Construction Calculator
Concrete Calculator
Calculate concrete volume, waste-adjusted order amount, and material cost for slabs, pads, footings, trenches, piers, sonotubes, walls, stairs, curbs, and columns.
Unit System
Switch between imperial and metric measurements.
Choose project type
Concrete Order Method
Show results as ready-mix cubic yards or concrete bags and pallets.
Project Inputs
Best for rectangular slabs, square pads, sidewalks, driveways, patios, garage floors, and shed pads.
Results
Recommended order amount
1.5 yd³
Rounded up to the nearest 0.25 yd³.
Bags vs Ready-Mix
Concrete bags vs ready-mix truck delivery
Concrete bags are usually best for small pours, post holes, patch work, small pads, and jobs where a truck cannot easily access the site. Ready-mix truck delivery is usually better for larger slabs, driveways, patios, footings, and projects that need more than one pallet of bagged concrete.
Bagged concrete
Good for small projects. This calculator estimates both 80 lb and 60 lb bag counts, including pallet quantities and estimated bag cost.
Pickup truck limit
One common pickup-load pallet is about 42 bags of 80 lb concrete or 56 bags of 60 lb concrete. If your estimate exceeds one pallet, truck delivery may be safer and more practical.
Ready-mix truck
Ready-mix is typically ordered by the cubic yard. A standard concrete truck is commonly limited to about 10 cubic yards per legal load, so larger pours may require multiple loads.
Compare bags vs truck delivery by project type
Concrete Bag FAQ
Concrete bags, pallets, and ready-mix FAQs
How many bags of concrete are on a pallet?
A common pallet contains about 42 bags of 80 lb concrete or 56 bags of 60 lb concrete. Both pallet types contain about 3,360 lb of concrete before adding the wood pallet weight. With the pallet included, a loaded pallet is commonly around 3,400 to 3,450 lb. Always check your truck or trailer payload rating before pickup.
When should I use concrete bags instead of a ready-mix truck?
Concrete bags are usually best for small pours, post holes, small pads, patch work, and projects where a truck cannot easily access the site. If the estimate exceeds one pallet of bags, ready-mix truck delivery may be safer and more practical.
How many cubic yards does one bag of concrete make?
This calculator uses approximate planning yields of 0.022 cubic yards per 80 lb bag and 0.0167 cubic yards per 60 lb bag. Actual yield can vary by product, mix design, water amount, compaction, waste, and manufacturer.
How many cubic yards fit in a standard concrete truck?
A standard concrete truck is commonly limited to about 10 cubic yards per legal load. Larger projects may require multiple loads, while very small orders may involve short-load fees from the supplier.
Concrete guides
More concrete calculators and guides
Use these focused concrete guides for specific project types, or continue using the full concrete calculator above for slabs, footings, piers, walls, stairs, curbs, and columns.
Area Calculator
Calculate square feet, square yards, square meters, acres, waste-adjusted area, and material cost before estimating concrete volume.
Concrete Cost Calculator
Estimate concrete price, cubic yards, base material, rebar, labor, prep, delivery fees, and total project cost.
Concrete Slab Calculator
Estimate concrete for patios, driveways, sidewalks, garage floors, and shed pads.
Base for Concrete Slab Depth
Learn common gravel, crushed stone, and road base depths for concrete slabs, patios, driveways, and shed pads.
How to Prepare Ground for Concrete Slab
Learn excavation, grading, gravel base, compaction, forms, and final slab prep steps.
Gravel Calculator
Estimate gravel base material for concrete slabs, patios, driveways, walkways, and pads.
Road Base Calculator
Estimate road base cubic yards, tons, waste, and cost using the Road Base material preset.
Concrete Footing Calculator
Estimate concrete for strip footings, trenches, wall footings, and grade beams.
Sonotube Concrete Calculator
Estimate concrete for sonotubes, deck posts, fence posts, round piers, and post holes.
Concrete Wall Calculator
Estimate concrete for foundation walls, retaining walls, stem walls, and poured wall sections.