00 | £230.00 |
| Tie wire and spacers bought by Tom (materials, receipt attached) | 1 | £27.60 | £27.60 |
| Total | £2,273.60 |
| Labour subject to CIS | £2,246.00 |
| CIS deduction at 20% | £449.20 |
| Paid to Tom | £1,824.40 |
Check: 8.4 × £240 = £2,016; plus £230 makes £2,246 of labour. 20% of £2,246 is £449.20. £2,273.60 − £449.20 = £1,824.40. Tom then pays his mate for his share, deducting CIS from it and reporting it on his own monthly return.
VAT
- If you're VAT registered and the contractor is VAT and CIS registered, standard-rated steel fixing is normally under the domestic reverse charge: no VAT added, the reverse charge wording, and the VAT shown for information. See the reverse charge guide.
- Work on new build housing can be zero rated, which also takes it outside the reverse charge.
- Registration becomes compulsory once taxable turnover passes £90,000 in a rolling 12 months. A gang leader invoicing the whole gang's work counts the whole invoice towards that.
Common mistakes
- Invoicing tonnage from delivery tickets instead of the schedule.
- No drawing revision on day work for re-fixing, so it gets argued later.
- Letting CIS come off tie wire and spacers you bought. Put them on their own line.
- Paying a gang without registering as a contractor and deducting CIS.
- One price per tonne for all bar sizes when the job is mostly light bar.
Free steel fixer invoice template
Download the free CIS invoice template (PDF or Excel) and add one row per element. It isn't steel-fixing specific, but it keeps labour, materials and the CIS deduction apart. For a run of day-rate days, the weekly day-rate invoice is simpler. See CIS and reverse charge wording on the sample invoice. If CIS is taken off your pay, the CIS refund checker gives a quick estimate (not tax advice) of whether you may be due money back.
Related trade guides
Steel fixers work alongside the groundworker (foundations and slabs), the bricklayer and the scaffolder. If you're labour-only, also read the labour-only subcontractor guide. See all trade invoicing guides.
Free: The UK Contractor's Cheat Sheet 2026/27
CIS rates, overtime maths, tax dates, mileage, VAT and late payment, on 2 pages. Keep it on your phone or print it for the van.
Frequently asked questions
Do steel fixers pay CIS?
Yes. Fixing reinforcement is construction work, so a contractor deducts CIS from your labour: 20% if registered, 30% if not, or nothing with gross payment status.
Should I invoice per tonne or per day?
Whichever your subcontract says. Per tonne from the bar bending schedule is common, with day work for re-fixing, waiting time and anything that can't be measured.
Can CIS be taken off tie wire and spacers?
No. Materials you bought for the job are excluded from the CIS deduction, as long as they're shown on the invoice and you can evidence the cost.
Am I a contractor if I run a gang?
If you pay the gang yourself for construction work, yes. CIS 340 treats gang leaders as contractors, so you must register, verify the gang and deduct CIS.
Sources
- CIS 340: guide for contractors and subcontractors (gang leaders, section 2.15) – GOV.UK
- Construction Industry Scheme manual CISR14220: manufacture, delivery and supply and fix – HMRC
- VAT reverse charge technical guide – GOV.UK
- What you must do as a CIS contractor: pay subcontractors – GOV.UK
This guide is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Rules and rates change, so check the linked GOV.UK pages for the current position.