A cement mixer is one of those bits of kit that feels like a grudge purchase right up until the moment you are mixing by hand in a barrow and your back is screaming — after which you wonder why you waited. For any tradesperson laying brick, block, slabs or screed in any volume, a mixer pays for itself in saved time and saved spines within a few jobs. The trick is buying the right one for the work you do, because a mixer that is perfect for a bricklayer is overkill for a landscaper and useless for screeding.
This guide is for UK bricklayers, groundworkers, landscapers and general builders choosing a mixer in 2026. We have stuck to machines you can actually buy from UK suppliers — Screwfix, Toolstation, Travis Perkins and the trade hire-and-buy outlets — and judged them on drum or pan size, power type, portability and value. Prices are approximate UK street prices for 2026 and move with stock and promotions, so treat them as a guide rather than a quote.
Our quick verdict
For most UK trades, an Altrad Belle Minimix 150 is the mixer to buy. It is the default on British sites for good reason: a sensible 90-litre drum that mixes enough for steady brick-and-block work, a tip-up tubular stand at a good working height, genuine portability, and a parts-and-spares network that means it can be kept running for years. The 240V electric version is the one most people want for general use, with the 110V model for sites running off a transformer.
If you work where there is no power — fresh plots, fields, remote groundwork — the petrol Minimix 150 with a Honda engine is the version to get, accepting more noise, fuel and maintenance in exchange for going anywhere. If you want the modern no-cable, no-fumes option and you mix in smaller batches, the cordless Minimix 150E+ on the 82V battery platform is genuinely usable now. And if you are watching every penny for occasional DIY-grade work, a budget drum mixer will get you started — just do not expect it to survive daily trade abuse. For screed and resin, you want a forced-action pan mixer instead, which is a different machine entirely.
How to choose a cement mixer
Drum size and batch volume
Mixer capacity is quoted as the total drum volume, but the usable mix is always less — roughly 60 to 70 per cent of the drum — because the load has to tumble. A 90-litre drum like the Minimix 150 gives you a practical mix of around a barrow’s worth per batch, which suits one or two people laying brick and block at a steady pace. Step up to a 130–150 litre drum if you have a bigger gang or you are pouring footings and oversite, and drop to a smaller drum only for light DIY or pointing-mortar work. Bigger is not automatically better — a large drum you only half-fill is just heavier to move.
Electric vs petrol vs cordless
Electric is the default for most trade use: quiet, no fumes so you can run it in a garage or extension, low maintenance and cheaper to buy. The catch is you need power, and you need to decide between 240V for domestic supply and 110V for sites running on a transformer. Petrol buys you total independence for plots and groundwork with no mains, at the cost of noise, fuel, servicing and not being able to run it indoors. Cordless has arrived as a real option for smaller batches — no cable to trip over and no fumes — but battery life limits continuous high-volume mixing, so it suits landscapers and maintenance trades more than a brick gang going all day.
Tip-up vs fixed drum, and working height
Almost every trade mixer is a tip-up design — the drum tilts on a tubular stand so you can pour straight into a barrow and tip it forward to empty and clean out. What varies is the stand height and stability. A good working height saves your back when loading sand and cement, and a wide, stable stand stops the thing walking across the slab as it runs. The Minimix-style tubular stand is the proven pattern; cheaper mixers often sit lower and feel less stable when the drum is full and spinning, which matters more than it sounds when you are loading it all day.
Drum mixer vs forced-action pan mixer
This is the choice that catches people out. A traditional tumbling drum mixer is right for concrete and bricklaying mortar, where the aggregate helps the mix tumble and combine. But it struggles with sand-and-cement screed, resin-bound gravel and other stiff or fine mixes that just slump in the bottom of a drum. For those, you want a forced-action pan mixer, where paddles drag the material around a fixed pan and force everything to combine evenly. If you lay floor screed or do resin work, a drum mixer will frustrate you and a pan mixer is the tool you actually need.
The best cement mixers at a glance
Prices are approximate UK street prices for 2026 and vary by retailer, voltage and promotion.
| Mixer | Drum / pan | Power | Best for | Approx. price |
| Belle Minimix 150 (Electric 240V) | 90 L drum | 240V electric | All-round trade use | £300–360 |
| Belle Minimix 150 (Electric 110V) | 90 L drum | 110V electric | Sites on a transformer | £300–360 |
| Belle Minimix 150 (Petrol) | 90 L drum | Honda petrol | No-power sites & groundwork | £500–600 |
| Belle Minimix 150E+ (Cordless) | 90 L drum | 82V Li-Ion | Smaller batches, no cable/fumes | £550–650 |
| Budget drum mixer (e.g. 120–140 L) | 120–140 L drum | 240V electric | Light DIY / occasional use | £110–180 |
| Forced-action pan mixer | Pan (varies) | Electric/petrol | Screed, resin, stiff mixes | £500–1,200 |
The picks in detail
Best overall — Belle Minimix 150 (Electric)
The Minimix 150 is the mixer you see on more UK sites than any other, and it earns that position. The 90-litre drum mixes a practical batch for steady brick-and-block work, the tip-up tubular stand sits at a sensible working height, and the whole machine is light enough for one person to move and load into a van. The real long-term advantage is parts: drums, gears, belts and motors are all readily available, so a Minimix can be kept running for years rather than thrown away when something wears. The 240V version suits domestic supply and the 110V the transformer sites. For most trades this is simply the right mixer.
