Concrete Patio Cost Calculator

How much does a concrete patio cost?

A concrete patio costs the concrete plus prep, forms and finishing. The concrete is the predictable part: many patios are 4 in thick, and at that thickness 1 yd³ covers 81 ft². The finish and the site work are where quotes differ. We do not publish a national average because prices vary by region and season, so the calculator uses your own quotes.

Patio cost = ordered yd³ × price per yd³ + fees + labor (ft² × rate) + base, reinforcement, finish extras

The calculator above starts at a 16 × 12 ft patio, 4 in thick. Change the size, enter your yard price, delivery fees and labor rate, and it shows the total and the price per square foot. For a stamped patio, put the stamping, color and sealer in the extras line, or add their per-square-foot rate to the labor rate.

Concrete for common patio sizes

Search for a patio cost and you will usually see a size: 10×10, 12×12, 20×20. This table gives the concrete at 4 in thick for each, in yards and in 80 lb bags, plus what every $100 of your yard price adds.

Bag counts use the QUIKRETE data sheet yields of about 0.60 ft³ per 80 lb bag and 0.45 ft³ per 60 lb bag. Above about 1 yd³ (45 bags) ready-mix is usually less work.

Patio thickness: 4, 5 or 6 inches

Thickness changes the concrete line and nothing else on a plain patio, so it is worth deciding before you collect quotes. 4 in is common for foot traffic and furniture. Where a hot tub, outdoor kitchen or masonry fireplace will sit, use the thickness its maker or your engineer specifies, for the whole slab or only that part of it.

On a 16 × 20 ft patio, going from 4 in to 5 in adds 1 yd³ to the order, so $100 for every $100 of your yard price. If only an 8 × 8 ft hot tub area needs 6 in, thicken that area alone: going from 4 to 6 in over 8 × 8 ft adds about 0.40 yd³ (8 × 8 × 2 ÷ 324), compared with about 1 yd³ for raising the whole patio an inch.

Stamped concrete cost calculator: how to estimate a stamped patio

Stamped concrete is a normal slab with a pattern pressed into the surface while it is still plastic. The yards of concrete do not change with the finish. What changes is the labor and materials per square foot of stamped surface, so a stamped estimate has two parts.

Stamped patio cost = plain patio cost + stamped area (ft²) × stamping rate + color + release agent + sealer

1. Base slab. Calculate it exactly like a plain patio: size, thickness, yards, base, forms and placing. The calculator above does this.
2. Stamped area. Usually the whole patio, but often only a border or a centre panel. Work it out in square feet (table below).
3. Stamping rate. Ask the contractor for a per-square-foot rate for the pattern you want. Seamless textures, ashlar slate, cobblestone and wood plank use different mats and take different amounts of hand detailing.
4. Color. Integral color is mixed into the whole truck, so it is priced on the yards ordered. Color hardener and antiquing release are applied to the surface, so they are priced on the stamped area.
5. Sealer. Stamped and colored surfaces are usually sealed after curing. Ask what sealer is used and how often the contractor recommends resealing, because that is a recurring cost a plain broom finish does not have.

Border or full stamping: how much area?

A border is the cheapest way to get a stamped look, because the stamping line is priced on area. The share of the patio a border covers depends on the patio size: the bigger the patio, the smaller the share.

Decision rule: on a 12 × 16 ft patio a 2 ft border is half the area, so the saving over full stamping is modest. From about 16 × 20 ft up, a border cuts the stamped area by 60% or more and is worth pricing as an option.

Round, L-shaped and curved patios

Odd shapes change the area, and the edge forms change the labor. Split the patio into rectangles and circles, calculate each, then add them.

• Round patio: area = 3.1416 × radius². A 10 ft circle is 78.5 ft² and needs 0.97 yd³ at 4 in (order 1¼ yd³, 48 × 80 lb bags). A 12 ft circle is 113.1 ft², 1.4 yd³ (order 1¾ yd³). A 14 ft circle is 153.9 ft², 1.9 yd³ (order 2¼ yd³). A 16 ft circle is 201.1 ft², 2.48 yd³ (order 2¾ yd³).
• L-shaped patio: a 16 × 12 ft main area plus an 8 × 10 ft wing is 272 ft² and 3.36 yd³ at 4 in, ordered as 3¾ yd³ or 167 × 80 lb bags.
• Edge forms: a 12 × 16 ft rectangle has 56 ft of straight edge. A 12 ft circle has 37.7 ft of edge, all of it curved, which needs flexible forms and more setting time. Curves cost more per foot of edge even when the area is smaller.

Base, reinforcement and other material lines

The concrete is one line; these are the others a patio quote should show.

