Cost of Concrete
Concrete costs $4,886 on average with most people spending between $2,021 and $8,141. Delivering mixed concrete averages $125 per cubic yard. The price of concrete increases by about 3.5% each year. You’ll pay less for a full 10-yard load vs. a short load since overhead remains constant. Pricing factors include the type of concrete, additives and the type of cement used.
The unique aspect of concrete makes purchase and delivery by a professional with a truck and mixer almost mandatory. Where you might throw some 2x4s and drywall in the bed of a pickup to build a DIY knee wall, it’s impossible to do the same with concrete except for the smallest of jobs. It’s extremely heavy and requires mixing. Even if you’re building the forms and spreading the concrete, you’ll still hire a service to deliver and mix it for foundations, pads, driveways, sidewalks and walls. In this guide, we’ll cover the price of concrete and what it costs to deliver and mix but these prices do not reflect installation.
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Concrete Cost Calculator
| National Average | $4,886 |
| Typical Range | $2,021 - $8,141 |
| Low End - High End | $640 - $15,000 |
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Request QuotesConcrete costs $100 to $200 per cubic yard, or around $125 on average. The total cost of concrete may vary depending on location, type of concrete and how much you order.
| Cubic Yards | Price Range |
|---|---|
| 1* | $140-$200 |
| 2* | $280-$400 |
| 3* | $420-$600 |
| 4* | $560-$800 |
| 5* | $700-$1,000 |
| 10 | $1,000-$1,300 |
| 12 | $1,200-$1,560 |
| 20 | $2,000-$2,600 |
| 25 | $2,500-$3,250 |
*These prices reflect both the average $125 per cubic yard price plus short load fees. Most companies tack on an extra fee when you purchase less than a full load (usually 8-12 cubic yards).
Delivery of one cubic foot of concrete costs $3 to $6 if you buy in bulk depending on how much you purchase, how you buy it and what type you get. More often, this measurement refers to bags of ready-mix which run $5 to $6 per bag and makes about one third to one half a cubic foot. There are 27 cubic feet in one cubic yard.
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A truckload of concrete costs $800 to $1,300 for 8 to 10 cubic yards. Add $10 per load for every mile past a certain radius, set by the delivery company. You’ll often pay a surcharge of $25 per cubic yard for fuel when you don’t order a full truck.
Short load prices range from $140 to $200 per cubic yard. Anything under 10 cubic yards is a short load, increasing the price an additional $40 to $60 per cubic yard. This helps defray the cost of running the truck less than full. Sometimes, a company will charge a flat short load fee of $60 to $110.
A better option for small loads is a tow-behind for onsite mixing which can handle only a couple cubic yards at a time. Renting one costs $75 to $125 per day or $400 to $500 per week. Some concrete companies will fill these for you with dry mix and sometimes even rent them out or send them out with mixing pros to help with the mix and pour.
A new type of truck on some sites is the on-site mixing truck, also called on demand concrete, which varies in price, but it’s usually competitive with other delivery methods. They work by keeping all the ingredients in separate compartments in the truck. They mix the concrete on demand and stop when your needs are met. No waste and the mix is always fresh.
Concrete in wet form has a shelf life of about 90 minutes to two hours so it’s incredibly important to schedule your deliveries accurately or risk losing money. From the time water is added, a truck has 90 minutes to deliver it or 300 rotations of the barrel, whichever comes first, before the product may start to set depending on temperature.
- 2+ hours with ambient temp. below 60 degrees Fahrenheit
- 2-5 hours when 60-80 degrees
- 5 hours when 80-90 degrees
- Under 90 degrees, retest and monitor after 90 minutes
- Over 90 degrees, discard after 1.5 hours
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| Miami, FL | $1,800-$2,000 |
| Houston, TX | $1,900-$2,100 |
| Sacramento, CA | $1,400-$2,500 |
| Charlotte, NC | $1,800-$2,100 |
| Detroit, MI | $2,000-$2,300 |
| Denver, CO | $1,900-$2,100 |
| Des Moines, IA | $1,900-$2,100 |
If you’re looking for complete project costs including delivery and installation, you’ll want more information, depending on the project you’re looking for. Follow the links in this table to find out more about your specific project.
| Concrete Patio Cost | $1,600-$4,200 |
| Polished Concrete Flooring | $1,500-$3,900 |
| Concrete Driveway Cost | $1,800-$6,000 |
| Concrete Basketball Court Price | $11,000-$76,000 |
| Concrete Slab Costs (Garage, Patio, etc.) | $3,600-$7,200 |
| Paver Patio Costs | $2,400-$7,000 |
| Foundation Installation Costs | $4,200-$13,000 |
Concrete delivery costs $100 to $130 per cubic yard for ready-mix. But you need to be aware of a few surcharges you might run into:
- Short Load: $40-$110
- Environmental: $5-$15 per load
- Fibers and Accelerator Additive: $5-$20 per cubic yard
- Coloring Additive: $100-$150 per truck load
- Fuel Surcharges: $20-$40 per load
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Concrete alone, without delivery or installation, runs anywhere from $3 to $15 per cubic foot. You’ll spend less per cubic foot if you purchase in bulk than you would if you just buy bags. In bulk, you’ll purchase in cubic yards, not feet. In bags, you’ll look for 40, 50 , 60 or 80 lb. bags, which have between 1/3 to 1/5 of a cubic foot of concrete.