Best for no-power sites — Belle Minimix 150 (Petrol)
When you are first on a bare plot, doing groundwork in a field, or working anywhere there is no mains, the petrol Minimix is the answer. The Honda engine is reliable and starts in the cold, and the machine has the same proven drum and stand as the electric version. You pay for the freedom with a higher purchase price, ongoing fuel and servicing, more noise, and the fact you cannot run it in an enclosed space. But for anyone whose work regularly starts before the power does, that independence is worth every penny.
Best cordless — Belle Minimix 150E+ (82V)
Cordless mixers used to be a gimmick; they are not any more. The Minimix 150E+ runs the familiar 90-litre drum off an 82V lithium battery, which means no cable to trip over, no transformer to lug about, and no fumes so you can mix indoors or in poorly ventilated spaces. The honest limitation is runtime: for continuous high-volume mixing you will be swapping or charging batteries, so it is best suited to landscapers, maintenance trades and anyone mixing in bursts rather than a brick gang feeding it all day. As a clean, grab-and-go machine for the right work, it is excellent.
Best budget — entry-level drum mixer
If your needs are occasional — a bit of DIY, a small wall, the odd batch of mortar — a budget 120–140 litre drum mixer from one of the value brands will get the job done for £110–180. They mix concrete perfectly well for light use, and for someone who fires one up a few times a year they make sense. What you do not get is the build quality, stability or parts support of a Belle, so they are not the tool for daily trade abuse. Buy one knowing exactly what it is: a cheap machine for light, occasional work, not a site mixer.
Best for screed and resin — forced-action pan mixer
If you lay sand-and-cement screed, do resin-bound surfacing, or mix any stiff or fine material, a tumbling drum mixer will let you down and a forced-action pan mixer is the correct tool. Paddles drag the mix around a fixed pan and force a consistent, even blend that a drum simply cannot achieve with stiff materials. They cost more and they are heavier, so this is a buy driven by the specific work rather than a general mixer — but for screeders and resin installers it is not optional, it is the machine the job demands.
Looking after your mixer
A mixer lives or dies on how you clean it. The single biggest killer is leaving mortar or concrete to set inside the drum and around the rim, which builds up, throws the balance off and eventually wrecks the drum. Clean it out at the end of every use — a few shovels of gravel and water spun in the drum knocks most of it loose, then a hose and a scrape finishes the job. Keep the gear ring and pinion clean and lightly greased, check the belt tension on belt-driven machines, and on petrol models keep up with the engine servicing. Treated properly, a Belle mixer will give you a decade of work; neglected, even the best mixer becomes a seized, unbalanced lump within a season.
Frequently asked questions
What size cement mixer do I need?
For most bricklaying and general building, a 90-litre drum like the Minimix 150 is the sweet spot — enough for a steady brick-and-block pace without being a chore to move. Go bigger, to 130–150 litres, only if you have a larger gang or are pouring footings; go smaller only for light DIY. Remember the usable mix is around 60–70 per cent of the drum, not the full quoted figure.
Electric or petrol — which should I buy?
Buy electric if you usually have power on site: it is quieter, cheaper, lower-maintenance and can run indoors. Buy petrol if you regularly work where there is no mains — bare plots and groundwork — and accept the extra cost, fuel and noise in exchange for going anywhere. If you are on transformer sites, get the 110V electric version rather than 240V.
Can I mix floor screed in a normal drum mixer?
Not well. Stiff sand-and-cement screed tends to slump and ball in a tumbling drum rather than combining evenly. For screed, resin and similar stiff or fine mixes you want a forced-action pan mixer, where paddles force the material to blend. A drum mixer is the right tool for concrete and bricklaying mortar, not for screed.
Is a cordless mixer powerful enough for trade use?
For smaller batches and intermittent mixing, yes — a machine like the Minimix 150E+ mixes a proper drum and is genuinely usable on site. The limit is runtime: continuous all-day, high-volume mixing will have you swapping batteries, so cordless suits landscapers and maintenance trades better than a brick gang going flat out. For that kind of work, mains or petrol still makes more sense.
