Cost to Pour a 500 Sq Ft Concrete Slab: $2,650 to $6,630
A 500 sq ft concrete slab, poured 20x25 at 4 inches with wire mesh on a 4-inch crushed-stone base and broom-finished, costs about $4,050 installed. From the lowest published prices to the highest the range is $2,650 to $6,630 ($5.30 to $13.25 per sq ft). It takes 6.17 cubic yards: one truck, and too much to pay a short-load fee. Built as a 6-inch slab with a rebar grid for a garage or workshop that takes vehicles, it is about $5,700.
500 Sq Ft Slab Cost by Thickness and Reinforcement
Five hundred square feet is big enough for a workshop floor, a large patio or a single-car garage with room to work, and each of those wants a different spec. The table prices five specifications for the same 20x25 footprint with one model: published ready-mix, stone and materials prices, crew hours at Bureau of Labor Statistics wages, and a stated overhead and margin.
| 20 x 25 spec | Concrete | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4-inch, no reinforcement | 6.17 yd | $2,410 | $3,710 | $6,150 |
| 4-inch, wire mesh (patio) | 6.17 yd | $2,650 | $4,050 | $6,630 |
| 4-inch, 4,000 PSI, mesh (driveway) | 6.17 yd | $2,690 | $4,110 | $6,720 |
| 6-inch, 4,000 PSI, rebar (garage, workshop) | 9.26 yd | $3,880 | $5,700 | $9,460 |
| 8-inch, 4,000 PSI, rebar (heavy load) | 12.35 yd | $4,770 | $6,940 | $11,140 |
All rows: broom finish, crushed-stone base (4 inches, or 6 inches under the 8-inch slab), national prices. Low uses the lowest published price and our lowest labour assumption at every step; high uses the highest. Mesh costs about $120 in materials at this size; a #4 rebar grid at 18 inches about $371 in bar and chairs. Decorative finishes are extra, and we have not yet verified their premiums, so they are not priced here.
The 6.17 Cubic Yard Pour
At 4 inches the order is about 6.48 to 6.79 yards. That clears both small-load lines on the price lists we use (Gehring, $50 under 4 yards; Scenic City, $100 at 5 yards or less) and fits on one 10-yard truck. Published 3,000 PSI prices run $127.05 to $165.00 a yard, so the concrete and truck charges come to $823 to $1,539, about 24% of the typical total.
The 6-inch version is a different order: 9.26 cubic yards, or about 9.72 to 10.19 with overage, which is right at the capacity of one truck. If the order runs over, a second trip adds its own delivery charge, so ask the contractor how the pour will be supplied. 4,000 PSI, the usual mix for a vehicle slab, is $132.00 to $175.00 a yard on the same four lists.
20x25 vs 14x36 vs 10x50
A 20x25 footprint suits a workshop, a single-car garage with a bench along one side, or a large dining patio. A 14x36 pad (504 sq ft) is long and narrow, for example alongside a driveway. A 10x50 strip is the path-like extreme. The concrete is the same in each case; the longer the perimeter, the more edge forms:
| Layout | Edge forms | Typical | Low to high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 x 25 | 90 ft | $4,050 | $2,650 to $6,630 |
| 14 x 36 (504 sq ft) | 100 ft | $4,080 | $2,670 to $6,680 |
| 10 x 50 | 120 ft | $4,070 | $2,660 to $6,660 |
Same spec in every row: 4-inch, wire mesh, 4-inch stone base, broom finish. A pad for a recreational vehicle needs a thicker slab; see the RV pad page and the 8-inch slab page.
What to Check on a 500 Sq Ft Quote
Two quotes for the same 500 sq ft can differ because they price different slabs. Before comparing totals, make sure each one states the same thickness, concrete strength (3,000 or 4,000 PSI), reinforcement (none, mesh, or rebar and its spacing), base depth, finish and the cubic yards being ordered. The table above shows how far each choice moves the price at this size: from about $3,710 for plain 4-inch to about $5,700 for 6-inch with rebar.
The model International Residential Code does not require reinforcement in a slab on the ground; where steel is used, R506.2.4 says it must be supported so it stays from the center to the upper third of the slab during the pour. Ask how the mesh or bar will be held up. Use the quote checker and the cost factors page to line quotes up.
How 500 Sq Ft Compares to Smaller and Larger Slabs
Every job carries fixed work whatever its size (our model allows 8 to 16 crew hours for layout, set-up, stripping forms and cleanup), and small pours also pay the short-load fee, so the price per square foot falls as the slab grows. Same spec at five sizes:
| Size | Typical total | Per sq ft | Low to high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 sq ft (10 x 10) | $1,410 | $14.09 | $830 to $2,880 |
| 200 sq ft (10 x 20) | $2,100 | $10.49 | $1,300 to $3,760 |
| 400 sq ft (20 x 20) | $3,360 | $8.41 | $2,180 to $5,620 |
| 500 sq ft (20 x 25) | $4,050 | $8.09 | $2,650 to $6,630 |
| 1,000 sq ft (25 x 40) | $7,490 | $7.49 | $4,990 to $12,220 |
Use the size calculator for your exact dimensions.
