Concrete Slab Cost Calculator

Estimate the installed cost of a concrete slab, pad, or patio from its dimensions, thickness, and finish.

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Enter your values and click Calculate

Whether it's a backyard patio, a shed pad, or a garage slab, poured concrete is priced per square foot installed — and the installed number is very different from the bare cost of concrete. A finished slab includes excavation and grading, forms, a compacted gravel base, reinforcement (wire mesh or rebar), the ready-mix pour, finishing, and curing compound; labor typically accounts for half or more of the total. This calculator estimates the installed cost from your slab dimensions, thickness, and finish level at 2026 national averages, shown as a low–high range: basic broom-finished slabs anchor the low end, smooth-troweled and exposed-aggregate work sits mid-range, and stamped or decorative concrete — colored, patterned, sealed — commands the top. Thickness matters too: a 4-inch slab suits patios and walkways, while anything carrying vehicles should be 5–6 inches with proper reinforcement. If you're pouring a small pad yourself and just need to know how much concrete to buy — cubic yards or bags — that quantity question is exactly what the Concrete Calculator on this site answers; this tool prices the professionally installed job.

How It Works

Installed cost = slab area × a per-square-foot range for the chosen finish, adjusted for thickness. The 2026 national-average ranges at 4-inch thickness: basic broom finish $6–10, smooth troweled or exposed aggregate $8–14, and stamped/decorative $12–20 per square foot — each covering excavation, forms, a compacted gravel base, standard reinforcement, the ready-mix pour, finishing, and curing. Thickness multipliers of ×1.12 (5 inches) and ×1.25 (6 inches) reflect the added concrete volume and stronger base preparation vehicle-rated slabs need. The reference volume line converts your dimensions to cubic yards with 10% waste — the same math as the site's Concrete Calculator, which continues on to bag counts for DIY buyers. Real quotes shift with site conditions: poor access for the concrete truck (wheelbarrow or pump surcharges), significant grading or tree-root removal, thickened edges and footings, rebar versus mesh specifications, and local ready-mix prices, which vary regionally around a 2026 average of roughly $150–180 per cubic yard delivered.

Examples

12 × 14 ft backyard patio, broom finish
A standard 4-inch patio slab with a basic finish.
Result: Estimated $1,008 – $1,680 installed (≈2.3 cubic yards of concrete).
10 × 12 ft shed pad, 4-inch
A utility pad where appearance doesn't matter.
Result: Estimated $720 – $1,200 installed.
16 × 20 ft stamped patio, 5-inch
A decorative stamped and colored entertaining area.
Result: Estimated $4,301 – $7,168 installed.

Frequently Asked Questions

How thick should my concrete slab be?
Four inches handles foot traffic — patios, walkways, shed pads. Five inches suits light vehicles and heavier point loads. Six inches with proper reinforcement is the standard for driveways, garage slabs, and anything supporting trucks or RVs. Going thicker than needed wastes money; going thinner invites cracking under load. Just as important as thickness: a compacted 4-inch gravel base and correct control-joint spacing (roughly every 8–12 ft for a 4-inch slab) — most slab failures trace to the base, not the concrete.
How much does the concrete itself cost versus the installed price?
Ready-mix concrete delivered runs roughly $150–180 per cubic yard in 2026 — for a 12×14 ft patio, that's around $400–500 of concrete in a $1,000–1,700 installed job. The rest is labor, base gravel, forms, reinforcement, and finishing. This is why DIY saves meaningfully on small pads (use the Concrete Calculator on this site for bags or yards) but also why professional pours are worth it for anything large: finishing concrete is time-critical skilled work, and a bad finish is nearly impossible to fix.
What makes stamped concrete cost twice as much?
Stamped work adds integral or surface color, pattern stamping while the concrete is plastic (a labor-intensive, time-critical step needing a full experienced crew), a release agent, detailing of pattern joints, and sealing. The result mimics stone, brick, or wood plank at $12–20 per square foot — still below natural stone patios ($20–40+) — and needs resealing every 2–4 years to keep its color. For budget-conscious decorative work, exposed aggregate or a colored broom finish delivers character at mid-range pricing.
Does a concrete slab need rebar or mesh?
For 4-inch residential patios on well-compacted base, welded wire mesh or synthetic fiber reinforcement is typical and adequate — it holds cracks tight rather than preventing them. Slabs carrying vehicles, spanning questionable soil, or exceeding about 10 ft between joints benefit from #3/#4 rebar on a grid. Reinforcement is cheap relative to the pour, so err toward more on anything structural. Control joints matter as much: concrete will crack, and joints decide where.
How long before I can use my new slab?
Foot traffic after 24–48 hours; furniture and light loads after about a week; vehicles after 7 days minimum (many contractors say 10–14 for driveways). Concrete reaches roughly 70% of its design strength at 7 days and full specified strength around 28 days. Keep it damp-cured (or sealed with curing compound) for the first week — proper curing is the cheapest durability upgrade a slab can get, especially in hot, dry, or windy weather.

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