Concrete Calculator 2027: Yards, Bags & Cost per Sq Ft
Enter your measurements and this calculator shows how much concrete a slab, footing, wall or column takes, in cubic yards and 80 lb bags, plus an installed price for your area. A second tool covers poured steps. Order the right amount and you won’t pay for an extra truck or run short mid-pour.
Concrete cost in Columbus, OH
Estimated Total Cost for Concrete Flatwork
- Concrete needed
- 0 ft³ (0 yrd³)
- 80lb. bags
- 0 ($0)
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Concrete steps cost in Columbus, OH
Estimated Total Cost for Concrete Steps
- Concrete needed
- 0 ft³ (0 yrd³)
- 80lb. bags
- 0 ($0)
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How to Use the Concrete Calculator
- Pick the project: Footing / Slab, Column or Wall. The input boxes change to match.
- Enter length and width in feet. A column takes its height in feet and its diameter in inches. A wall works like a slab: two measurements in feet plus its thickness.
- Get the thickness right. It defaults to inches; switch to feet for a deep footing. A 4-inch patio and a 6-inch driveway are very different orders.
- Split odd shapes. An L-shaped patio is two rectangles. Run each one and add them up.
You get the volume in cubic feet and cubic yards, the number of 80 lb bags and what they cost, and a low-to-high installed price for your region. The volume is exact, so add 5-10% for uneven ground and spillage.
Bags add up fast. One cubic yard is 27 cubic feet, and an 80 lb bag yields only about 0.6 cubic feet, so a single yard takes roughly 45 bags. Past a yard or so, a ready-mix truck beats hand mixing. On small orders, ask about short-load fees first.
Using the Concrete Steps Calculator
Solid poured steps use more concrete than people expect. In the second calculator, enter the width and depth of the top platform, the rise and run of each step in inches, and the number of steps. It returns the same volume, bag count and price range as the main tool.
Count steps correctly: leave the top landing out. In the diagram above, the right entry is 3.
The defaults, a 7-inch rise and an 11-inch run, make a comfortable step. Most residential codes allow no more than 7 3/4 inches of rise and want at least 10 inches of tread, so check with your building department before you build forms.
Steps are filled by hand, one riser form at a time, and those forms tend to bow outward under the weight. Buy a few extra bags. At roughly $6.35 apiece they’re cheap insurance; stopping mid-pour to run to the store leaves a cold joint you’ll see forever.
How Much Does Concrete Cost Per Square Foot?
Bagged mix works out to roughly $285.75 a cubic yard (45 bags at about $6.35), which is why bigger pours go to a ready-mix truck. Installed, the calculator puts a plain 4-inch slab at about $9.50-$13.40 per square foot at national pricing. Go to 6 inches for a driveway that sees trucks and it’s closer to $14.16-$19.88. Your region moves that 15-20% either way: the South Central states run cheapest, the Pacific coast highest.
Common 4-inch pours at national pricing:
- 10×10 slab: $950-$1,340
- 12×12 patio: $1,360-$1,910
- 20×24 driveway pad: $4,530-$6,360
- 24×24 garage floor: $5,430-$7,620
- 16×40 two-car driveway: $6,040-$8,480, or about $9,060-$12,720 at 6 inches
Small jobs cost more per foot than this. Under about 40 bags you pay retail per bag, crews charge a trip minimum, and ready-mix suppliers add short-load fees.
Stamped Concrete vs. Pavers: Prices and Payoff
Stamping turns flat gray into convincing stone, brick or wood plank. Expect $13.80-$29.90 per square foot, most often $14.95-$19.55, a few dollars a foot over a plain slab. One pattern in one color runs $13.80-$19.55; two or three colors with a border, $19.55-$27.02; multiple patterns with hand staining, $29.90 and up.
Typical totals: a 300 sq ft patio costs $4,140-$5,870, a 100 sq ft walkway $1,500-$2,990, a 640 sq ft driveway $8,860-$12,540, and an 800 sq ft pool deck $12,880-$18,170. Pool decks also need resealing more often because they stay wet.
Is it worth it? Usually. Brick pavers run $22.42-$29.90 per sq ft and slate or cobblestone $25.30-$42.55, so stamping gets you the look for a third to half less, with less upkeep. To cut the bill further, pour the field plain and stamp only a border band. Weighing a wood or composite deck instead? Price it with the deck cost calculator.
What Drives a Concrete Quote Up?
- Clearing rocks, brush and stumps: roughly $0.75-$2.30 per sq ft (large trees are separate; see the tree removal calculator)
- Thickened edges: roughly $1.44-$2.88 per sq ft
- Wire mesh instead of standard fiber mix: around $0.57 per sq ft
- Vapor barrier: $0.75-$0.92 per sq ft
- 2″ rigid foam underneath (some local codes require it): about $2.88-$3.45 per sq ft
- In-slab radiant heat: $9.20-$12.07 per sq ft
- Grading, base prep, finish and local material prices
Make every bid spell out slab thickness, gravel depth and reinforcement. The low number is usually a thinner slab on less base, and a skimpy base is the reason most slabs crack.
Common Concrete Questions
How much concrete for a 10×10 slab?
At 4 inches thick, about 1.25 cubic yards, or roughly 56 bags of 80 lb mix before waste.
What’s the cheapest driveway option?
Plain broom-finished concrete on a well-compacted base. Save stamping for the edges, if you want it at all.
Can I resurface an old slab instead of replacing it?
If it’s sound, yes. A decorative overlay runs about $4.60-$8.05 per sq ft for simple work and $17.25-$23 for detailed color. If the slab is heaved or full of deep cracks, don’t bother: those cracks telegraph right through the new layer.
Once you have your own numbers, get free quotes from local concrete contractors and hold each bid up against the estimate. Pouring a foundation for an addition or a new house? The house building calculator shows where the concrete fits in the total budget.
