How much does it cost to have concrete delivered?

Whether you are pouring a foundation, having a driveway installed, or laying a new section of sidewalk, if you plan on using concrete, you likely want it delivered. Ready-mixed concrete can be brought right to your job site and poured into the designated area from the truck. This makes the job easier and faster than trying to mix the concrete on site.

Concrete is typically priced by the cubic yard, with additional fees for delivery. The average homeowner paving a 10 x 20-foot driveway will need approximately 3 cubic yards of concrete at a cost of approximately $410.

How to calculate the amount of concrete

Concrete is sold by the cubic yard, which is a 3-dimensional measurement of length x width x depth or height. Finding the length and width is fairly straightforward. Simply measure the number of feet in each direction. For the driveway in our scenario, it measures 10 feet wide by 20 feet long.

Depth is how thick the concrete needs to be. Concrete is typically poured in depths of 3 to 6 inches but can also be thicker. The depth is impacted by things like what the concrete is used for, the area, and whether it will be reinforced. For the driveway in this example, we use a depth of 4 inches.

To find the cubic yardage, start by converting the thickness depth into feet by dividing it by 12. So, 4 inches divided by 12 equals 0.33 feet.

Multiply your three measurements together, in this case, 0.33 x 10 x 20 to get the total cubic feet of the area, which is 66. Divide this number by 27, which is the number of cubic feet in a cubic yard, to find your total.

66 divided by 27 equals 2.44 cubic feet. Rounding up to the nearest whole number gives us 3 cubic feet of concrete.

Types of concrete

Several different types of concrete are available and all are poured, even stamped concrete, in the initial stage. They can later be molded, formed, or pigmented to give the concrete its final appearance. Costs fluctuate for the delivery, depending on the type of concrete you purchase, how much you need, and how far it needs to be transported.

For the vast majority of projects, most homeowners purchase modern concrete, which can later be pigmented or stamped. For some eco-friendly projects, limecrete may be used, while most other types of concrete are for commercial purposes:

Concrete thickness

Concrete can get stronger the thicker the pour. Things like added aggregates, binders, and chemicals can make a thinner concrete stronger, while rebar ¹ can sometimes be added to very thin pours. But for the most part, you want the thickness of the concrete to be equal to what it is going to support.

The thickness varies depending on the type of project, its location, the load, and the type of concrete. Some areas have regulations, such as house foundations. For example, the walls must be a minimum of 8-inches thick, while most of the load-bearing walls ² should ideally be at least 10-inches thick.

For a concrete slab ³, 3 or 4 inches may be preferable, while a concrete countertop is 1½-inches in total.

It is a good idea to have a structural engineer on board for certain projects requiring concrete. The engineer can calculate the total load and provide the exact thickness you require.

Amount of water

Concrete needs to pour and move freely after it is delivered so that you can get it easily into its final position. But concrete that is too wet may also be too thin, allowing the aggregate to settle to the bottom, causing your concrete to fail.

It is generally a good idea to discuss the project with the concrete supplier ahead of the delivery. The type of concrete, aggregate, and project as well as the distance and amount of concrete being poured all give the mixer the information needed to ensure the concrete will pour smoothly, without weakening.

Delivery process and cost considerations

When you order a batch of concrete to be delivered for a job, it is mixed just for you prior to the truck leaving. This means that the individual ingredients, in the correct proportions, are all added and mixed so that when the concrete arrives, it is ready to pour.

Therefore, when you order, you need to know the exact type of concrete you want, the cubic yards, and what type of structure you are creating. The concrete company will work with you to get the right proportions and will schedule the delivery time.

Because part of the fee involves the truck’s time, the window should be as tight as possible. The faster you get the concrete off the truck, the lower your costs can be. Generally, you will be charged by the cubic yard for the concrete itself, about $110 a cubic yard on average. Then, you will pay a delivery fee, usually around $60 and a fuel fee if the delivery is going a long distance or the truck is expected to be there for an extended time. This fee is usually around $20, but if you will be pouring slowly and need the truck there longer, it can go higher. In our scenario of a 10 x 20-foot driveway of 4 inches thick, the material cost is $330 for 3 cubic yards of concrete, with the fees making the total $410.

Most companies charge these rates up to a certain amount of concrete. After that, the rates are much lower. Usually at around 100 cubic feet, you start seeing waiving of delivery fees and a lower cost per cubic foot.

Once the truck arrives, the concrete is generally poured straight into the prepared area. The delivery job ends here, and your contractor takes over, vibrating, spreading, settling, and wetting the concrete or using a mold to produce a stamped concrete effect.

Curation

Concrete needs to cure slowly to be the most stable. Ideally, it should cure over the course of three days, and it will need to be kept wet the entire time to slow the curing process.

Enhancement and improvement costs

Colored concrete

It is easy to mix up colored concrete to be poured in the same way you have standard concrete mixed and poured. It adds between 10% and 30% to the total. If you wish to have more than one color, however, you will either need to stain the dry concrete or pay additional fees for a separate truck for each additional color. For example, a driveway with two colors, measuring 10 x 20 feet, will end up costing about $600 on average.

Patterns and stencils

Other ways to get decorative concrete involve creating patterns or using stencils ⁴. In these cases, you want to wait for the fresh concrete to cure completely, then use a concrete stain ($40 to $100 per gallon) to achieve the desired results.

Wheelbarrow

If the concrete pour is too far for the truck to reach, you may need to use a wheelbarrow ($50 to $200) to move the concrete from the truck to the site of the pour.

Additional considerations and costs

• It is always a good idea to order more concrete than you really need. In the driveway example, the total was rounded from 2.44 cubic feet to 3. This is done because if you end up short, you will pay more for a second truckload. In some cases, concrete must also be poured all at once, or it will produce a “cold seam” that can weaken the structure. If this occurs, you will need to start again.
• It is possible to mix up your own concrete at home for small jobs. You can purchase the ready-mixed dry material, and add water before doing the small pour from a bucket or wheelbarrow yourself.
• Sometimes if you only need a few cubic feet, you can piggyback on a larger load. Other times, you may be subject to a short load fee, which varies depending on the company and ranges from an extra dollar a yard to around $20 in total.
• Companies want to make the scheduling as efficient as possible so that the truck can move to a new site. It takes roughly 10 minutes a cubic yard to pour the concrete, so be sure you are ready to go when they arrive to avoid additional fees.
• If there is bad weather, you may need to postpone the delivery. Try to make these decisions as early in the day as possible to avoid additional fees.
• If your home is particularly far from the company doing the delivery, they may raise the fuel charge on the delivery to make up the extra costs.

Remodeling Terms Cheat Sheet

¹ Rebar: A mesh or bar made of alloy, used in construction projects to reinforce concrete

³ Concrete slab: A flat area of concrete that can be used for a variety of purposes, such as a patio or a driveway