How Much Is a Yard of Concrete? Prices, Weight, and What a Truck Charges
A cubic yard of ready-mix concrete costs $125 to $180 delivered in most of the US, with $155 a fair planning average. That single number hides a few traps, though: minimum loads, short-load fees, and the difference between the price of concrete and the price of a finished slab. Here’s the whole picture.
The quick answers
| Question | Number |
|---|---|
| Price per cubic yard, delivered | $125 to $180 ($155 typical) |
| Weight per cubic yard | About 4,050 lb (just over 2 tons) |
| Coverage at 4 inches thick | 81 sq ft per yard |
| 80-lb bags equal to a yard | 45 bags |
| Typical short-load fee (under ~5 yards) | $50 to $150 |
| Installed slab price (material + labor) | $4 to $8 per sq ft |
What sets the per-yard price
Three things move the quote: mix strength, distance, and load size. A standard 3,000 PSI mix sits at the bottom of the range; a 4,000 or 4,500 PSI mix for driveways and footings adds $10 to $20 a yard. Delivery beyond the plant’s normal radius adds a per-mile charge. And small orders pay disproportionately, because the truck and driver cost the plant the same whether the drum carries 2 yards or 10.
Regional spread is real. Rural plants in the South and Midwest quote near $125; metro areas on the coasts run $160 to $190 before fees. Call two plants, because in most towns there are only two or three and their prices differ more than people expect.
The fees that surprise people
The per-yard price is not the bill. Watch for a short-load fee ($50 to $150 on orders under about 5 yards), a standby charge if the crew keeps the truck waiting past 5 to 10 minutes per yard of unload time (roughly $2 per minute after that), and a washout fee in some markets. An honest 2-yard order at $155 can land at $500 once the small-load math is done. That is still cheaper and better than 90 bags.
How far a yard goes
| Slab thickness | One yard covers |
|---|---|
| 4 inches | 81 sq ft |
| 5 inches | 65 sq ft |
| 6 inches | 54 sq ft |
| 8 inches (footings) | 40 sq ft |
So a 10 by 10 pad at 4 inches needs about 1.25 yards, and a 24 by 24 driveway at 5 inches needs about 9. Run your own dimensions through the calculator and it adds the waste allowance a real pour needs.
Concrete calculator: yards and bags for your slab →
Yard price vs installed price
Concrete at $155 a yard works out to roughly $1.90 per square foot of 4-inch slab. Installed quotes run $4 to $8. The gap is labor and it is not padding: forming, pouring, screeding, floating, edging, jointing, and curing is skilled work with a one-hour window to get it right. Price the material with the concrete calculator and the whole job with the slab cost calculator, and you’ll know exactly what the labor line in a quote really is.
Try the math on your job
Worth knowing before you call the plant
- Order in quarter-yard steps and round up. Plants batch in quarters, and running 0.2 yards short stops the job.
- Ask for the delivered, all-fees price at your exact yardage. “$139 a yard” means little until the fees are on it.
- Have the site ready: forms set, base compacted, help on hand. Standby charges start fast.
- Concrete hits half strength in about 7 days and design strength at 28. Keep cars off a new driveway for a week.
Concrete prices per yard by region
The national range hides a real geographic spread. These are typical delivered prices for a standard 3,500 PSI mix as of recent cost surveys; your two local plants are the only quotes that count.
| Region | Typical per yard | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| South and Gulf states | $125 – $150 | Lots of plants, long pour season |
| Midwest | $130 – $160 | Winter heating additives add $5-$10 in cold months |
| Northeast | $150 – $185 | Higher delivery and labor costs throughout |
| West Coast metros | $160 – $195 | Highest base prices; environmental fees common |
| Mountain and rural West | $140 – $175 | Distance charges matter more than base price |
How many yards of concrete do I need?
Multiply length by width by thickness in feet, divide by 27, then add 10% for waste. Common jobs, waste included:
| Job | Yards needed | Cost at $155/yd |
|---|---|---|
| 10 x 10 shed pad, 4 in | 1.4 | $215 |
| 3 x 50 ft sidewalk, 4 in | 2.0 | $315 |
| 12 x 24 single-car drive, 5 in | 4.9 | $760 |
| 24 x 24 two-car drive, 5 in | 9.8 | $1,520 |
| 30 x 40 shop slab, 6 in | 24.4 | $3,790 |
Those material numbers are the floor, not the quote: forming, finishing, and base prep sit on top. The slab cost calculator shows the installed picture next to the material one.
Is it cheaper to buy concrete by the bag or by the yard?
By the yard, once you need more than about half a yard. The math: a yard takes 45 bags at 80 lb, and at $7 a bag that’s $315 of bagged concrete against $155 to $180 delivered, before you count the mixing labor. Bags win under half a yard because no truck fee applies, and they win on jobs a truck can’t reach. Between half a yard and 2 yards, price both: the short-load fee decides it. Past 2 yards, the truck wins every time and the gap widens with size.
Quick answers
How much does a yard of concrete weigh? About 4,050 pounds wet, just over two tons per cubic yard. It loses a little water weight curing but stays near that figure.
How much is 2 yards of concrete delivered? Around $310 to $360 in material plus a short-load fee of $50 to $150, so $400 to $500 total in most markets. Still better than 90 bags.
How far does one yard go? 81 square feet at 4 inches thick, 54 at 6 inches. A yard sounds like a lot until the slab math starts.
What PSI should I order? 3,000 for walks and patios, 3,500 to 4,000 for driveways and garage slabs, 4,500 where trucks or freeze-thaw hit hard. Higher PSI adds $10 to $20 a yard.