CONCRETE PRICING GUIDE
Concrete cost per square foot: what to charge in 2026
The installed US rate for slabs, driveways, patios, sidewalks, foundations, stamped and decorative work, tear-out and resurfacing, brick, block and stone walls, what the yards, steel and sealer add, the bid formula — and a free calculator that turns them into a price for your website.
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The short answer
A concrete slab costs $4.34 to $7.73 a square foot installed, $6.60 on average, and a 4-inch slab averages $5.35 (LawnStarter, November 2026); Concrete Network puts a plain slab at $6.50 to $10.50 (July 2026). A plain gray driveway is $5 to $8 a square foot and a decorative one $8 to $21 (Concrete Network, January 2026); a patio $4.40 to $16 (LawnStarter, October 2026); a sidewalk $5.89 to $12, $8.63 on average (LawnStarter, October 2026); stamped concrete $9 to $16.25 (LawnStarter, October 2026); a slab-on-grade foundation $4 to $12 (Fixr, February 2026).
The material is a small share of that. Ready-mix averages $179.95 a cubic yard nationally, in a $160 to $195 range (Concrete Network, 2025 data); LawnStarter puts it at $120 to $150 with delivery inside 20 miles and adds $43 a yard for a short load (September 2026). Wire mesh runs about $0.35 a square foot, rebar $2 to $3 and a vapor barrier $0.50 (This Old House, March 2026); sealing $1 to $2 (Concrete Network). Tear-out of the old slab is $2 to $7 a square foot (LawnStarter, October 2026).
Masonry prices higher per foot: a concrete-block (CMU) wall from $18.87 to $24.17 a square foot (Homewyse, May 2026), a natural stone wall $40 to $110, a mason $60 to $105 an hour (LawnStarter, October 2026). Price from break-even, not from the neighbor's ad: Housecall Pro's target is a 20% to 35% gross margin, price = break-even ÷ (1 − margin) (June 2026). “Concrete cost per square foot” is Googled about 3,600 times a month and “concrete price per square foot” about 1,000 (DataForSEO, November 2026).
AT A GLANCE · NOVEMBER 2026
Concrete cost per square foot at a glance
| The job | Typical US price | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Concrete slab | $1,735–$3,090 for 400 sq ft ($4.34–$7.73 per sq ft) | LawnStarter, November 2026 |
| Driveway, plain gray | $3,000–$4,800 for 600 sq ft ($5–$8 per sq ft) | Concrete Network, January 2026 |
| Concrete patios | $1,320–$4,800 for 300 sq ft ($4.40–$16 per sq ft) | LawnStarter, October 2026 |
| Stamped concrete | $2,700–$4,875 for 300 sq ft ($9–$16.25 per sq ft) | LawnStarter, October 2026 |
| Concrete removal | $800–$2,800 for 400 sq ft ($2–$7 per sq ft) | LawnStarter, October 2026 |
| Concrete block (CMU) wall | $2,265–$2,900 for 120 sq ft ($18.87–$24.17 per sq ft) | Homewyse, May 2026 |
The same published figures as the full rate table below; the calculator works out a price for your own job.
FREE PRICE CALCULATOR
What should I charge for this pour?
Pick the job and type its size in square feet — or the yards for a material order — then tick the steel, the vapor barrier and the sealer. The range uses the published US installed rates in the table below.
Suggested price
$1,735–$3,090
concrete slab, installed, 400 sq ft
A starting range from published US installed rates — not a bid until you've priced your own yards, labor and overhead (the formula below) and, in the US, checked your city's permit rules and your state's contractor licensing — or your local rules elsewhere.
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RATES · NOVEMBER 2026
Concrete prices per square foot (2026)
US installed rates by job, materials and labor together. Fixr's driveway page splits the finish: $6–$8 a square foot plain, $8–$12 for broom, colored or exposed-aggregate finishes and $12–$18 stamped (January 2025); Concrete Network's stamped tiers are $10–$14 basic, $14–$20 mid-range and $20 and up high-end (January 2026).
