Concrete Price per Yard: Cost Calculator

How is concrete priced per yard?

Ready-mix concrete is sold by the cubic yard (yd³), delivered. The plant quotes a price per yard for a given mix, then may add fees for small orders, delivery distance, waiting time or additives. We do not list a national average because prices differ by region, mix strength and season. Your local quote is the number that matters.

Order cost = ordered yd³ × price per yd³ + small-load fee + delivery and extras

Use the calculator above to get the yards for your shape. Set the waste slider (10% by default), choose a pricing basis (per yd³, per m³ or per bag) and enter your quote: it rounds the order up to the next ¼ yd³ (per-yd³ basis), the next ¼ m³ (per-m³ basis) or whole bags of the selected size (per-bag basis), then multiplies by your price. Add any small-load or delivery fees yourself.

What does one yard of concrete get you?

A cubic yard is a cube 3 ft on each side: 27 ft³ or 0.76 m³. These figures do not change with price, so they are the best way to sanity-check a quote.

Bag counts use the yields on the QUIKRETE Concrete Mix data sheet (80 lb ≈ 0.60 ft³, 60 lb ≈ 0.45 ft³). Coverage is 324 ÷ thickness in inches per yard.

Why does the price per yard change?

The quoted price per yard reflects your plant’s costs and the mix you choose. The real price you pay per yard also depends on how much you order.

• Mix strength. Higher-strength mixes (for example 4,000 psi versus 3,000 psi) usually cost more per yard, so ask each plant to quote the same strength.
• Additives. Fiber, color, accelerators for cold weather and retarders for hot weather are often priced per yard on top.
• Order size. Fixed fees spread over fewer yards raise the real price per yard on small jobs.
• Delivery. Distance, waiting time beyond the free unloading period, and weekend or after-hours pours can add charges.
• Placement. A pump or conveyor is quoted separately when the truck cannot reach the pour.

How do I work out the true cost per yard?

Add every charge on the ticket and divide by the yards delivered. That gives one figure you can compare across plants, and with bagged concrete.

True price per yd³ = (yd³ × price + all fees) ÷ yd³

For bags, the equivalent is 45 × the price of one 80 lb bag (or 60 × a 60 lb bag), plus mixer rental and your time. On a 1 yd³ job, compare 45 bags with the full ready-mix ticket including any small-load fee.

Questions to ask the ready-mix plant

A short call gets you everything you need for an accurate total.

• What is the price per yard for the strength I need, delivered to my address?
• What is your minimum load, and what is the fee below it?
• How much unloading time is included, and what does extra time cost?
• Are fiber, color, accelerator or retarder extra, and how much per yard?
• Is there a Saturday or after-hours charge?
• Can the truck reach my forms, or will I need a pump?

How much does a flat fee add per yard?

A flat fee is spread over the yards on the ticket, so its effect shrinks as the order grows. The table shows what each $100 of fee (short-load, delivery or after-hours) adds to every yard. Multiply by your fee ÷ 100.

Decision rule: when the fee per yard is larger than the difference between two plants’ quoted prices, the plant without the fee wins even if its quoted price is higher. If your job is just under a plant’s minimum, ask whether ordering up to the minimum costs less than paying the fee; the spare concrete can go into a pad or post holes poured the same day.

Price per yard to price per square foot

Contractors and homeowners often talk in square feet. One cubic yard covers 324 ÷ thickness (in) square feet, so the concrete cost per square foot is the yard price × thickness ÷ 324.

This is the concrete only. Rounding up to the next ¼ yd³ adds a little more on small slabs, and labor, base and reinforcement are separate lines.

Ready-mix price vs bag price per yard

To compare bags with a ready-mix quote, turn the bag price into a price per yard. Every bag size from QUIKRETE’s data sheet works out to about 3,600 lb of dry mix per cubic yard; only the bag count changes.

Partial yards: ¼, ½ and ¾ yd³

Many plants sell in ¼ yd³ steps above their minimum, and small jobs often land on a fraction. These amounts help you decide whether a delivery is worth it.

Below 1 yd³, a fixed fee usually costs more than the concrete. Ask whether the plant offers a trailer or tow-behind mixer for small loads, and compare that ticket with the bag count above.

Concrete truck calculator: how many loads?

The number of trucks is the order divided by the capacity your plant quotes, rounded up. Truck capacity depends on the truck and local weight limits, so ask the dispatcher; we do not assume a figure. For truckload tables, short-load fees by order size and the delivered price per yard, see concrete delivery cost.

Truckloads = ordered yd³ ÷ yd³ per truck, rounded up

If the plant says 10 yd³ per truck, a 32¾ yd³ order for a 40 × 60 ft slab is 4 loads, with 2¾ yd³ on the last truck. At 9 yd³ per truck it is still 4 loads, but the last one carries 5¾ yd³. A 24 × 24 ft garage at 6 in (11¾ yd³) is 2 loads at 10 yd³ each. Ask the plant to space the trucks so the crew is never waiting on concrete or leaving a face to set; a gap of that kind creates a cold joint.

