Concrete Slab Cost in 2026: What You'll Actually Pay
The most practical dimension-by-dimension reference for residential concrete slabs in the US. Prices come from a sourced cost model (published ready-mix, stone and materials prices and BLS wages, October 2026), every standard size, plus a cubic-yard calculator for ordering ready-mix or bagged concrete.
Tell us your slab size.
We'll tell you what it costs.
Enter dimensions for a low/typical/high installed estimate. Optional inputs adjust thickness, reinforcement, finish and state wages. For every cost line with its source, and old-slab removal, use the full calculator.
Concrete Slab Cost Calculator
Cost by Standard Slab Size
18 common residential slab dimensions, installed, national. Low = 4-inch plain broom finish, no reinforcement, at our lowest inputs. Typical = 4-inch wire mesh, broom finish. High = 6-inch rebar grid at our highest inputs. All from the same model as the calculator.
| Slab Size (ft) | Sq Ft | Low / Plain | Typical / Mesh | High / Rebar | Cu Yd (4") | Typical Use |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8×8 | 64 | $630 | $1,160 | $2,820 | 0.79 | Shed pad, AC unit |
| 10×10 | 100 | $780 | $1,410 | $3,210 | 1.23 | Small shed, hot tub |
| 10×16 | 160 | $1,040 | $1,820 | $4,080 | 1.98 | Single car parking |
| 10×20 | 200 | $1,210 | $2,100 | $4,670 | 2.47 | Small patio |
| 12×12 | 144 | $970 | $1,710 | $3,850 | 1.78 | Patio / storage |
| 12×16 | 192 | $1,170 | $2,040 | $4,550 | 2.37 | Small patio |
| 12×20 | 240 | $1,380 | $2,370 | $5,250 | 2.96 | Standard patio |
| 14×14 | 196 | $1,190 | $2,070 | $4,610 | 2.42 | Patio |
| 16×16 | 256 | $1,440 | $2,480 | $5,340 | 3.16 | Medium patio |
| 16×24 | 384 | $1,930 | $3,260 | $7,200 | 4.74 | Large patio |
| 18×18 | 324 | $1,670 | $2,940 | $6,330 | 4.00 | Medium patio |
| 20×20 | 400 | $1,990 | $3,360 | $7,430 | 4.94 | Large patio / small garage |
| 20×30 | 600 | $2,840 | $4,730 | $10,910 | 7.41 | Large patio / RV pad |
| 24×24 | 576 | $2,740 | $4,560 | $10,560 | 7.11 | 2-car garage floor |
| 24×30 | 720 | $3,340 | $5,540 | $12,640 | 8.89 | Large garage |
| 30×30 | 900 | $4,100 | $6,810 | $15,240 | 11.11 | Large garage / workshop |
| 30×40 | 1200 | $5,360 | $8,850 | $20,160 | 14.81 | 3-car garage / outbuilding |
| 40×60 | 2400 | $10,410 | $17,080 | $38,620 | 29.63 | Small commercial |
Why Published Concrete Prices Disagree, and What You Will Actually Be Quoted
The big cost guides quote different numbers for the same slab. Here is what each one printed, the date on its page, and how it got there. Their figures are theirs, not ours; ours come from the price model on this site.
