CIDB Grading Table 2026: Grade 1-9 Tender Limits

Bid on a public tender above your CIDB grade and your bid is rejected before anyone reads your price. Public clients screen every bid for grade and class of works first. If you misread your limit, your estimating hours are lost and the tender goes to someone else.

This guide gives the 2026 CIDB grading table, with the tender value limit for each grade from 1 to 9. It explains how clients apply those limits in a tender, what Grade 4 asks of you, which class of works fits your scope, and how to plan your next upgrade.

What Are CIDB Contractor Grades?

A CIDB grade is a number from 1 to 9 that sets the largest public contract you may tender for in a class of works. The Construction Industry Development Board (cidb) gives the grade after it checks your financial and works capability. Grade 1 is the entry level. Grade 9 has no tender value limit.

Your grade appears on the register with a class of works code, for example “5GB” (Grade 5, General Building) or “3CE” (Grade 3, Civil Engineering). You can hold different grades in different classes. A builder can be 6GB and 2EB at the same time.

For how the system works as a whole, and how grades link to growth, read CIDB grading explained.

CIDB Grading Table 2026: Tender Value Limits by Grade

The table below lists the highest tender value each CIDB grade may take on in 2026, from R500,000 at Grade 1 to no limit at Grade 9. The limits come from Regulation 17 of the CIDB Regulations (Table 8), last adjusted in 2019 for inflation. They apply per contract and per class of works.

Grade	Tender value limit	Typical project scope	Typical contractor
1	Up to R500,000	Repairs, small renovations, small fit-outs	New or small owner-run firm
2	Up to R1,000,000	Small houses, larger renovations	Small builder with a first track record
3	Up to R3,000,000	Larger houses, small multi-unit blocks	Established small builder
4	Up to R6,000,000	Multi-unit housing, small commercial buildings	Growing builder with a site team
5	Up to R10,000,000	Residential phases, medium commercial work	Mid-sized contractor with a QS and site managers
6	Up to R20,000,000	Larger developments, public buildings	Contractor with a full professional team
7	Up to R60,000,000	Large commercial and public projects	Large contractor
8	Up to R200,000,000	Major provincial and national projects	Major contractor
9	No limit	The largest projects in the country	National contractor

Source: cidb, Register of Contractors overview, checked 8 October 2026. The cidb can adjust these limits, so confirm them on the register before you bid.

Free download: B-BBEE Construction Expert Guide (PDF). How the Construction Sector Code works, how procurement points are calculated, and the records to keep ready before your next tender. Download the guide.

How Do Clients Apply CIDB Limits in a Tender?

Clients compare the estimated value of the contract with the grade they ask for, then reject any bidder below that grade in the right class of works. The check happens at the eligibility stage, before price and functionality. A strong price cannot save a bid that fails it.

Five points decide whether your bid passes:

The value the tender uses. The tender data states the minimum grade, based on the client’s estimate of the contract value. Read how the tender defines that value. Do not argue that your own price is lower.
Class of works. A 6GB grade does not let you bid on a contract that asks for 6CE.
Each contract on its own. The limit applies per contract. You can run several contracts at once, as long as each one sits within your grade.
Lots. When a tender has several lots, the minimum grade can apply per lot. Read the eligibility rules for each lot.
Validity at closing. Your grade must be active on the register when the tender closes. A grade suspended for missed annual updates fails the check.

Many tenders also accept a contractor one grade lower if that contractor holds the “potentially emerging” (PE) status on the register. The tender notice says so when it applies, for example “6GB or 5GB PE”.

Subcontracting does not change your eligibility. The grade of the bidding entity counts, not the grade of the firms you plan to use. Joint ventures are different: the CIDB Regulations let a joint venture qualify on the combined capability of its members, where the tender allows it. Get advice before you rely on that route.

Run the same pre-bid check every time with our construction tender compliance checklist.

What Does Each Grade Require?

To get a grade above Grade 1, you must show the cidb financial capability and works capability that match the grade you ask for. Financial capability looks at your turnover and available capital. Works capability looks at the largest contract you have completed in recent years. Each grade has its own qualifying values.

Grade band	What the cidb checks	What clients and the market expect
1	No minimum turnover or track record	Company documents, tax compliance, CSD registration
2 to 4	Turnover, available capital, largest completed contract	Clean financial statements, completion certificates, B-BBEE evidence
5 to 6	Higher qualifying values for the same criteria	A professional team (QS, site managers), safety and quality systems
7 to 9	The highest qualifying values	Strong balance sheet, bonding capacity, full professional team

Two practical points follow from this. First, keep evidence of every completed contract: the signed contract, final payment certificate and completion certificate. Second, keep your annual financial statements current. Old or unsigned statements are a common reason for a lower grade than you expected.

What Does CIDB Grade 4 Allow and Require?

CIDB Grade 4 lets you tender for public contracts up to R6,000,000 in your class of works. It is a common step for builders moving from single houses into multi-unit housing and small commercial work. You apply at a cidb provincial office and must show turnover, capital and a completed contract that meet the Grade 4 qualifying values.

