How much does a yard of concrete cost?

A cubic yard of ready-mix concrete costs $120–$200 in 2026, with the national average around $150 per yard. Prices vary by region, PSI strength, and additives — high-strength mixes (4,000+ PSI) and specialty additives (fiber reinforcement, accelerators, color) add $10–$50 per yard. Most suppliers also charge a short-load fee of $50–$150 if you order less than a full truck (typically under 8–10 yards).

How long does concrete take to cure?

Concrete reaches about 70% of its full strength in 7 days and 90% in 28 days, but it continues to gain strength for years. Foot traffic is generally safe after 24–48 hours, vehicles after 7 days, and full structural loads after 28 days. Curing time depends on temperature, humidity, mix design, and slab thickness — cold weather slows curing significantly, while hot weather can cause surface cracking if the slab dries too fast.

What PSI concrete do I need for a driveway?

Driveways require 3,500–4,000 PSI concrete for residential use, and 4,000–4,500 PSI for driveways supporting heavy trucks or RVs. Sidewalks and patios can use 3,000 PSI. Foundations and footings typically need 3,000–4,000 PSI, depending on local code. Higher PSI means more cement in the mix, better durability, and better resistance to freeze-thaw damage in cold climates.

How thick should a concrete slab be?

Standard slab thickness is 4 inches for patios, sidewalks, and residential garage floors, and 5–6 inches for driveways. Driveways supporting heavy vehicles or trucks should be 6–8 inches thick with rebar reinforcement. Pole barn and shop floors typically run 6 inches for vehicle traffic. Always verify against local building code — some jurisdictions require minimum slab thickness based on frost depth or use category.

Should I add rebar or wire mesh to my concrete slab?

Use rebar for driveways, foundations, and any slab over 5 inches thick or supporting heavy loads. Wire mesh works for sidewalks, patios, and 4-inch slabs with light to moderate use. Rebar prevents structural cracking under load; wire mesh prevents minor surface cracks from spreading. Fiber-reinforced concrete is a third option that replaces or supplements wire mesh and is increasingly popular for residential flatwork.

How much concrete waste should I plan for?

Add 5–10% to your concrete order to account for waste, spillage, and uneven subgrade. Larger pours (10+ yards) can use the lower end of that range; smaller residential pours should plan for 10%. Running short on a pour is far more costly than over-ordering — a return trip from the ready-mix supplier carries a short-load fee, and a cold joint between two pours weakens the slab structurally.

How many cubic yards of concrete does a truck hold?

A standard ready-mix concrete truck holds 9–11 cubic yards at full capacity, though most suppliers load to 8–10 yards to prevent spillage in transit. Mini-mix or short-load trucks hold 1–6 yards for smaller residential pours. If your project needs more than one truck, schedule them 30–45 minutes apart so the first truck is fully discharged before the second arrives — this prevents waiting time charges and avoids cold joints in the slab.

Construction Measurements

Concrete Calculator

Calculate the amount of concrete needed in cubic feet, yards, and bags for a concrete slab.

This concrete calculator allows you to estimate how much concrete you need based on the cubic feet and cubic yards for a defined area. Additionally, using the three most common sizes of cement bags — 40, 50 and 60 pound — this calculator will help you determine the number of bags you need for your project. Download a copy of our free calculator today and use it on the go!

How to calculate the volume of concrete you need

Concrete is most often sold based on cubic yards, so in order to find out how much concrete you need, it’s easiest to begin by calculating the cubic feet of your area.

Cubic feet formula: Length * width * depth/thickness

For example, if your slab is 10′ wide and 10′ long with 1′ of depth, the volume of your slab would be 100 cubic feet (10x10x1 =100). Next we’ll convert our cubic feet into cubic yards.

Cubic yard formula: total cubic feet * .037

It’s important to note that a cubic yard is different than a standard yard. While there are 3 feet to standard yard, there are 27 feet to a cubic yard (3 x 3 x 3). To find your total cubic yards, you can either divide 100 by 27 or multiply 100 by .037 as shown in the formula above (.037 = 1 / 27)

In this example, you end up with 3.70 cubic yards for your slab (100 x .037).

How to estimate the number of cement bags you need

To estimate how many bags of cement you will need for a project, you’ll need to know two things:

The size of the cement bag
The cubic yards of your slab

With those two data points, you can easily estimate the number of bags you’ll need based on customary measurement standards of bags per cubic yard.

Cement bags needed: total cubic yards * cubic yards per bag

The standard measurements per bag for the three most common sizes are as follows:

40 lb bag: .011
60 lb bag: .017
80 lb bag: .022

Using the previous example of a 10 x 10 slab with a volume of 3.70 cubic yards, the number of bags you would need based on each bag size are as follows:

40 lb bag: 3.70 * .011 = 366 bags
60 lb bag: 3.70 * .017 = 218 bags
80 lb bag: 3.70 * .022 = 168 bags

Keep in mind that your result is an estimate based on standard measurements and doesn’t account for any potential waste or spillage.

What’s the difference between cement and concrete?

Cement and concrete are both types of construction material. Cement is a powder that is mixed with water to form concrete. Concrete is a mixture of cement, sand, and gravel or crushed stone. The proportions of these ingredients determine the characteristics of the concrete.

Concrete is stronger than cement because the addition of sand and gravel increases its mass and creates more interlocking surfaces. Concrete also has more resistance to weathering than cement does.

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