Concrete Cost Calculator
There are two ways to buy concrete: bags you mix yourself, or a ready-mix truck that shows up full. Which one costs less depends entirely on your local prices — which is why this calculator ships empty. Enter the volume of your project and the prices from your quotes, and it totals both options, says which is cheaper and by how much, and works out the break-even volume where the answer changes. Every price field starts blank on purpose: nothing here is a price quote, and the results are only as good as the numbers you put in.
Step by step
How to use this calculator
- Enter the project volume in cubic yards or cubic meters, from any estimate on this site or from your own math.
- Fill in the bags side. The yield per bag comes prefilled with a typical 80 lb example — check your bag. Add your price per bag, and optionally the mixing hours you expect and what the equipment costs you per hour to rent or run.
- Fill in the truck side. Price per cubic yard from your quote, the delivery fee, and any minimum order the supplier requires.
- Read the comparison. You get both totals, which option is cheaper and by roughly how much, and the break-even volume — the size of job where the cheaper option flips.
Formulas
- Bags total: bags needed × price per bag + mixing hours × hourly equipment rate. Bags = volume with your allowance ÷ yield per bag, rounded up.
- Truck total: max(volume, minimum order) × price per yd³ + delivery fee.
- Break-even: delivery fee ÷ (bag cost per yd³ − truck price per yd³). It only exists when bags cost more per yard than the truck; if they never do, bags are cheaper at any volume.
- Metric: enter volume in m³ and price per m³; the comparison math is identical.
Worked example
Worked Example
A 2 yd³ patio with example prices
Two yards is about 90 of the 80 lb bags. At an example $6.50 per bag, bags cost around $585. A truck at $180 per yd³ with a $75 delivery fee comes to $435. The truck wins this one by about $150 — and saves a full day of mixing.
A small pad, 0.5 yd³
Half a yard is about 23 bags, roughly $150 at the same example price. But the truck side has a 1 yd³ minimum, so you pay for a full yard: $180 + $75 = $255. Small jobs belong to the bags.
Where the line sits
With those example prices, bag mixing costs about $293 per yd³ against the truck's $180, and the $75 fee spreads thin over big orders. Break-even lands near 0.6 yd³: below that, bags usually win; above it, the truck pulls ahead. Substitute your own quotes and the flip point moves to wherever your prices put it.
Why ready-mix has minimums
A batch plant measures its day in full truck loads, so small deliveries carry fixed costs that do not shrink with the order: the truck, the driver's time and the concrete that might come back. That is why suppliers quote minimum orders, often around a yard or several, and charge delivery fees on top. If your project is a little over a minimum, it can be worth reshaping the plan — a slightly thicker pad costs less than the second truck some of the time. Ask your supplier how their minimums and fees work; they vary by area.
Getting quotes worth entering
When you call, ask for the price per cubic yard, the delivery fee, the minimum order, and how long the truck waits before extra charges start. Prices move with region, season and fuel, so quotes beat any general number this site could print. Enter them in the two sides above and the comparison updates instantly — your numbers, your project, your line between bags and truck.
Knowledge base
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does concrete cost?
It varies a lot by region, season and supplier, so this calculator does not ship with prices — you enter your own quotes. Worked examples on this page use made-up round numbers to show the math, not to suggest what you should pay.
What is a delivery fee or short-load charge?
Suppliers often add a flat fee for bringing a truck out, and may charge minimums for small orders because a part-load still costs them a full trip. Both go in the truck side of the calculator.
How many bags equal one truck load?
One cubic yard is about 45 of the 80 lb bags at a typical yield, and a full-size truck carries several yards. That gap in labor is the real story behind the price comparison this calculator draws.
Does the calculator include finishing, pumps or coloring?
No — it compares the cost of the concrete itself, delivered either as bags or in a truck. Extras like pumps, color, stamps or hired finishing labor sit outside this comparison, though you can fold any that scale with volume into the hourly rate field if that is close enough for your planning.
Why is the truck cheaper for big volumes if it costs more per yard up front?
It usually is not — the truck's per-yard price is often lower, and the fee that makes small orders expensive gets spread over more yards. The break-even volume is where that spreading catches up with the bag side.
Do you keep the prices I enter?
No. Everything runs in your browser and nothing is stored or sent. Refreshing the page starts you over with empty price fields, by design.
This calculator is an estimating tool for planning only. Quantities depend on site conditions, wastage and suppliers, and are not a quotation. Thickness, footing depth, reinforcement and mix strength must come from your plans, an engineer or your local building authority.
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