| Publisher (page date) | What it says | How it got there |
|---|---|---|
| Concrete Network 14 July 2026 |
| Cites "Concrete Financial Insights" for the per-yard average, and calls to ready-mix suppliers in Chicago, Los Angeles and Lynchburg, VA, some of which included delivery or short-load fees. |
| HomeAdvisor 20 June 2026 |
| Says its figures come from surveys of its own customers after their projects plus outside research, and that the article was "created using automation technology". Its $5,400 average is $6 a sq ft on a 30x30 (900 sq ft) slab. |
| Lawn Love 5 October 2026 |
| Names no source for its averages; its $4 to $26 range runs from a plain slab to stamped and stained work. |
| Homewyse January 2026 |
| A ZIP-code estimator built by the unit-cost method from material and labor prices. It excludes removal and disposal of existing items, dump charges, permit fees, sales tax and general contractor overhead and markup. |
| This site inputs read 13 and 14 October 2026 |
| Four ready-mix suppliers’ published price lists, Menards and stone-yard prices, BLS wages and employer costs, plus our stated crew hours and a 20% to 40% overhead and margin. Method on the calculator page. |
Four reasons the numbers differ
- Different years and mixes for the same yard of concrete. HomeAdvisor prints $110 a yard; Concrete Network prints a 2025 average of $179.95. The four supplier lists we read run $127.05 to $175.00, mostly before delivery fees. Ready-mix prices also move: the BLS producer price index for ready-mix stood at 402.65 in August 2026, 2.3% above a year earlier.
- One average across every slab size. A single “$6 a square foot” hides that small slabs cost more per square foot: set-up, a truck and a short-load fee cost the same on a 10×10 as on a 30×30. On our model a 10×10 patio runs $14.09 a sq ft typical; a 30×30 runs $7.57.
- What is left out. Homewyse excludes general contractor overhead and markup (it says add 13% to 22%), removal of an old slab and dump charges. Lawn Love’s $4 to $26 a square foot runs from plain gray concrete to stamped and stained work. Our totals include base, forms, steel and a 20% to 40% overhead and margin, and leave out excavation, permits and removal (the calculator adds removal).
- Where the number comes from. HomeAdvisor surveys its own customers and uses automation to write the page; Concrete Network rang suppliers in three cities; Lawn Love names no source. Customer surveys report what people paid, including decorative work and difficult sites; price lists and wages report what the inputs cost.
What you will actually be quoted
- A plain 4-inch broom-finish slab with mesh should land near our typical figure for your size, higher on a small job or a hard site. Run your exact size in the calculator.
- Below our low figure? Ask what is missing: stone base, mesh or rebar, forms, a second truck, or haul-away of the spoil.
- Above our high figure? Ask for the quote line by line. Removal, excavation, a pump, a permit or a decorative finish usually explains it, and each can be priced on its own.
- Compare quotes like for like: same thickness, same steel, same base depth. A quote that does not state them cannot be checked; our quote checker helps.
Read on 14 October 2026: Concrete Network, “Concrete Prices 2026”; HomeAdvisor, “How Much Does a Concrete Slab Cost in 2026?”; Lawn Love, “How Much Does a Concrete Patio Cost in 2026?”; Homewyse, “Fair Cost Estimate: Concrete Slabs”. BLS PPI series PCU327320327320 via FRED.
Cost by What You're Pouring
Patio Slab
Driveway
Garage Floor
Foundation
Shed Pad
Concrete Pads
Stamped Concrete
Cost Factors
DIY Pour
Patio Permits
What Moves the Number on Your Quote
These are the line items that move a quote between low and high. Match the spec to your project, not to the cheapest bid.
Slab Thickness
+$1.90 (6") · +$3.82 (8") /sqft4-inch is standard for patios, walkways, shed pads. 6-inch is the usual spec for driveways and garage floors (IRC R506.1 sets 3.5 inches as the floor-slab minimum). 8-inch is for heavy loads such as RV pads. Thickness drives concrete volume directly: a 6-inch slab uses 50% more concrete than a 4-inch slab of the same area. On a typical 20x20 slab, our model adds $1.90 per sq ft installed for 6 inches and $3.82 for 8 inches (more concrete, heavier forms, more crew time).
PSI Strength
+$4.95–$10.00/cu yd, 3,000 to 4,000IRC Table R402.2 sets the minimum strength: 2,500 PSI for basement and interior slabs; for garage floors, carport slabs and porches exposed to the weather, 2,500 PSI where weathering potential is negligible, 3,000 where it is moderate and 3,500 where it is severe, air-entrained at 5 to 7% in those two cases (a steel-troweled garage floor may drop to 3% air if it is 4,000 PSI). On the four published price lists we use, 4,000 PSI costs $4.95 to $10.00 a cubic yard more than 3,000 PSI.
