Free tool: Division 03 concrete
Concrete cost per square foot and cubic yard calculator
Get cubic yards for slabs, continuous footings and round piers, with waste and order rounding. Add your own prices to see concrete cost per square foot or per yard.
Fixed price in 2 business hours. Pay only after you accept.
- Fixed price agreed before any work starts
- Plan review is free
- You pay only after you accept the price and delivery date
- Single-trade estimates in 48 hours
Spanish version: Español
Quick answer
The Bidmere concrete calculator converts slab, footing and pier dimensions into cubic yards, adds waste and rounds to your supplier’s ordering step. Enter your ready-mix price and labor rates to get a total and your concrete cost per square foot of slab, per lineal foot of footing, or per pier. It is free.
Division 03: Concrete
Concrete calculator
Cubic yards for slabs, continuous footings and round piers, with waste, order rounding and cost per square foot or per yard at your own prices.
Results
Bidding a commercial job? Send the plans and get a measured takeoff
Get a fixed quote Fixed price in 2 business hours. Plan review is free. Pay only after you accept.Need the whole job measured? This calculator covers one area at a time. Send the plans and we return the full takeoff and estimate. Fixed quote within 2 business hours. Plan review is free, and you pay only after you accept.
Get a fixed quoteHow to use the concrete estimator
Pick the element, enter its dimensions, check the assumptions, then add your costs. Results update as you type.
- Element. Slab, pad or deck; continuous footing or grade beam; or round piers.
- Dimensions. Feet for lengths, inches for slab thickness and footing width and depth. Pier depth is in feet.
- Waste. For subgrade variation, spillage and pump loss. The default is 5%.
- Order rounding. Your supplier’s ordering step, such as 0.5 CY. Set 0 to see the exact volume.
- Bag yield. For small pours with bagged mix. Set 0 to hide it.
- Your unit costs. Ready-mix per cubic yard, place labor, finish labor and reinforcement per square foot for slabs, and a lump sum for pump, forms or testing.
Run each element separately. A thickened slab edge is a footing line, not a thicker slab.
How the concrete calculator works
Cubic yards equal length times width times thickness in feet, divided by 27. There are 27 cubic feet in a cubic yard.
| Element | Formula |
|---|---|
| Slab | Length (ft) x width (ft) x thickness (in) / 12 / 27 |
| Continuous footing | Length (ft) x width (in) / 12 x depth (in) / 12 / 27 |
| Round pier | 3.1416 x (diameter (in) / 24) squared x depth (ft) x count / 27 |
| With waste | Cubic yards x (1 + waste %) |
| Order | Rounded up to your supplier’s increment |
| Bagged mix | Cubic yards with waste x 27 / bag yield (CF) |
| Cost per SF | Total cost / slab area |
The default bag yield is 0.60 CF for an 80 lb bag. Quikrete’s data sheet for its concrete mix lists about 0.60 CF for 80 lb, 0.45 CF for 60 lb and 0.30 CF for 40 lb bags. Bagged mix makes sense only for small pours.
Fictional example: slab, footing and piers
Fictional example. A concrete subcontractor is checking three elements on a small building with 5% waste and a 0.5 CY ordering step.
- Slab: 40 x 30 ft at 4 in = 400 CF = 14.81 CY. With waste, 15.56 CY. Order 16.0 CY.
- Continuous footing: 120 LF at 24 in wide by 12 in deep = 240 CF = 8.89 CY. With waste, 9.33 CY. Order 9.5 CY.
- Piers: 12 at 18 in diameter by 4 ft deep = 84.8 CF = 3.14 CY. With waste, 3.30 CY. Order 3.5 CY.
The concrete cost per square foot for the slab is the subcontractor’s own total for material, placing, finishing and reinforcement divided by 1,200 SF.
What drives concrete cost per square foot?
Concrete cost per square foot is set by thickness, mix, reinforcement and finish, plus the cost of getting concrete to the pour. We do not quote a national average because ready-mix prices and labor vary by market and by week.
Price these drivers instead:
- Thickness. A 6 in slab uses 50% more concrete than a 4 in slab of the same area.
- Mix design. Strength, air entrainment, fiber, admixtures and hot or cold weather treatment.
- Delivery. Short-load fees, waiting time, fuel and distance from the plant.
- Placement method. Pump, buggy or direct chute.
- Reinforcement. Rebar size and spacing, mesh or fiber, chairs and tying labor.
- Finish. Broom, hard trowel, flatness requirements, sealers and hardeners.
- Base and vapor retarder. Subgrade prep, aggregate base and vapor retarder under slabs.