The rebar column is an example grid with 3 in edge cover. Many patios use wire mesh or fibers instead, or no reinforcement on a well-compacted base; ask what the contractor includes and price it as its own line. In #3 bar (0.376 lb/ft), the 12 × 16 ft grid weighs about 104 lb. The gravel calculator gives base tons for other depths, and your supplier’s weight per yard should replace the 1.4 and 1.6 figures.

Removing an old patio is another line. At about 150 lb/ft³ a 12 × 16 ft patio 4 in thick is about 9,600 lb (4.8 tons) of broken concrete to haul away.

What changes the cost of a concrete patio?

The finish, the site and the size of the order matter most.

• Finish. Broom finish is the simplest. Stamped patterns, integral or surface color, exposed aggregate and sealing add labor and materials.
• Small orders. Patios are often below a plant’s minimum load, so a small-load fee can be a large share of the concrete bill. Ask for it up front.
• Access. Backyards often need a pump, a power buggy or wheelbarrows when the truck cannot reach the forms.
• Base and drainage. Removing turf and topsoil and laying compacted gravel.
• Shape. Curves and many corners need more form work than a rectangle.
• Extras. Steps down to the yard (see the concrete steps calculator), thickened areas for a hot tub, removing an old patio.

How much does a concrete patio cost per square foot?

Divide the total by the patio area. At 4 in thick, one cubic yard covers 81 ft², so every $100 of your yard price adds about $1.23 per ft² of concrete before waste. After 10% extra and rounding to a ¼ yard, the rectangular sizes in the tables on this page work out to $1.37 to $1.56 per ft² for each $100, with the smallest patios at the high end (8 × 10 ft: $1.56; 16 × 16 ft: $1.37).

Labor and finish are usually the larger share on a patio, because small slabs take nearly as much setup as large ones. Enter your contractor’s labor rate per square foot in the calculator and it returns the combined price per square foot, so you can compare a plain broom finish with a stamped quote on the same patio.

Bags or ready-mix for a patio?

Bags make sense for small pads and for sites the truck cannot reach. The weight is the limit: 88 × 80 lb bags for a 12 × 12 ft patio is 7,040 lb of dry mix to carry, mix and place before the first section sets. A 10 × 10 ft patio is 62 bags, 4,960 lb. Pour bags in sections with a construction joint, or hire a mixer and a crew.

For the cost comparison, multiply the bag count by your bag price and compare it with the ready-mix order plus its delivery and any small-load fee. The concrete bag calculator gives counts for 40, 50, 60, 80 and 90 lb bags.

Patio sizes in metric

At 100 mm thick, 1 m² of patio takes 0.1 m³ of concrete. A 3 × 3 m patio is 0.9 m³ (0.99 m³ with 10% extra, 59 × 80 lb bags); a 3 × 4 m patio is 1.2 m³ (1.32 m³, 78 bags); a 4 × 5 m patio is 2 m³ (2.2 m³, 130 bags). Ready-mix outside the US is sold by the cubic metre, so multiply the m³ figure by your local price.

Common mistakes when pricing a concrete patio

1. Pricing stamping on the whole patio when you only want a border. On a 16 × 20 ft patio a 2 ft border is 128 ft², not 320 ft².
2. Counting integral color by area. It is mixed into the truck, so it is priced on the 4½ yd³ ordered, not on the stamped square feet.
3. Leaving the base 1 in low. The concrete fills the gap: 0.59 yd³ extra on a 12 × 16 ft patio and 1.23 yd³ on a 20 × 20 ft patio.
4. Thickening the whole patio for a hot tub. Taking an 8 × 8 ft zone from 4 to 6 in adds about 0.40 yd³; raising the whole 16 × 20 ft patio from 4 to 5 in adds about 1 yd³ and still does not give the tub 6 in.
5. Forgetting removal. A 12 × 16 ft patio being replaced is about 4.8 tons of concrete to haul.
6. Ordering bags for a large patio. 245 × 80 lb bags for a 20 × 20 ft patio is 19,600 lb of mix; ready-mix is the practical choice.

Patio cost calculator vs related calculators: which one to use

• This calculator: total patio cost with base, labor and a plain, stamped or colored finish.
• Cost to pour a concrete slab: pads, shed bases, garage floors and other slabs where the finish is plain.
• Concrete slab calculator: yards, m³ and bags only, with no cost lines.
• Concrete steps calculator: the steps from the patio down to the yard.
• Concrete price per yard: what drives your yard price and how fees change it on small orders.

How do I get accurate patio quotes?

Measure the patio, decide the thickness and finish, then collect itemized prices.

1. Measure the patio and calculate it with the concrete slab calculator, then add 10% and round up to ¼ yd³.
2. Ask ready-mix plants for the price per yard, minimum load and fee, delivery charges and the cost of integral color per yard.
3. Ask contractors to itemize excavation, base, forms, placing, finish, stamping area and rate, color, sealing and cleanup.
4. Enter the numbers above and compare plain, border-stamped and fully stamped totals.