Concrete Cost Calculator

$184.95 per cubic yard is the national weighted average for ready-mix, per NRMCA (National Ready Mixed Concrete Association) national weighted-average ready-mix price (2024). Where you are moves that figure more than anything else on this page. Coastal and high-demand metros commonly run 10-20% above the national average, while much of the Midwest and Southeast sits below it.

Installed, most slabs land between $6 and $12 per square foot. That covers the concrete plus forms, finishing, and site prep, and it shifts with thickness and finish level. Labor alone is usually 40-55% of the total, which is why the installed figure sits so far above the price of the material.

Most suppliers won't dispatch a truck for less than about 1 cubic yard, and anything under a full load, roughly 8 to 10 cubic yards, usually picks up short load fees of $50 to $150 per yard short. That surcharge is why a small pour costs more per yard than a large one, and why bagged concrete is often the cheaper answer below about a yard.

About 4,000 pounds, or 2 tons, which works out to roughly 150 pounds per cubic foot. The number matters for two things: whether a loaded truck can get near the pour, and whether the structure underneath can carry it. Anything going onto a suspended slab or a deck needs an engineer to confirm that, not a calculator.

Yes, but less than most people expect. A 3,000 psi mix is the standard residential baseline. Stepping up to 4,000 psi for a driveway or garage floor typically adds a few dollars per cubic yard, and fiber-reinforced or higher-strength mixes cost more again. On a typical residential quote, delivery distance and short load fees move the total more than the mix does.

The ready-mix price buys the concrete, delivered, and nothing else. Installed cost adds formwork, rebar or mesh, grading and site prep, the crew that pours and finishes it, equipment, and the contractor's overhead. That stack is why a slab with a few hundred dollars of concrete in it can cost several times that by the time it's in the ground.

The base price comes from NRMCA's published national average, carried forward each month using the US Bureau of Labor Statistics Producer Price Index for ready-mix concrete. NRMCA releases its survey infrequently and the PPI updates monthly, so the figure here stays current in between. The full history is on our Concrete Price Index page.