- Joints and curing. Saw cutting, joint fill and curing method.
Enter your current supplier quote and your crew rates, and the calculator reports your real cost per square foot.
What this concrete calculator does not cover
This tool calculates volume for simple shapes. A commercial concrete estimate covers much more, and these are the lines that get missed:
- Formwork by contact area, including edge forms, footing forms and wall forms
- Rebar by weight from the schedules, with laps, hooks and dowels
- Thickened edges, turndowns, slab depressions and housekeeping pads
- Grade beams and pile caps with irregular sections
- Elevated decks, shoring and reshoring
- Embeds, anchor bolts and sleeves
- Testing, inspection and cold or hot weather protection
- Excavation and backfill, often a separate sitework scope
A plan-based concrete takeoff measures each element from the foundation plans, sections and schedules. See concrete estimating for what Bidmere measures.
When a concrete calculator is not enough
A calculator is right for one pour or a quick check. A bid on a foundation plan needs every element measured, with forms and rebar.
Bidmere prepares concrete takeoffs and estimates from your plans and specifications. We measure volumes by element, forms by contact area and reinforcement from the schedules, and price them with your rates. Single-trade estimates are from $195 and ready in 48 hours after you accept a fixed quote. You get an Excel estimate with live formulas, color-coded marked-up PDF plans, and a written list of assumptions, exclusions and open questions. You review the number and submit the bid.
Sample takeoff
What a takeoff looks like
| Item | Quantity | Unit | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slab on grade, 4 in | 1,200 | SF | 40 x 30 ft |
| Slab concrete | 16.0 | CY | 14.81 net, 15.56 with waste |
| Continuous footing, 24 x 12 in | 120 | LF | 8.89 CY net |
| Footing concrete | 9.5 | CY | 9.33 with waste |
| Piers, 18 in diameter x 4 ft | 12 | EA | 3.14 CY net |
| Pier concrete | 3.5 | CY | 3.30 with waste |
Fictional example: slab, footing and piers, 5% waste, 0.5 CY order step
Before you send plans
Common questions about handing off the work
Why no default price per cubic yard?
Ready-mix prices change by market, plant and season. Your current supplier quote is the only number worth using.
Can I bid foundations from calculator volumes?
Not safely. Forms, rebar, thickened edges and embeds need a measured takeoff from the drawings.
Who owns the final number?
You do. Bidmere prices your quantities at your rates and you set markup and submit.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate concrete cost per square foot?
Add the cost of concrete, placing, finishing, reinforcement, base and accessories for the slab. Then divide by the slab area in square feet. Thickness matters most for material, since a thicker slab uses more cubic yards per square foot. Enter your own ready-mix price and rates in the calculator and it shows your cost per square foot.
How many cubic yards of concrete do I need?
Multiply length by width by thickness, all in feet, then divide by 27. Convert inches to feet by dividing by 12. A 40 x 30 ft slab at 4 in is 40 x 30 x 0.333 = 400 cubic feet, or 14.81 cubic yards. Add waste and round up to your supplier’s ordering step.
How much waste should I add to a concrete order?
It depends on the subgrade and the placement method. Uneven subgrade, over-excavated footings and pump line loss all add volume. Many contractors carry a few percent on slabs and more on footings dug in poor soil. Use your own job history. The calculator starts at 5% and you can change it.
How many bags of concrete equal a cubic yard?
A cubic yard is 27 cubic feet. Quikrete lists about 0.60 cubic feet per 80 lb bag, so one cubic yard takes about 45 bags of 80 lb mix. With 60 lb bags at 0.45 cubic feet, it is 60 bags. Bagged mix is practical only for small pours; price ready-mix for anything larger.
Does the concrete estimator include rebar and forms?
No. It calculates concrete volume and prices reinforcement only as a rate per square foot you enter. Rebar by weight, laps and dowels, and formwork by contact area need a takeoff from the foundation plans and schedules. Bidmere concrete estimates measure those items and price them at your rates.
Is my information saved?
No. The concrete calculator runs in your browser and does not send or store anything you enter. Use the copy results button to paste the quantities, costs and inputs into your estimate, a spreadsheet or an email. Then use reset defaults to clear your entries and start the next pour.
Can Bidmere do my concrete takeoff?
Yes. Send the plans and specifications for a free plan review and a fixed quote within 2 business hours. Single-trade concrete estimates are from $195 and ready in 48 hours after you accept. We measure by element and price at your rates. You pay only after you accept the price and delivery date.
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Get a fixed quote
Share the project basics. You get a fixed price and delivery date within 2 business hours. Plan review is free, and you pay only after you accept.