Concrete Cost Per Yard

By Muhammad Awais. Prices reviewed October 2026.

Ready mix concrete costs $140 to $190 per cubic yard across the United States, with $165 as the typical national price in October 2026. A truck delivery adds a flat fee of $60 to $150, so the true concrete cost per yard depends on how many yards share that fee. One yard delivered alone runs about $265. A 10 yard order brings the effective price down to about $175 a yard. Bagged mix is the other route, and the 45 bags of 80 lb mix that make one yard cost $225 to $360 at the store.

Order size, ready mix with delivery	Low	Typical	High	Typical per yard
1 cubic yard	$200	$265	$340	$265
3 cubic yards	$480	$595	$720	$198
5 cubic yards	$760	$925	$1,100	$185
10 cubic yards	$1,460	$1,750	$2,050	$175

A cubic yard bought by the truck or by the bag

A plant batches concrete to order and sells it by volume. A home center sells the same material dry, in paper bags that each make a fraction of a cubic foot. The two routes price a yard very differently.

One cubic yard as bagged mix	Low	Typical	High
80 lb bags (45 per yard)	$225	$293	$360
60 lb bags (60 per yard)	$270	$330	$420
40 lb bags (90 per yard)	$360	$405	$540

At typical prices, a yard of 80 lb bags costs 77 percent more than the plant price of a yard of ready mix before delivery. The delivery fee closes that gap on small jobs. Running the concrete tool with its 10 percent waste allowance on both routes, the truck wins on price for any pour larger than roughly 0.69 cubic yards measured before waste (0.76 yards on the order ticket). Below that size, bags usually win on price and lose on labor, since every bag gets lifted, opened and mixed by hand.

Pricing a specific pour

The calculator below turns the dimensions of a slab, footing, column, set of steps or curb into cubic yards, then prices that volume as ready mix with delivery and as 40, 60 or 80 lb bags. The waste setting and the region setting change every line at once.

What moves the price of a yard

• Order size. The flat fee makes up 38 percent of a typical 1 yard bill and only 6 percent of a 10 yard bill. Small orders cost more per yard, and the difference shrinks quickly once the truck carries 3 yards or more.
• Location. Lower cost states such as Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee run about 15 percent under the national figure. California, Massachusetts, New York and the other high cost states run about 25 percent over it. Plant distance and fuel surcharges add more in rural areas.
• Thickness. Volume grows in step with depth. A slab poured 5 inches thick instead of 4 needs 25 percent more concrete, and a 6 inch slab needs 50 percent more.
• Waste allowance. Spillage, a dished subgrade and form bulges eat concrete. The usual allowance runs 5, 10 or 15 percent, and each step adds the same share to the order.
• Short load and time charges. Many plants add a charge when an order falls below their minimum load and bill extra when a truck waits on site past its free unloading time. Both raise the per yard cost, and both appear only on the plant’s own price sheet.
• Mix design and additives. Higher strength mixes, fibers, accelerators for cold weather and retarders for hot weather each raise the ticket price. A pump truck for a backyard pour bills separately by the hour or by the job.

Worked example: a two car garage slab

A 24 by 24 foot garage floor at 4 inches thick holds 7.11 cubic yards of concrete. The concrete tool adds its default 10 percent allowance for a total of 7.82 cubic yards, and a supplier that batches in half yard steps would load 8.0 yards. Ready mix with delivery prices that volume at $1,160 to $1,640, with $1,390 as the typical figure. Doing the same pour with bags would take 352 bags of 80 lb mix, a typical spend of $2,290, before counting the mixer rental and the long day of hand mixing. At this size the truck is cheaper and far faster.

The material figure is only part of a garage floor budget. Forms, a compacted gravel base, reinforcement, a vapor barrier where the code calls for one, finishing labor and saw cut joints all sit outside the price of the concrete. The concrete slab cost guide covers the installed price of that work.

Hiring a crew or placing the concrete without one

Buying ready mix directly and placing it with friends saves the labor share of a project, which is about 60 percent of an installed slab price on this site. When a contractor installs the slab for $6.00 to $14.00 per finished square foot, each cubic yard poured 4 inches thick covers 81 square feet and represents $486 to $1,130 of finished work, against roughly $165 for the concrete itself. That spread is the appeal of doing it without a contractor.