How We Price a Slab
Every installed price on this site comes from one model: published ready-mix and materials prices, plus crew hours priced at Bureau of Labor Statistics wages, plus overhead and margin. The low figure uses the lowest published input and our lowest assumption at every step; the high figure uses the highest. The crew hours, overage and margin are our own estimates, not published figures, and are listed below so you can check them against your quote. Worked example: a 20 x 25 ft (500 sq ft) slab (4-inch, 3,000 PSI, wire mesh, broom finish, 4-inch stone base).
| Line | Low | Typical | High | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ready-mix concrete | $823 | $942 | $1,120 | 6.17 cu yd plus 5 to 10% overage, at published per-yard prices |
| Delivery and small-load charges | $0 | $35 | $419 | Per-truck charges from the same price lists (10 yd per truck) |
| Crushed-stone base | $326 | $406 | $554 | 4 in compacted crusher run |
| Reinforcement | $120 | $120 | $120 | 6x6 10-gauge mesh panels, lapped |
| Form lumber | $34 | $51 | $68 | Perimeter boards, shared across reuses |
| Crew labour | $903 | $1,557 | $2,451 | Crew hours x BLS wages x employer costs |
| Overhead and margin | $441 | $934 | $1,893 | 20% to 40% on direct cost |
| Installed total | $2,650 | $4,050 | $6,630 | Rounded to the nearest $10 |
Not included: excavation and soil haul-off, removing an old slab, permits, pumping, decorative finishes and sealing. Totals are national; the calculators’ state option swaps in that state’s BLS wages and leaves concrete and materials at the published lists.
Published inputs (read 13 October 2026)
- Ready-mix, per cubic yard: 3,000 PSI $127.05 to $165.00, 4,000 PSI $132.00 to $175.00, from Supreme Concrete (Los Angeles, CA), Minimix Concrete (Pequannock, NJ), Gehring Construction & Ready-Mix (Columbus, NE, list dated 2026-01-01), Scenic City Ready Mix (Tennessee, list dated 2024-08-03).
- Small orders and trucks: short-load charge $50 under 4 yd (Gehring) or $100 at 5 yd or less, plus $100 more at 2 yd or less (Scenic City); per truck, no charge within 20 miles (Gehring), a $35 surcharge (Scenic City), or $363.88 Zone A delivery plus a $55 environmental fee (Supreme).
- Crushed-stone base: $44.00 to $74.75 per cubic yard from D & L Supply (Central New York, $44.00/yd), JMJ Companies (Lynchburg, VA, $39.50/ton), Golden Landscaping Supply (Cumming, GA, $50.00/ton), Yard Works Landscape Supply (Fort Mill, SC, $74.75/yd); per-ton prices converted at 2,450 lb per yard.
- Steel, forms, poly: #4 rebar 20 ft $8.99, 6x6 10-gauge mesh 4x8 panel $6.99, 2x6x12 $14.32, 2x4x16 $12.13, 6-mil poly 8 ft 4 in x 100 ft $59.99, rebar chair $0.33 (Menards online prices; Home Depot and Lowe’s pages could not be read that day). That works out to $0.24 per sq ft for mesh and $0.74 per sq ft for a rebar grid, materials only.
- Wages: BLS OEWS 47-2051 cement masons (May 2025) 25th percentile $22.60, median $27.41, 75th $32.15 an hour; 47-2061 construction laborers $18.57, $22.66, $28.72. Employer costs from BLS ECEC June 2026, construction industry ($51.96 total compensation per $36.13 of wages, x1.44): a crew hour costs $29.60 to $43.77.
Our assumptions (estimates, not published figures)
- Crew: half cement masons, half laborers.
- Setup per job: 8 to 16 crew hours (layout, stripping, cleanup).
- Per 100 sq ft: 4-inch 4 to 7 crew hours, 6-inch 5 to 8.5, 8-inch 6 to 10; add 0.5 to 1 for mesh or 1.5 to 2.5 for rebar.
- Concrete overage 5% to 10%; base stone ordered at 1.2x its compacted volume; form boards charged at half to all of their price.
- Overhead and margin 20% to 40% of direct cost.
- 6-inch and thicker slabs use 4,000 PSI mix; thinner slabs 3,000 PSI.
Sources: BLS OEWS 47-2051 cement masons (May 2025), BLS OEWS 47-2061 construction laborers (May 2025), BLS ECEC, construction (June 2026), ready-mix price lists from Supreme Concrete, Minimix Concrete, Gehring Construction & Ready-Mix, Scenic City Ready Mix, crusher-run prices from D & L Supply, JMJ Companies, Golden Landscaping Supply, Yard Works Landscape Supply, Menards mesh, rebar, lumber and poly prices, IRC R105.1 and R506.2.4. All read 13 October 2026. Crew hours, overage, overhead and margin are our estimates and are listed in the method above.