Post-Tensioned Slab Cost and PT Cable Repair Cost (2026)
A post-tensioned (PT) slab is reinforced with steel tendons in plastic sheathing that are pulled tight after the concrete hardens and anchored at the slab edges. No supplier, retailer or public bid we could find publishes a price for a residential PT slab or for PT cable repair, so this page does not invent one. Both are priced from an engineer’s scope: how many anchors or tendons, how much floor has to come up, and what the engineer specifies. What we can price is the conventional alternative: a 1,200 sq ft foundation slab with a rebar grid and thickened edges runs $8,150 to $19,220 in our cost model (October 2026).
Post-Tension Cable Repair: What Drives the Price
Most people reach this page with an inspection report that flags a PT slab, often a line such as “PT slab reinforcing, end caps rusting or damaged.” Repairs fall into three kinds, smallest first. Each is quoted per job; no public rate exists.
| Repair | What is done | What moves the price |
|---|---|---|
| End cap and anchor pocket | Open the pocket at the slab edge, clean and protect the anchor and strand tail, fit a new cap, patch the pocket | Number of anchors; access along that wall; whether the strand has lost section |
| Tendon repair or replacement | Locate the tendon, expose it, splice it with a coupler or replace it, re-tension, restore the concrete | Number of tendons; flooring and concrete to remove and restore; engineer’s requirements |
| Foundation repair | Tendon work plus correcting a slab that has moved (lifting, piers or underpinning) | How far the slab has moved and why; the engineer’s repair design |
- Get a structural engineer’s assessment before any contractor quote, so every contractor prices the same scope.
- Ask each quote to state the number of anchors or tendons, the access and restoration work, and who re-tensions and checks.
- Catch end-cap damage early: it is the stage before the strand itself corrodes.
Pricing a New Post-Tensioned Slab
A PT slab replaces most of the rebar with high-strength steel tendons in plastic sheathing, anchored at the slab edges and stressed with hydraulic jacks once the concrete has gained strength. Because the layout is engineered for the site’s soil, the price depends on the design, the PT subcontractor and the inspection the engineer calls for. Engineers commonly specify PT on expansive clay soils, where the ground swells and shrinks with moisture.
To compare fairly, ask for a PT design and a conventional rebar design for the same house and have both priced. Our model gives the conventional side: a 1,200 sq ft foundation slab (4-inch floor, #4 rebar, vapor retarder, thickened edges) at $8,150 to $19,220, or a 6-inch slab with a rebar grid at $8,860 to $20,160. See the foundation cost page for that slab line by line.
The Standard Behind PT Slabs
The Post-Tensioning Institute publishes the design standards. Section R506.2 as published in the 2025 California Residential Code requires post-tensioned slab-on-ground floors to be designed to PTI DC10.5. Who must witness the tensioning is set by the engineer’s specification or the building department, so ask for it in writing.
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. Model inputs read 13 October 2026; the search for PT prices was run 14 October 2026. Crew hours, overage, overhead and margin are our estimates and are listed in the method above.