Weight matters for access too. At 150 lb/ft³ (WSDOT) one cubic yard weighs about 4,050 lb (1,837 kg), so 8 yd³ is about 32,400 lb of concrete before the truck itself. Keep loaded trucks off septic tanks, thin driveways and soft lawns.

How many yards for common jobs?

These quantities turn the price per yard into a job price. Each order includes 10% extra and is rounded up to ¼ yd³.

For other shapes, the concrete yards calculator converts any size to yards first.

Price per cubic metre and metric orders

Where concrete is sold by the cubic metre, the same method applies with m³. One m³ is 1.31 yd³, so 2 m³ is 2.62 yd³, 5 m³ is 6.54 yd³ and 8 m³ is 10.46 yd³. A yard is 0.76 m³, so 4 yd³ is 3.06 m³ and 10 yd³ is 7.65 m³. To convert a price, multiply the yard price by 1.308 to get the price per m³, or multiply a m³ price by 0.7646 to get the price per yard.

Does a stronger mix change the price per yard?

Usually yes. Ask for the strength your plans or local code require and get every plant to quote the same mix. The difference scales with the order: an extra $10 per yard on an 8 yd³ garage slab is $80, less than the example $100 short-load fee used above. If a plant quotes only a stronger mix than you need, compare the total ticket, not the label.

Scheduling and weather charges per yard

Some charges depend on when you pour, not how much. Ask about each one before you book, and convert it to a per-yard figure so you can compare dates:

• Cold weather. Plants may add hot water or an accelerator in winter, often priced per yard. On an 8 yd³ order, every $5 per yard is $40.
• Hot weather. A retarder slows the set so the crew has time to finish. It is also priced per yard.
• Saturday or early starts. Usually a flat fee, so it costs more per yard on small orders: $100 on 2 yd³ is $50 per yard, on 8 yd³ it is $12.50.
• Waiting time. Billed per minute or per block once the free unloading time runs out. Have forms, tools and crew ready before the truck arrives.

What to check on the delivery ticket

The ticket is your record of what you paid per yard, so read it before the truck leaves. Check five things against your order:

1. Yards delivered. It should match the order, for example 5½ yd³ for a 20 × 20 ft slab at 4 in, not the 4.94 yd³ you calculated.
2. Mix. Strength and any fiber, color or accelerator you asked for, priced per yard.
3. Batch time and arrival time. Ask your plant how long its mix stays workable; a long gap matters most in hot weather.
4. Water added on site. Extra water makes the mix easier to place but can lower strength. Ask the plant how much can be added without changing the mix.
5. Fees. Short-load, delivery zone, waiting time and after-hours lines. Add them up and divide by the yards to get the true price per yard for your records.

Keep the ticket with your project notes. If you pour again, it tells you the real price per yard you paid, which is a better starting estimate than any quoted figure.

Common mistakes when buying concrete by the yard

Small errors in the order cost more than small differences between plants.

1. Comparing quoted prices instead of true prices. A plant that is cheaper per yard but charges a small-load fee can cost more. With an example $100 fee, 2 yd³ at $100/yd³ really costs $150 per yard.
2. Ordering the exact calculated volume. Many plants sell in ¼ yd³ steps (ask yours). A 20 × 20 ft slab at 4 in is 4.94 yd³; with 10% extra (5.43 yd³) and ¼ yd³ steps the order is 5½ yd³, not 5.
3. Running short. A second truck means a second delivery and often a second small-load fee, plus a cold joint where the two pours meet.
4. Mixing up square and cubic yards. A cubic yard covers 81 ft² at 4 in thick, not the 9 ft² of a square yard.
5. Converting metric quotes wrongly. One m³ is 1.308 yd³. Dividing instead of multiplying understates a per-m³ price by about 42% (you get roughly 58% of the true figure).
6. Comparing different mixes. A 4,000 psi quote and a 3,000 psi quote are not the same product. Ask every plant for the same strength and additives.

Ready-mix or bags: which costs less per yard?

On larger orders, fixed delivery and small-load fees are spread over more yards, so ready-mix often works out cheaper per yard. On very small jobs bags can win because they avoid those fees. The crossover depends on your local prices, so price both.

• Up to ½ yd³ (23 × 80 lb bags): bags are practical for one or two people.
• ½–1 yd³ (23–45 bags): price a small-load delivery against bags plus a mixer.
• Over 1 yd³: 45 bags weigh about 3,600 lb dry. Ready-mix saves the labor and gives an even pour.

Price per yard vs related calculators: which one to use

Use this page to understand and compare what a yard of concrete costs. If you still need the volume, the concrete yards calculator converts slabs, footings and columns to yards. For bag counts at every size from 40 to 90 lb, use bags of concrete per yard. Once you have a yard price, the cost to pour a concrete slab calculator adds labor, fees and extras to give a project total. For other materials sold by the yard, the cubic yard calculator handles any rectangle. To make several plants’ quotes comparable, or to find the bag price at which bagged mix matches a delivery, see ready-mix concrete price.