Ready-Mix Concrete Prices
Ready-mix concrete costs $100 to $150 per cubic yard plus any surcharges for short loads, local regulations or long trips. Ready-mix concrete is the name of the concrete you purchase that’s already mixed at the plant and delivered in a truck or pull-behind.
Premixed Concrete Price Per Bag
| Type | Prices Per Bag |
|---|---|
| Fast Setting (50 lb.) | $6 |
| Mortar Mix (60 lb.) | $6.50 |
| High Early Strength Cement (80 lb.) | $7 |
| Portland Cement I and II (93 lb.) | $16 |
| Masonry Cement (70 lb.) | $11.50 |
Concrete Prices by PSI Rating
PSI ranges from 2,500 to 5,000 PSI and cost anywhere from $100 to $150 per cubic yard for a standard delivery and materials. Concrete comes in differing strengths, rated in Pounds Per Square Inch (PSI). A few things to note:
- Stronger (higher PSI) slabs are more expensive.
- Non-loadbearing structures (patios, sidewalks, etc.): 2,500-3,000 PSI
- Load-bearing structures (foundations, basements): 3,000-5,000 PSI
- The smaller the aggregate, the smoother the finish, the higher the price.
| PSI | Average Price Range |
|---|---|
| 3,000 | $100-$120 |
| 3,500 | $110-$125 |
| 4,000 | $115-$130 |
| 4,500 | $125-$135 |
| 5,000 | $130-$150 |
Cement costs $20 to $25 per bag, but it’s not concrete. Cement is the binder in concrete made from powdered minerals. On its own, it’s mostly worthless, but when mixed with an aggregate (like gravel) and water, it hardens into cement. To put it another way, cement is the glue in concrete.
Pre-mix and Ready-mix both refer to the fact that cement has already been mixed with aggregate, water or both and it’s “ready” to use.
Portland Cement Pricing
A 94 lb. bag of Portland cement costs $20 to $25. If purchased in bulk, it costs less than $0.04 per pound. It’s the most common type of cement found in concrete. It comes in gray, white and masonry. When mixed with calcium sulfate, it becomes an excellent hydraulic cement.
Cement Prices Per Ton
One ton of cement costs $85 to $100, but a typical homeowner won’t buy a ton of cement. This is usually the price for a concrete producer, plant or contractor.
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Floats and other large concrete tools cost $10 to $25 per day per tool depending on where you rent them. Most home improvement stores rent out this equipment. Large machinery costs far more and renting a truck may be impossible.
Pump Truck Cost Per Hour
You usually can’t rent a concrete pumper truck. It comes with the price of concrete delivery, or $100 to $150 per cubic yard. However, if you take too long to empty a truck, for example if they show up and you still need to finish the forms, you might pay $50 to $100 per hour for them to wait.
Cost to Rent a Pull-Behind or Cement Mixer
- Small Mixer: $35 per half day, $50 per day or $200 per week for a portable cement mixer you can fit in a pickup bed.
- Pull-Behind: $75 per half day, $100 per day or $400 per week. A cement mixer usually comes on a trailer and needs a truck to haul it to the worksite.
You’ll almost always want to hire a concrete delivery professional. Concrete requires exact measurements for correct consistency followed by testing and proper transportation. This all adds up to a smooth, professional-looking pour vs. a cracked pad that you might need to replace soon. Plus, on large jobs, you can’t mix concrete by hand fast enough to get it poured before it starts setting. Call a local concrete delivery professional today.
How much concrete mix do I need?
For an accurate measurement of how much concrete you’ll need, use our concrete calculator.
How much does one yard of concrete cover?
- One yard of concrete, also known as a cubic yard, covers:
- 81 square feet at 4 inches thick.
- 65 square feet at 5 inches thick.
- 54 square feet at 6 inches thick.
How do concrete delivery trucks work?
Delivery trucks mix the concrete at the plant then drive to your location at a specific time. They’ll sometimes make split deliveries, in the case of a contractor pouring two slabs. Ready-mix has about 90 minutes to 2 hours to get to the site and poured otherwise it may start to set and must be thrown out.
How much concrete can a concrete truck hold?
Most concrete trucks can hold between 11 and 15 cubic yards of concrete. However, weight limits on roads often limit the amount they can carry to 8 to 11 cubic yards.
How do I pick a concrete contractor?
Once you are ready to order your concrete, there are a few key questions to ask both yourself and the batch plant before settling on a delivery date.
- What strength of concrete do you need? Load bearing structures need more.
- What day of the week do you want the concrete delivered? Weekend rates are higher.
- How much time will you need to unload it? You get about 7 minutes per cubic yard to unload. Inquire about costs for "overtime" spent on your project site.
- How will you unload the concrete?
- Will you be able to use the cement truck's chute to offload the concrete, or do you need wheelbarrows?
- Do you need to hire a concrete contractor? Concrete work although messy, is a technical skill that must be done quickly.
- What will you do with the leftover concrete? Consider an on-demand service for no wasted concrete. Ordering more concrete than needed is always a good idea because it’s less expensive than ordering a second small batch.
