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Concrete Pour Cost
Calculator · prices checked November 2, 2026

Concrete driveway and slab cost calculator

Enter the size of a new driveway, patio, walkway or slab. You get the cubic yards to order with an allowance for waste, and the installed price for your square footage from each cost guide — side by side, never averaged. Old concrete removal, reinforcement and the price of the concrete alone show as separate lines.

Size your pour

Drawing of the slab: 24 ft long, 20 ft wide, 4 in thick
Length and width drawn in true proportion; thickness drawn larger so you can see it.

Measure the outside edges of the pour. For an L-shape, split it into rectangles and run each one.

Area—
Concrete—
Order with allowance—

Installed price by cost guide

Ask the contractor

  1. What thickness, base and reinforcement is this price for?
  2. Is removing the old concrete and hauling it away a separate line?
  3. Is there a minimum charge or short-load fee?
  4. How far apart will the control joints be? NRMCA: “The maximum joint spacing should be 24 to 36 times the thickness of the slab”, and for each panel, “The length should not exceed 1.5 times the width”.
  5. Who calls 811 and pulls any permit? (811: call “a few business days before you begin any digging”)
Sources behind every number (17)
  1. NRMCA — Concrete in Practice 8: Discrepancies in Yield (2016), p. 2
  2. HomeGuide — How Much Does Concrete Cost Per Yard? (updated Jan 6, 2026)
  3. Quikrete — Concrete Mix No. 1101 data sheet (revised Oct 2022)
  4. NRMCA — Concrete in Practice 6: Joints in Concrete Slabs on Grade (2014), p. 1
  5. 811 Before You Dig — Common Ground Alliance
  6. This Old House — How Much Does a Concrete Slab Cost? (updated Mar 17, 2026)
  7. Concrete Network (industry site) — Concrete Prices (updated Jul 14, 2026)
  8. HomeGuide — How Much Does Concrete Removal Cost? (updated May 27, 2025)
  9. Concrete Network — How Thick Should a Concrete Driveway Be? (Aug 17, 2023)
  10. HomeGuide — How Much Does a Concrete Driveway Cost? (updated Jun 3, 2025)
  11. HomeAdvisor — How Much Does a Concrete Driveway Cost in 2026? (updated Jun 20, 2026)
  12. HomeGuide — How Much Does a Concrete Patio Cost? (updated Jul 10, 2025)
  13. Fixr — Cost to Build a Patio (updated Aug 19, 2022)
  14. HomeAdvisor — How Much Does a Concrete Walkway Cost in 2026? (updated Jun 20, 2026)
  15. HomeGuide — How Much Does a Concrete Sidewalk Cost? (updated Feb 3, 2026)
  16. Concrete Network (industry site) — Concrete Walkway Cost (updated May 21, 2020)
  17. HomeGuide — How Much Does a Concrete Slab Cost? (updated Feb 3, 2026)

How the numbers work

  • Volume. Length × width × (thickness ÷ 12) ÷ 27 = cubic yards. One cubic yard covers 81 square feet at 4 inches.
  • Allowance. The National Ready Mixed Concrete Association suggests ordering 4 to 10 percent over plan dimensions for waste, over-excavation and other contingencies.
  • Installed price. Each row is one guide's price per square foot for that kind of job, multiplied by your area. Guides measure different things — some include the base and forms, some don't — so the rows disagree. A written bid for your site is the only real price.
  • What's left out on purpose. No regional multiplier (there's no public index to base one on), no fiber price (none of our sources gives one), no foundations, footings or retaining walls (those are designed by the contractor or an engineer). It prices new pours only.

Pricing a particular job? See the guides for a new concrete driveway, patio, slab, steps or a retaining wall.

Before you build

Call 811 a few business days before any digging so buried utility lines get marked. Driveway aprons, foundations and taller retaining walls may need a permit — ask your local building department. Wet concrete can burn skin: crews wear gloves, boots and eye protection. Get the price, thickness, base and reinforcement in a written contract with a contractor who carries the license (where your state requires one) and insurance.

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