| The job | Typical US price · source |
|---|---|
| Concrete slab, installed | $4.34–$7.73 per sq ft · about $1,735–$3,090 for 400 sq ft · LawnStarter |
| Driveway, plain gray, installed | $5–$8 per sq ft · about $3,000–$4,800 for 600 sq ft · Concrete Network |
| Driveway, decorative (color, stamping, exposed aggregate) | $8–$21 per sq ft · about $4,800–$12,600 for 600 sq ft · Concrete Network |
| Patio, installed | $4.40–$16 per sq ft · about $1,320–$4,800 for 300 sq ft · LawnStarter |
| Sidewalk, installed | $5.89–$12 per sq ft · about $885–$1,800 for 150 sq ft · LawnStarter |
| Stamped concrete, installed | $9–$16.25 per sq ft · about $2,700–$4,875 for 300 sq ft · LawnStarter |
| Slab-on-grade foundation | $4–$12 per sq ft · about $4,000–$12,000 for 1,000 sq ft · Fixr |
| Resurfacing an existing slab | $3–$10 per sq ft · about $1,200–$4,000 for 400 sq ft · Concrete Network |
| Removing an old slab | $2–$7 per sq ft · about $800–$2,800 for 400 sq ft · LawnStarter |
| Concrete block (CMU) wall, face area | $18.87–$24.17 per sq ft · about $2,265–$2,900 for 120 sq ft · Homewyse |
| Natural stone wall, materials and labor | $40–$110 per sq ft · about $4,800–$13,200 for 120 sq ft · LawnStarter |
| Concrete by the cubic yard, delivered within 20 miles (no placing or finishing) | $120–$150 per cubic yard · about $600–$750 for 5 cubic yards · LawnStarter |
| Mason, per hour | $60–$105 an hour · LawnStarter |
Rates read off each publisher's page in November 2026. The calculator above uses exactly these numbers, rounded to whole dollars and to the nearest $5 from $100 up. Full source list below.
ADD-ONS AND ADJUSTMENTS
What to add for steel, the vapor barrier, sealer and a short load
The lines that change a slab's price, each a rate times the job's size — from This Old House's 2026 slab guide, Concrete Network and LawnStarter.
| What | Typical US price · source |
|---|---|
| Wire mesh | +$0.35 per sq ft · This Old House |
| Steel rebar | +$2–$3 per sq ft · This Old House |
| Vapor barrier under the slab | +$0.50 per sq ft · This Old House |
| Sealing | +$1–$2 per sq ft · Concrete Network |
| Short-load charge, under a full truck | +$43 per cubic yard · LawnStarter |
| Removal permit, where the city requires one | +$38–$300 · LawnStarter |
Where a row shows a sum (a rate × a quantity, or a percentage worked out from published dollar ranges), the arithmetic is ours and the inputs are the publisher's.
THE PRICING FORMULA
How to bid a concrete job
Six steps from the measurements to the price on your website.
Work out the yards, plus waste
Length × width × depth in feet ÷ 27 = cubic yards: a 20 × 20 slab 4 inches deep is 132 cubic feet, 4.9 yards, about 5.4 with 10% for waste (Housecall Pro, June 2026). Price the yards at your plant's rate — $179.95 a yard is the national average (Concrete Network, July 2026).
Add the steel, base and finish materials
Wire mesh about $0.35 a square foot, rebar $2–$3, vapor barrier $0.50 (This Old House, March 2026); gravel sub-base $12–$18 a cubic yard (Fixr, January 2025).
Price the labor at its real cost
Prep, pour, finish and cleanup are separate lines — Jobber's 20 × 30 slab carries $300, $700, $280 and $100, $1,380 in all. Burden the wage: someone at $25 an hour costs closer to $35 (Jobber, June 2026). Cement masons' median wage is $27.41 an hour (O*NET, 2025 wages).
Carry your overhead by the hour
Monthly overhead ÷ billable hours a month — $8,000 ÷ 600 hours is $13.33 an hour in Jobber's example — times the crew hours the job takes.
Add the margin as a share of the price
Price = break-even ÷ (1 − margin): $2,800 ÷ 0.70 = $4,000 at a 30% gross margin (Housecall Pro, June 2026), whose target is 20%–35% gross for 5%–10% net. Jobber puts the average profit margin for construction businesses at 23% in early 2026.
Check it per square foot, then publish
Divide the price by the square feet and compare it with the installed bands — $4.34–$7.73 for a slab (LawnStarter), $5–$8 for a plain driveway (Concrete Network). Way under means a missed line; way over, check the margin. Then put “from” prices on your website.
The formula, worked through
Say a 20 × 30 slab, 4 inches deep: 600 square feet, 200 cubic feet, 7.4 yards — about 8.1 with 10% waste. At Concrete Network's $179.95 national average that's about $1,458 of concrete. Wire mesh at $0.35 a square foot adds $210 (This Old House). Jobber's labor lines for this slab come to $1,380. Those labor lines add up to 44 crew-hours (our sum of Jobber's crews and hours), so overhead at Jobber's $13.33 an hour is about $587. Break-even: about $3,635.