Before you apply for Grade 4, prepare:

The right class of works for the scope you want to bid, usually GB for building work.
Matching company details across CIPC, the cidb register, the Central Supplier Database (CSD), your bank letter and your tender documents.
A financial pack from your accountant that covers the period the cidb will assess.
Track record evidence, sorted by project: contract, final account, completion certificate and client reference.

Most Grade 4 delays come from simple admin issues: a company name that differs between documents, a missing signature, an out-of-date financial year or a poor scan. Fix these before you submit.

Once you hold Grade 4, plan your work so it builds your Grade 5 case. Contracts close to R6,000,000, delivered well and closed out with clean records, carry more weight than many small jobs.

Managing CIDB compliance across live projects? Wakha tracks each project’s grade requirements, tender values and compliance evidence in one place: see a product demo.

Which Class of Works Applies to You?

The class of works is the type of construction your grade covers, and a tender asks for both a grade and a class. For residential developers and home builders, the main class is GB (General Building). Civil works such as roads, bulk services and stormwater fall under CE (Civil Engineering).

Code	Class of works	Typical scope
GB	General Building	Houses, housing estates, commercial and public buildings
CE	Civil Engineering	Roads, bulk water and sewer, stormwater, earthworks
ME	Mechanical Engineering	HVAC, mechanical plant
EB	Electrical Engineering (building)	Electrical installations in buildings
EP	Electrical Engineering (infrastructure)	Power lines, substations, street lighting
SA to SQ	Specialist works	One code per specialist trade, listed on the cidb register

The limits in the grading table are the same for every class. What changes is the evidence: your CE grade rests on your civil contracts, your GB grade on your building contracts.

If your business is mostly civil work, CE grading, GCC contracts and remeasurement are a different world. Our sister product Sakha covers them: see CIDB CE grading for civil contractors, the GCC payment certificate process and the guide to civil engineering software in South Africa.

How Do You Move Up a CIDB Grade?

You move up a grade by applying to the cidb with proof that you now meet the next grade’s financial and works capability values. The upgrade is not automatic. A larger completed contract and stronger financial statements are what move you up, not time on the register.

In short:

Check the qualifying values for the grade you want.
Collect financial statements and evidence of your largest completed contracts.
Apply at your cidb provincial office and pay the admin fee for the new grade.
Keep your annual update current, or your grade can be suspended.

The full path, with the evidence to collect and the mistakes that stall applications, is in CIDB grading explained. For first-time registration, renewals and fees, follow the CIDB registration process.

Building a Bidding Strategy Around Your Limits

A good bidding strategy only targets tenders your grade and class cover, and picks work that builds the case for your next grade. Bids outside your limits waste estimator time. Bids inside them, delivered well, become the track record your next application needs.

Bid in-grade first. Every in-grade project you complete with clean records strengthens your next upgrade.
Choose work that builds your upgrade case. Favour contracts near the top of your limit over many small jobs.
Treat returnables as a system. Keep one current compliance pack: grade certificate, tax status, CSD report, B-BBEE certificate and financials.
Check sub-contractors too. If you appoint sub-contractors on public work, confirm their grade and class. Our guide to vetting sub-contractors by CIDB grade shows how.
Consider a joint venture only when the tender allows it and you understand how the combined capability is assessed.

The Bottom Line

Your CIDB grade sets the ceiling on every public tender you can win, so treat the grading table as a planning tool. Know your limit per class of works, check each tender’s minimum grade and lot rules before you price, and keep your grade active with annual updates.

Then use each contract to build the evidence for the next grade. Builders who keep completion certificates, final accounts and financial statements in order move up faster, because their application is ready when the work is done.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a CIDB grade?

A CIDB grade is the level, from 1 to 9, at which the Construction Industry Development Board registers a contractor in a class of works. It sets the largest public contract the contractor may tender for. Grade 1 allows contracts up to R500,000 and Grade 9 has no limit.

What is the CIDB Grade 4 tender value limit?

CIDB Grade 4 allows you to tender for public contracts up to R6,000,000 in the class of works you are graded in. The limit applies per contract, so you can run more than one Grade 4 contract at the same time.

Can I tender for a R15,000,000 project if I am Grade 5?

No. Grade 5 covers contracts up to R10,000,000. A R15,000,000 contract needs Grade 6, unless the tender allows Grade 5 PE contractors or a joint venture whose combined capability meets the requirement.

Can I bid above my grade if I plan to subcontract part of the work?

No. Eligibility depends on the grade of the entity that bids, not on the sub-contractors you plan to use. Only a joint venture, where the tender allows it, can qualify on the combined capability of its members.

Do the limits apply per project or to my total workload?

The limits apply per contract. You can hold several contracts at once if each one is within your grade. The cidb does look at your overall financial capability when you apply for a higher grade.

How do I check a contractor’s CIDB grade?

Search the cidb Register of Contractors at cidb.org.za by company name or registration number. The register shows each grade, class of works and expiry date. Check it before you appoint a sub-contractor or submit a joint venture bid.

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