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Calculate concrete volume and materials for slabs, footings, columns, and stairs. Built for contractors and construction professionals.
Calculator inputs
Enter measured project values. Results update only when you choose Calculate.
Method
Ready-mix in Phoenix runs roughly $145 to $165 per yard in Q1 2026, and Northeast metros are pushing $190 to $220, so getting the cubic-yard count right is what separates a tight bid from a giveaway. This calculator handles the volume math for slabs, footings, piers, columns, and stair pours using a 3,000 to 4,000 psi mix as the default assumption.
On the order side, suppliers in most US markets enforce a 9 or 10 cubic-yard minimum and charge a short-load fee around $35 to $50 per yard under that threshold. Confirm mix design (per ASTM C94), aggregate size, slump, admixtures, and pump access before you send the bid; the volume number is just the start of a real concrete estimate.
Take off slabs, footings, columns, and stair stringers as separate shapes. Convert depth from inches to feet (divide by 12) before any multiplication or you will be off by an order of magnitude.
Length x width x depth in feet, divided by 27, gives cubic yards. For tapered footings or stepped pours, average the cross sections instead of using the deepest point.
Add 5 percent for formed, well-prepped pours; bump to 10 percent if subgrade is uneven or hand-excavated. Then round up to whole yards or to the supplier minimum, whichever is larger.
Rebar or mesh, vapor barrier, expansion joints, pump or buggy time, finisher hours, sealer, and saw-cut control joints all live outside the volume number. Quote them line by line.
Multiply length, width, and depth in feet, divide by 27, then pad for waste. The math is trivial; the trap is leaving depth in inches.
Yes. Most plants bill the minimum (commonly 9 or 10 yards) plus a short-load fee on anything below it. For a 6-yard pour you usually owe a $150 to $250 short-load surcharge unless a partial-load supplier services your area.
Roughly 45 bags. At Home Depot or Lowes pricing of about $5.50 a bag, that is $250 in materials before tax — competitive with ready-mix only for very small or remote pours where delivery is impossible.
One yard sits in the gray zone. If you have a mixer and labor on site already, bags work. If finishing time matters or the pour is structural, ready-mix gives you a consistent slump and a delivery ticket for QC records.
Separate plan workflow
This calculator solves one bounded formula from the inputs shown. BuildVision AI supports reviewed plan takeoff, complete-document CSV, and editable quote lines; the estimator owns pricing and final bid approval.