CIDB grades explained
What the number and the letters on a CIDB designation actually mean.
5 min read
A CIDB designation looks like 6CE or 3GB. The number is the grade, which caps contract value, and the letters are the class of works, which describes the kind of construction. Reading it correctly tells you in seconds whether a tender is open to you.
This breaks down both halves.
The number: grade
Grades run from 1 at entry level upward, each corresponding to a maximum tender value. Grade 1 covers small works; the highest grade is effectively unlimited. The specific rand ceilings are set by regulation and revised periodically, so check the current figures against the CIDB rather than assuming last year's.
The letters: class of works
The class describes the discipline, and you can hold different grades in different classes.
- CE, civil engineering: roads, stormwater, water and sewer reticulation, bridges
- GB, general building: buildings and refurbishment
- EB, electrical engineering works for buildings
- EP, electrical engineering works for infrastructure
- ME, mechanical engineering
- SB, SF, SL and other specialist classes covering structural, fire and landscaping work
Reading an advert
A tender that says 5CE or higher is asking for grade 5 in civil engineering. Holding 5GB does not qualify you, because the class is wrong. Holding 6CE does, because a higher grade in the right class is acceptable.
Common questions
- Can I hold more than one CIDB class?
- Yes, and many contractors do. You can be graded separately in each class of works, and the grade may differ between them depending on the evidence and financial capability behind each.
- Does a higher grade let me bid for smaller contracts?
- Yes. The grade is a ceiling, not a band, so a higher grade can tender for anything below it in the same class. Some buyers do reserve smaller packages for lower grades as a development measure.