All tools
Math & Everyday

Concrete Calculator

Cubic yards of concrete needed for a slab, plus bags required by size.

🔒 Runs entirely in your browser — nothing here is ever uploaded

About the Concrete Calculator

Calculates how much concrete a slab needs — in cubic yards (how ready-mix is sold) and in premixed bags of 3 common sizes — from the slab's length, width, and thickness, with an adjustable waste/overage buffer.

100% Free Runs in Your Browser No Sign-Up Required
How to use it
  1. Enter the slab's length and width in feet.
  2. Enter the thickness in inches — typically 4 in for patios/sidewalks, 5-6 in for driveways.
  3. Adjust the waste/overage buffer for spillage, uneven subgrade, or form leakage.
  4. Read the cubic yards to order and the equivalent bag counts.
Formula
Raw volume (cubic ft) = length × width × (thickness in inches ÷ 12). Volume with buffer = raw volume × (1 + waste %). Cubic yards = volume with buffer ÷ 27 (cubic ft per cubic yard). Bag count = volume with buffer ÷ that bag size's cured-concrete yield (0.30 ft³ for 40 lb, 0.45 ft³ for 60 lb, 0.60 ft³ for 80 lb), rounded up.
Worked example

A 10ft × 10ft slab at 4 inches thick with a 10% waste buffer: raw volume of 33.3 cubic ft, 36.7 cubic ft with the buffer — about 1.36 cubic yards, or 123 bags at 40 lb, 82 bags at 60 lb, or 62 bags at 80 lb.

Bagged Concrete Mix — Yield per Bag (Quikrete Standard Mix)
Bagged Concrete Mix — Yield per Bag (Quikrete Standard Mix)
Bag SizeCured Volume Yield
40 lb0.30 ft³
60 lb0.45 ft³
80 lb0.60 ft³
Interpreting your result

Bag yields are Quikrete's published cubic-feet-per-bag figures for standard Concrete Mix — other brands run very close but always check your specific product's label. For pours beyond roughly 1 cubic yard, ready-mix delivery is usually more practical and cost-effective than bags. This calculator only computes concrete volume — it doesn't size rebar, gravel base, or formwork, and doesn't check local building code requirements for slab thickness.

Recommendations
  • A 10% waste buffer is a common default for spillage and uneven subgrade — increase it for a more irregular or sloped site.
  • For anything beyond roughly 1 cubic yard, ready-mix delivery is usually cheaper and far less labor-intensive than mixing dozens of bags by hand.
  • This tool doesn't check your local building code's minimum slab thickness for your application (driveway vs. patio vs. sidewalk) — verify that separately.
Frequently asked questions
Ready-mix concrete trucks deliver by the cubic yard, and it's simply more practical and often cheaper than buying and mixing dozens of individual bags once you're past roughly 1 cubic yard.