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Concrete core drilling in Dubai and across the UAE.
This article explains the planning question. For scope review, method selection and a site-specific technical proposal, continue to Arasar's primary service page.
Describe the MEP opening, not just the tool
Start with the coordinated requirement from the responsible design or MEP team. A pipe, sleeve, duct and cable route may need different opening geometry, clearances and reinstatement. The nominal diameter printed on a pipe is not automatically the finished hole diameter. The required allowance must come from the project detail.
Use 'core cutting' or 'core drilling' for the enquiry if you need a circular penetration. A larger rectangular duct opening may need a wall or slab cutting package instead. Describing the intended result lets the team review the appropriate method without committing to the wrong tool at enquiry stage.
| Proposed use | Information to confirm | Scope question |
|---|---|---|
| Pipe or sleeve | Required finished opening and coordinated location | Who supplies and installs the sleeve and sealing? |
| Cable route | Approved opening geometry and receiving-side clearance | Are containment installation and fire stopping separate? |
| Rectangular duct | Width, height, wall/slab thickness and access | Is this a saw-cut opening rather than a circular bore? |
| Multiple penetrations | Unique bore references and drawing revision | Which locations are approved and which are provisional? |
Build a bore schedule that can be checked on site
Give every opening a reference that appears on both the schedule and the marked drawing. Include quantity, finished diameter, depth or known concrete thickness, orientation, floor level and drawing revision. Where a dimension is estimated, label it as an estimate. This separates confirmed scope from information the site review still needs to establish.
A bore schedule also helps avoid duplication between trades. Before requesting prices, confirm whether the mechanical and electrical packages are referring to the same shared opening or to separate penetrations. Include access to both sides where it is known, especially when the receiving area is occupied or finished.
- Opening ID and marked drawing reference
- Quantity and required finished dimensions
- Material, known thickness and drilling orientation
- Floor level and entry/exit-face access
- Purpose of the opening and associated installation detail
- Approval status and unresolved information
Combine scanning with the structural information
Share the available structural drawings, proposed opening positions and relevant scan records. Hilti's PS 1000 X-Scan documentation describes detection of objects including reinforcement, tendons, pipes and cables in concrete. This illustrates the role of detection equipment; it is not a statement that every feature can always be located or that a particular model is used on every Arasar job.
Request a record of the survey area, findings and limitations. A scan is information for the project team's decision, not permission to cut reinforcement or a post-tension tendon. If the approved opening conflicts with the findings, its location or detail needs to be resolved by the responsible team before drilling proceeds.
Make access and operating conditions visible in the enquiry
Photographs should show more than the intended hole. Include the surrounding work area, floor level, access route and the receiving side if accessible. State known working-hour restrictions and whether other people or sensitive equipment will remain nearby. A clear access description reduces the risk that the quotation assumes a simple ground-level setup when the actual work is overhead or restricted.
Ask the specialist contractor to define the appropriate rig, fixing, access equipment and core-handling arrangements for the assessed conditions. These are project-specific decisions. This checklist describes the information a client should provide, not instructions for selecting anchors or operating a drilling rig.
Agree water, slurry, core recovery and follow-on work
State any water restrictions and the condition in which adjacent areas must remain. Cooling method, collection, cleaning and disposal need to suit the selected equipment and environment. Wet and dry drilling are not interchangeable labels that can be chosen solely by price.
Also clarify who handles the released cores and what happens after the opening is formed. Sleeve installation, waterproofing, making good, fire stopping and MEP installation may sit in separate packages. Confirm their ownership in writing; do not assume that a drilling quotation includes all work needed to finish the receiving service.
Compare the complete drilling package
A rate per hole is useful only when the hole specification and included services match. Compare quantities, diameter/depth assumptions, orientation, access, scanning, mobilisation, collection and removal. Ask how additional holes, changed positions or unexpected conditions will be measured and authorised.
For example, a schedule of accessible wall penetrations is not equivalent to the same number of overhead holes above an operating room. The dimensions may match while access, protection and work windows differ. This is a scope comparison, not an Arasar productivity or price claim.
Close the request with the handover information you need
Specify the completion record required by the receiving trade or project team. It may need to identify the opening reference, location, dimensions, relevant drawing or clearance reference and observations requiring follow-up. This is especially useful where many similar penetrations are completed across different floors.
For an Arasar proposal in Dubai or elsewhere in the UAE, send the bore schedule, marked drawings, photographs, access conditions and programme. State whether scanning and removal are required and which follow-on tasks belong to other contractors. The team can then identify the remaining questions for a site-specific review.
Frequently asked questions
01Are core cutting and core drilling the same thing?
In many UAE enquiries both terms describe diamond-drilled circular penetrations. State the required shape and dimensions because 'cutting' may also refer to saw-cut openings.
02What information is needed to price core drilling?
Provide the quantity, approved dimensions, depth, orientation, material information, drawings, scanning requirements, access, work windows and scope for water, cores and follow-on trades.
03Does a clear scan authorise drilling through a structural element?
No. Scan findings must be considered with the structural and MEP information and the responsible team's approval of the opening. Detection and structural acceptance are different tasks.
04Can concrete core drilling be completed overhead or at an angle?
It may be possible after assessment of the workface, rig support, access, water control and core handling. Confirm these conditions with the specialist contractor rather than assuming a standard setup.
05Does the core cutting price include fire stopping or waterproofing?
Do not assume it. Ask the quotation to identify drilling, sleeve installation, sealing, making good and other follow-on work separately, including who is responsible for each item.
Technical and regulatory references
Requirements remain project- and authority-specific. These public sources support the technical or regulatory points used in this guide.
Project note
Guidance is the starting point. The site determines the method.
Every structure, access route and operating environment is different. Final engineering, approvals and controls should be based on verified project information and a site-specific assessment.