The limits are real. Fresh concrete sets on its own schedule, and a truck that arrives before the forms, base and tools are ready still starts its clock. A full load is heavy work to move by wheelbarrow, and a poor screed or late finishing leaves a surface that cannot be fixed without grinding or an overlay. Small pads, fence posts and footings for a deck suit an owner with help. Driveways, garage floors and anything poured against a house usually go better with a crew that pours every week.

Common mistakes and what they cost

• Ordering the exact volume. Coming up short means a second delivery and a second fee of $60 to $150, plus a cold joint where the two loads meet.
• Measuring thickness at the forms only. A subgrade that dips in the middle hides extra depth. One added inch across a 4 inch slab means 25 percent more concrete.
• Pricing bags for a large pour. A yard of 80 lb bags costs about $293 typical against $165 for a yard of ready mix, and the labor gap grows with every bag.
• Ignoring truck access. A mixer that cannot reach the forms turns into a pump charge or hours of wheelbarrow work. Soft lawns and septic fields also limit where a loaded truck can drive.
• Pouring in poor weather. Frozen ground, rain on a fresh surface and summer heat all damage the finish, and the remedies add additives, blankets or a second visit.

Ready mix quote checklist

A written order from the plant, or a contractor’s bid that includes the concrete, should name each of these items.

• The price per cubic yard and the mix it covers, with its strength rating
• The delivery fee and the plant’s minimum load before a short load charge applies
• Free unloading time per truck and the rate for waiting past it
• Any fuel, environmental or weekend surcharges added to the ticket
• Additives on the order, such as fiber, accelerator or retarder, each with its own price
• Pump truck charges if the mixer cannot reach the pour
• The plant’s policy on leftover concrete and the fee for returning it
• Cancellation terms if rain or freezing weather moves the pour date

When a licensed contractor is needed

Footings and foundation walls carry the weight of a building, and most building departments require a permit and an inspection before the concrete goes in. Garage floors, driveways that cross a public sidewalk and slabs poured against a house often need a permit as well. A licensed concrete contractor handles the forms, reinforcement and inspection timing for that work. Fresh concrete is also caustic, so gloves, eye protection and boots stay on for anyone near the chute.

Cost data note

All prices here are national planning ranges dated October 2026 and reviewed every 3 months. They cover material and delivery, not labor. Local plants set their own rates, and the region factors on the methodology page show how the site adjusts a national figure for lower and higher cost states.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a yard of concrete cost?

Plants charge $140 to $190 for each cubic yard, with $165 typical, plus a delivery fee of $60 to $150 per truck. Spread across a large order, the fee adds little, while a single yard delivered alone runs about $265.

How much do 3 yards of concrete cost?

Three cubic yards of ready mix cost $480 to $720 delivered, with $595 typical. That works out to about $198 per yard once the delivery fee is shared across the load.

Is bagged concrete cheaper than a truck for small jobs?

Bags are usually cheaper below about 0.69 cubic yards before waste. A half yard pour costs a typical $163 in 25 bags of 80 lb mix against $191 for ready mix with delivery, because the flat fee outweighs the bag premium on small volumes.

How many bags of concrete make a yard?

One yard equals 45 of the 80 lb bags. With the smaller sizes the count climbs to 60 bags at 60 lb and 90 bags at 40 lb, all before waste. The count follows the yield printed on each bag, and smaller bags cost more per yard.

How much does the concrete for a 10 by 10 slab cost?

A square pad measuring 10 feet on each side and poured 4 inches deep needs 1.36 cubic yards with a 10 percent allowance. That volume costs a typical $324 as ready mix with delivery or $403 as 62 bags of 80 lb mix, before forms, base and labor.

Related calculators and guides

The concrete cost calculator prices an installed slab, patio, driveway or footing with labor included, and the bag calculator counts bags and pallets for hand mixed work. Other concrete tools sit on the concrete calculators page. Related guides cover foundation costs and sidewalk replacement, and the full list is on the cost guides page.