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A cubic yard is 27 cubic feet. Spread it at a given depth and it covers an area: at 4 inches, which is one third of a foot, one yard covers 27 divided by 0.333, or 81 square feet. That single conversion explains why concrete is sold by the yard but planned in square feet.
| Slab depth | Coverage per yard | Common use |
|---|---|---|
| 4 inches | 81 sq ft | Patios, walkways, shed floors |
| 5 inches | 64.8 sq ft | Driveways with light vehicles |
| 6 inches | 54 sq ft | Driveways, heavy vehicles, garage floors |
If you know the square footage and the depth, the concrete calculator does the division and adds the waste allowance. If you already have the yardage, the depth is what decides how far it goes.
Two quotes can both say "concrete, $X per yard" and mean completely different things. Ask which of the three bases the number uses before you compare.
| Basis | What it includes | How to compare it |
|---|---|---|
| Delivered material | Ready-mix delivered to the site, before any placement labour | Compare with another plant quote for the same mix, volume and distance |
| Installed slab | Material, forming, placement, finishing, curing and often hauling | Compare with installed cost per square foot on the concrete guide |
| Yard-equivalent installed | Installed cost converted back to a per-yard figure | Useful for a quick check, not for comparing with a plant quote |
Yard-equivalent installed figures above use the price index range of $6 to $15 per square foot installed, multiplied by 81 square feet per yard at 4 inches. They are estimates, not quotes.
Ready-mix is a perishable product with a short window, so the plant prices it on the day. Four things move the number more than anything else a homeowner can control.
A 3,000 PSI mix for a patio is not the same price as a 4,500 PSI mix with air entrainment for a driveway in a freeze-thaw climate. Additives such as accelerators, retarders or fibres add a line to the bill.
Plants price small orders differently because the truck and the batch plant have a minimum. Ordering two yards can carry a charge that a full load does not, which is why a small patio sometimes costs more per square foot than a large driveway. The delivery fees guide breaks those charges down.
Delivery distance and site access decide how long the truck is committed. A site where the truck can back up to the pour is cheaper than one where concrete must be pumped or wheeled.
Early starts, Saturday pours and after-hours work can carry scheduling charges. A pause in the schedule for the crew to finish forming is billed as wait time.
The exact layout differs by plant, but a delivered concrete bill usually contains the same categories. Use this list to check that every number has a home before you pay.
Material - mix description, PSI, yards ordered, price per yard, total yards delivered.
Delivery - distance or zone charge, and any stated minimum load.
Fees - short-load, wait time, Saturday or after-hours, environmental or fuel surcharge. Each should be named, not bundled.
Add-ons - fibres, accelerator, colour, pump fee if used.
Tax - sales tax where it applies.
Total and payment terms - due date, method, and who is responsible for the balance.
If a bill arrives as one line and a total, ask for the breakdown before paying. It is also worth checking the yards delivered against the yards billed; the ticket from the truck carries both.
The concrete itself travels well: a yard of 3,000 PSI mix is broadly the same product in most markets. What changes by city is everything around it. Labour rates move, plant density moves, and the distance from the plant to the site moves. A city with several plants competing on the same day has a different delivered price from a rural area served by one plant.
The other local factor is the rulebook. Some jurisdictions require a permit and an inspection for a driveway or a structural slab, and the inspection adds a step to the schedule. Frost depth changes how deep footings and piers must go, which changes the volume of concrete even when the visible slab is the same size. When you compare your quote with the national numbers, compare the scope first, then the price.
Ready-mix makes sense when the pour is large enough to justify a truck and the fees that come with it. Bags make sense for small jobs where a minimum load and a short-load fee would dominate the bill. As a rule, fence posts, a shed base and small pads are bag jobs; a driveway, a patio or anything over about a yard is usually a truck job.
The break-even depends on local bag prices and delivery fees, so the arithmetic is worth doing before ordering. Add the delivered price, the short-load fee and any pump fee, then compare that total with the bag price for the same volume. The delivery guide lists the fees to include in that comparison.
Have a per-yard quote? Convert it to a per-square-foot installed figure and compare it with typical prices.
Check the quoteAbout 81 square feet at 4 inches deep, 64.8 at 5 inches and 54 at 6 inches. The number changes with depth because the same volume spreads over a different area.
At 4 inches deep, about 4.9 cubic yards before waste and 5.2 with a 5% allowance. The calculation is length times width times depth in feet, divided by 27.
Because they measure different things. The plant quotes delivered material. An installed price adds forming, labour, finishing, curing, hauling and often a permit, so the two numbers should not match.
Yes, in this trade. A "yard of concrete" means one cubic yard of volume, not a linear yard. Suppliers, calculators and contractors all use the cubic yard.
Often, if the order is below the plant's minimum. The fee is usually charged per yard short of the minimum. Ask the plant for the minimum and the fee when you request the quote.
An 80 lb bag yields about 0.6 cubic feet, so a cubic yard of 27 cubic feet is about 45 bags. A 60 lb bag yields about 0.45 cubic feet, which is about 60 bags per yard. Bag yield is the manufacturer's figure, and bag concrete is normally used for small jobs only.
For small jobs such as a shed base or fence posts, bags can be cheaper than a delivery and a minimum charge. Above roughly a yard, ready-mix is usually faster and more consistent; the break-even depends on the local bag and delivery prices.
Enter your slab or footing size to get cubic yards, bags and the installed cost range.
Estimates, not quotes. Based on our October 2026 price index. See the full index.
Estimates, not quotes. Concrete prices are set locally and change with the market.