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Concrete Cost Calculator
Your slab size, your price per yard — volume, billable yards, and total cost.
CALCULATOR · CONSTRUCTION
Concrete Cost Calculator: Price Per Yard & Pour 2026
A 10×12 ft patio slab, 4 inches thick, needs 1.63 billable cubic yards (1.48 raw plus 10% waste) at $150 a yard — $244.50 of concrete plus $75 delivery, $319.50 all-in, or $2.66 per square foot. Enter your slab size, thickness, and local price per yard for your pour.
The worked example: a 10×12 ft patio slab
A 10×12 ft slab, 4 inches thick, at $150 per cubic yard with a $75 delivery fee and 10% waste:
| Step | Value |
|---|---|
| Volume (10 × 12 × 4÷12) | 40.00 cu ft |
| Raw cubic yards (40 ÷ 27) | 1.48 cu yd |
| Billable cubic yards (1.48 × 1.10, rounded) | 1.63 cu yd |
| Concrete cost (1.63 × $150) | $244.50 |
| Delivery fee | $75.00 |
| Total | $319.50 |
| Cost per square foot ($319.50 ÷ 120) | $2.66/sq ft |
The number to watch is the billable yards: you pay for 1.63, not 1.48, because the 10% waste allowance is priced in — and the concrete cost is computed from that rounded billable figure, exactly as a supplier invoices it.
What changes the answer
Bigger slab (20×20 ft, 4 in): 133.33 cu ft, 4.94 raw, 5.43 billable, concrete $814.50, total $889.50 — $2.22/sq ft, cheaper per foot because the $75 delivery spreads over more concrete. Pricier concrete ($180/yd): concrete $293.40, total $368.40. Thicker slab (6 in): 60 cu ft, 2.22 raw, 2.44 billable, concrete $366.00, total $441.00. No delivery fee: the total falls to just the concrete, $244.50 — the pickup discount, if you can haul it yourself (you almost certainly cannot: 1.63 yards weighs over 6,500 lb).
Working backward: what does $1,000 buy?
Take the delivery fee off first: ($1,000 − $75) ÷ $150 = 6.17 billable cu yd. Strip the 10% waste: 6.17 ÷ 1.10 = 5.61 raw cu yd, or 151.36 cu ft. At 4 inches thick, that pours 454.09 sq ft — roughly a 21×21 ft patio, or a 10×45 ft walkway. Change any input above and the reverse math follows.
Output · formula · meaning
| Output | Formula | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Volume (cu ft) | length × width × thickness÷12 | 40.00 cu ft at the defaults — the raw pour size. |
| Raw cubic yards | cu ft ÷ 27 | 1.48 cu yd at the defaults — the theoretical volume. |
| Billable cubic yards | round(raw × (1 + waste%), 2) | 1.63 cu yd at the defaults — what you actually pay for. |
| Concrete cost | billable × price/yd | $244.50 at the defaults — from the rounded billable figure. |
| Total cost | concrete + delivery | $319.50 at the defaults — the check you write. |
| Cost per sq ft | total ÷ (length × width) | $2.66/sq ft at the defaults — the comparison number. |
Who uses this
- Homeowners pouring a patio or slab: the 10×12 default is the most common backyard pour — $319.50 all-in is the number to beat.
- Driveway planners: the 20×20 branch shows how delivery spreads — $2.22/sq ft at scale vs $2.66 for the small pour.
- Budget setters: the $1,000 reverse tells you the biggest slab your budget pours before you call the supplier.
- Contractors & estimators: billable-yards math, shown the way suppliers invoice it — cite it with the block below.
Accuracy & limitations
Prices are 2026 national averages — ready-mix runs $125–$200 per cubic yard by market, and short-load fees (often $50–$150 extra under 2–3 yards) are not modeled; small pours can cost far more per yard than this page shows. The calculator covers concrete and delivery only — not excavation, forms, rebar or mesh, finishing labor, or sealing. Waste allowance is a flat percentage; uneven subgrade needs more. Always confirm the final quote with your supplier. Not a contractor estimate.
Cite this calculatorBright Side Kit. “Concrete Cost Calculator: Price Per Yard & Pour 2026.” brightoolbox.com, 2026.
Bright Side Kit. "Concrete Cost Calculator: Price Per Yard & Pour 2026.." https://brightoolbox.com/concrete-cost-calculator/ Accessed October 23, 2026.Frequently asked questions
How many cubic yards of concrete do I need for a 10×12 slab?
A 10×12 ft slab at 4 inches thick is 40.00 cu ft, or 1.48 raw cubic yards. Order 1.63 billable yards with the standard 10% waste allowance — that is the number the supplier invoices. The calculator above does the division and the rounding for any size.
How much does a yard of concrete cost?
Ready-mix concrete runs roughly $125–$200 per cubic yard in 2026, and this page defaults to $150. At $180/yd the same 10×12 slab costs $368.40 all-in instead of $319.50. Short loads under 2–3 yards often carry an extra fee on top.
How thick should a concrete slab be?
4 inches is standard for patios, sidewalks, and shed floors. Go 6 inches for driveways and anything carrying vehicles — the same 10×12 footprint then needs 2.44 billable yards and costs $441.00 at the defaults. Thicker also means more rebar or mesh.
What is the waste factor for concrete?
The standard allowance is 10% — extra concrete for spills, an uneven subgrade, and forms that are not perfectly square. This page applies it to the raw volume and rounds to two decimals: 1.48 raw yards become 1.63 billable yards. Tight, well-formed pours can get away with 5%; rough ground may need 15%.
Does concrete delivery cost extra?
Yes, usually a flat $50–$150. This page defaults to $75. Without any delivery fee the 10×12 slab costs just the concrete — $244.50. Pickup is rarely practical: 1.63 yards of concrete weighs over 6,500 lb, far beyond a pickup truck's payload.
How much concrete can I get for $1,000?
At $150/yd with a $75 delivery fee and 10% waste: 6.17 billable yards, or 454.09 sq ft of 4-inch slab — roughly a 21×21 ft patio. The delivery fee comes off first, so the first $75 of any budget buys no concrete at all.
How do I calculate concrete cost per square foot?
Divide the all-in total by the slab area: $319.50 ÷ 120 sq ft = $2.66/sq ft for the default 10×12 pour. Bigger pours run cheaper per foot — a 20×20 slab is $2.22/sq ft — because the delivery fee spreads over more concrete.
Why does the calculator round the billable yards?
Because suppliers sell concrete in fractional yards, rounded up — you cannot order 1.4815 yards, and a short load costs far more than a small over-order. This page rounds the waste-adjusted volume to two decimals and prices the concrete from that rounded figure, exactly as an invoice does.