Roller
hire rates.
Indicative hire rates per hour for smooth drum and padfoot rollers from 2 to 20 tonne — and which drum does what on a compaction spec.
Roller hire rates in Australia
Compaction is a specification item, not an afterthought — density results decide whether your backfill and base pass or get redone. Rollers come in two drum types: smooth drum for granular material (road base, sand bedding, asphalt) and padfoot for cohesive clays and trench backfill lifts. Benchmarks below from the same data behind our machine hire rate calculator.
Indicative hire rates
Smooth drum rollers
| Size | Dry hire | Wet hire* | Wet day (8 hr)* |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Ton | $6/hr | $85–$100/hr | $680–$800 |
| 3.5 Ton | $8/hr | $90–$105/hr | $710–$830 |
| 6 Ton | $13/hr | $105–$120/hr | $840–$960 |
| 8 Ton | $17/hr | $110–$125/hr | $900–$1,020 |
| 12 Ton | $23/hr | $135–$150/hr | $1,070–$1,190 |
| 14 Ton | $28/hr | $145–$160/hr | $1,150–$1,270 |
| 20 Ton | $33/hr | $160–$180/hr | $1,290–$1,450 |
Padfoot rollers
| Size | Dry hire | Wet hire* | Wet day (8 hr)* |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Ton | $7/hr | $90–$105/hr | $710–$830 |
| 5 Ton | $12/hr | $100–$115/hr | $820–$940 |
| 7 Ton | $15/hr | $110–$125/hr | $880–$1,000 |
| 12 Ton | $24/hr | $135–$150/hr | $1,100–$1,220 |
| 13 Ton | $24/hr | $140–$155/hr | $1,120–$1,240 |
| 15 Ton | $30/hr | $155–$175/hr | $1,260–$1,420 |
| 20 Ton | $35/hr | $170–$190/hr | $1,360–$1,520 |
Soil compactors
| Size | Dry hire | Wet hire* | Wet day (8 hr)* |
|---|---|---|---|
| CAT 815 (22.5 Ton) | $162/hr | $320–$340/hr | $2,540–$2,700 |
A CAT 815 is not a bigger padfoot roller. It is a self-propelled soil compactor with a blade — it spreads and compacts in one pass on bulk fill, and it is priced accordingly.
Same size class, similar rate — the drum type is a job-match decision, not a price decision. Wet hire shown at $2.00/L diesel and a typical operator rate band for the machine — put your own fuel price and operator rate into the machine hire calculator for an exact figure. Indicative benchmarks, ex GST, guide only.
Which drum, which size
Smooth drum compacts granular, free-draining material — road base, crushed rock, sand bedding — and gives the finished surface on pavements. Padfoot kneads cohesive clay from the bottom of the lift up, which is why trench backfill and clay embankments spec it; running a smooth drum on wet clay just seals the top and fails density.
On size: 2–3.5 tonne works trenches, footpaths and behind kerbs; 6–8 tonne is the subdivision road standard; 12–20 tonne handles bulk earthworks and thick lifts. Price moves with lift thickness and the density spec (more passes, more hours), water cart pairing for moisture conditioning, and float each way.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a roller cost to hire?
Indicatively, a 2–3.5 tonne roller runs about $85–$105/hr wet hire, the 6–8 tonne subdivision class about $105–$125/hr, and 12–20 tonne machines $135–$180/hr — roughly $680 to $1,450 for an 8 hour day.
Padfoot or smooth drum — which do I need?
Match the drum to the material. Cohesive clay and trench backfill need a padfoot; granular road base, sand and asphalt need a smooth drum. Many jobs need both at different stages — padfoot through the fill, smooth drum on the base and finish.
What size roller for trench backfill?
For utility trench backfill in 150–300 mm lifts, a 2–5 tonne padfoot (or trench roller) is usual — big enough to hit density, small enough to work in and beside the trench. Step up only when lift thickness and trench width allow it.
Is roller hire wet or dry?
Both are common. Rollers are simple to operate, so contractors often dry hire and use their own crew. Wet hire makes sense when the roller runs all shift on a compaction-critical spec and you want the productivity risk with the supplier.
More rate guides: excavators, tipper trucks, dump trucks, water carts, loaders, graders, dozers, scrapers, asphalt pavers, asphalt profilers, backhoes & skid steers. Or price any of 93 machines in the machine hire rate calculator.
Pricing the whole job?
Machine rates are one line in a real estimate. For water, sewer or stormwater work priced end to end, send the drawings. Acknowledged within two hours during AEST business.