A concrete quote looks like a simple square-footage problem, right up until the excavation, base, and finish turn a “quick pour” into a two-day job. Here's how to price a concrete job in 2026 so your number covers the real work.
Price by the square foot, order by the yard
The quote is driven by square footage, but concrete is ordered by the cubic yard — one yard covers about 81 square feet at 4 inches thick and runs roughly $113–$126 delivered. Know both so your material order matches your price.
- Installed: about $4–$8 per square foot on average.
- Driveway (30'×30'): roughly $3,000–$7,200.
- Patio (30'×30'): roughly $3,000–$7,200.
What a concrete price has to cover
- Materials — concrete, rebar or wire mesh, forms, and gravel base.
- Prep — excavation, grading, compacting the base, and hauling off spoil.
- Labor — forming, pouring, and finishing (the finish is skilled work).
- Overhead & margin — pump truck if needed, insurance, and your profit.
Prep and finish are where jobs go sideways
Thickness (a driveway isn't a patio), rebar vs mesh, base depth, tearing out an old slab, and the finish all move the number. A broom finish is baseline; colored, exposed-aggregate, or stamped work is a premium that should be its own line. Underprice the prep and you eat the difference on pour day.
Offer tiers by finish
Give three options — a standard broom finish (Good), colored or exposed aggregate (Better), and stamped or decorative concrete (Best). The upgrade is mostly labor and a little material, so the tiers carry strong margin.
Quote it in the driveway
QuoteCrew turns the walkaround into a quote on the spot. You say the job out loud (“900 square feet, 4-inch driveway, tear out the old slab, broom finish”), and it builds an itemized, tiered quote from your saved rates and texts the homeowner a link to accept — before you leave. On your phone, in English or Spanish.
You can price concrete perfectly back at the shop. You just can't do it fast enough, on the job site, before the homeowner's next bid shows up — and that speed is what wins the pour.
Ranges above are 2026 U.S. national averages and vary by region, thickness, and finish; always price from your own local costs.