Reinforcement
+$0.65 mesh · +$1.90 rebar /sqftWire mesh (about $0.24 per sq ft in materials, $0.65 installed on a typical 20x20 slab) is adequate for patios and small slabs in stable soil. A #4 rebar grid at 18 inches (about $0.74 per sq ft in materials, $1.90 installed) is the usual spec for vehicle loads and structural slabs; the IRC does not mandate it (R506.2.4 applies only where reinforcement is provided). Fiber mesh adds crack resistance and is often used alongside rebar in high-spec applications; we have not sourced a price for it.
Site Prep
Base $0.65–$1.11/sqft + digging4 to 6 inches of compacted crushed-stone base is standard; 4 inches costs $0.65 to $1.11 per sq ft in stone at the four supplier prices we use. Excavation and grading depend on the existing terrain and are quoted per site; we have not sourced a price for them, and they are not in our figures. A 6-mil poly vapor retarder costs about $0.07 per sq ft in materials; IRC R506.2.3 requires one under concrete floors in the house and exempts unheated garages and accessory buildings, driveways, walks and patios.
Finish & Decorative
Broom includedBroom finish is standard and included in every price on this site. Exposed-aggregate, stamped, stained and polished finishes cost extra per square foot. We have not yet verified those premiums against a published source, so we do not quote them here; the calculator shows provisional figures and marks them unverified.
Permit & Inspection
Set locallyA slab that is part of a building (a house foundation, a garage floor) falls under that building's permit (IRC R105.1), and the foundation inspection comes after forms and any reinforcing steel are in place, before concrete is placed (R109.1.1). The model code exempts sidewalks and driveways from a building permit (R105.2), but cities amend that list and control street connections separately. Patio and pad rules are local. Fees are set locally: Chicago, for example, charges a detached garage at least $600 on top of the house fee (see the garage page). Skipping a required permit creates resale and insurance issues; verify locally before pouring.
Code references: IRC R506.1 (slab minimum "3½ inches (89 mm)"), R506.2.3 (vapor retarder and its exemptions) and R506.2.4, checked by hand on 13 October 2026 against adopted code text (Minnesota Residential Code 2020, adopting the 2018 IRC, as published by UpCodes; the 2025 California Residential Code gives the same figures, numbering those subsections R506.3.3 and R506.3.4). The strength minimums are IRC Table R402.2 in the same adopted text (garage floors, carport slabs and porches exposed to the weather: 2,500, 3,000 and 3,500 PSI for negligible, moderate and severe weathering potential), read 13 October 2026; Minnesota amends the footing row, which this page does not use. Price figures: our cost model (see how we price). Local amendments can differ.
The Quote Sheet Checklist
Your contractor's quote should itemise every line below. A single per-square-foot number with no breakdown is the single biggest red flag in residential concrete. Bring this list to every estimate meeting.
A flat per-square-foot quote with no spec sheet means the contractor is making assumptions you haven't agreed to. Common omissions: gravel base, rebar, expansion joints, curing compound, cleanup.
- ▢Concrete PSI grade
- ▢Slab thickness in inches
- ▢Reinforcement type & spacing
- ▢Excavation depth & disposal
- ▢Gravel base depth & compaction
- ▢Vapor barrier (if required)
- ▢Forming materials & method
- ▢Expansion / control joint plan
- ▢Finish type (broom, stamp, etc.)
- ▢Curing compound or method
- ▢Cleanup & site restoration
- ▢Permit fee (included or excluded?)
- ▢Cubic yards quoted
- ▢Short-load fee disclosed
- ▢Warranty terms (years, scope)
- ▢Payment schedule & milestones