At a 30% gross margin — inside Housecall Pro's 20%–35% target — the price is $3,635 ÷ 0.70 ≈ $5,193, about $8.66 a square foot. That's above LawnStarter's $4.34–$7.73 slab band and inside Concrete Network's $6.50–$10.50 for a plain slab: a fair price where yards cost the national average, worth trimming where your plant is cheaper. The inputs are the publishers'; the arithmetic is ours.
So “slabs from $8 a square foot” is a fair line for this contractor's website, with stamped work priced on its own inside LawnStarter's $9–$16.25 band. Your plant's price per yard, your crew and your overhead are what make the number yours.
What to charge in your part of the country
ProMatcher's state reports put a reinforced 4-inch patio at $7.45 a square foot in California and $5.06 in Oklahoma, a sidewalk at $8.29 and $5.63, and concrete removal at $5.98 and $4.07 (read November 2026). Ready-mix runs about $183 a yard in Chicago, $182 in Los Angeles and $165 in Lynchburg, Virginia (Concrete Network, July 2026). The Bureau of Economic Analysis puts overall prices in California at 110.7 against a US average of 100 and Arkansas at 86.9 (2024 regional price parities, released February 2026) — so a $6 slab rate in an average market is about $6.64 in California and about $5.21 in Arkansas.
In the US, permits are set by the city or county: Fixr says most areas don't require one for a new driveway (January 2025), a removal permit typically costs $38 to $300 (LawnStarter, October 2026), and foundation permits can run to $2,300 (Fixr, February 2026). Contractor licensing is decided state by state — California, for one, requires a license for jobs of $1,000 or more in combined labor and materials, and for any job that needs a building permit or uses employees (Contractors State License Board, read November 2026); our guide to starting a concrete business covers the rest. Check your city's permit office and your state contractor board before you price work that needs a permit.
Outside the US, treat the ranges as a shape, not a price — yards plus waste, steel and finish, burdened labor, overhead by the hour and a margin on the price hold everywhere — and check what your local plant charges a cubic meter or yard, and your local rules.
Put your prices on your website
A price list — even “from” prices — answers a customer's first question before they pick up the phone, and it's the line an AI assistant can quote when someone asks what concrete work costs near them.
If you build your site with Zarla, tell the editor “add a pricing section: slabs from $8 per sq ft, stamped patios from $12 per sq ft” and your prices go on the site, in a section you can edit any time. Want to see a finished site first? Browse concrete website templates or see how Zarla builds concrete websites.
Still setting up? Write your concrete business plan, browse concrete business name ideas, and when the prices are set, read SEO for contractors. Raising prices you set a year ago? The price increase letter tells customers a month ahead.
Laying brick, block and stone as well as pouring? See how Zarla builds masonry websites.
Concrete pricing: common questions
$4.34–$7.73 a square foot for a slab, $6.60 on average, with a 4-inch slab averaging $5.35 (LawnStarter, November 2026); $5–$8 for a plain driveway and $8–$21 decorative (Concrete Network, January 2026); $9–$16.25 stamped (LawnStarter). Then check it against your own break-even — the calculator above prices any job with the extras.
Yards from the measurements plus 10% waste, priced at your plant's rate; steel, base and finish materials; labor at its burdened cost; overhead by the hour; then price = break-even ÷ (1 − margin) — $2,800 ÷ 0.70 = $4,000 at a 30% gross margin (Housecall Pro, June 2026). Jobber's nine-step guide uses the same order (June 2026).
The national average is $179.95 a cubic yard, in a $160–$195 range (Concrete Network, July 2026, from 2025 supplier data); LawnStarter puts it at $120–$150 with delivery inside 20 miles (September 2026). Short loads add about $43 a yard, delivery past the radius about $9.75 a mile and weekend delivery about $8 a yard (LawnStarter).
Housecall Pro's target is a 20%–35% gross margin, with net profit typically 5%–10% (June 2026); Jobber puts the average profit margin for construction businesses at 23% in early 2026. Price the margin as a share of the price — break-even ÷ (1 − margin) — not as a markup on cost, which comes out lower.
$9–$16.25 installed (LawnStarter, October 2026). Concrete Network's tiers are $10–$14 for a basic pattern, $14–$20 mid-range and $20 and up for high-end work (January 2026); Fixr puts stamped driveways at $12–$18 (January 2025).
$2–$7 a square foot (LawnStarter, October 2026); Fixr puts breaking up and hauling away an old driveway at $1–$4 (January 2025). In the US, a removal permit, where the city requires one, typically costs $38–$300 (LawnStarter) — check your city's permit office.
A concrete-block (CMU) wall from $18.87 to $24.17 a square foot of face (Homewyse, May 2026); a natural stone wall $40–$110 a square foot with materials and labor; a mason $60–$105 an hour (LawnStarter, October 2026). Brickmasons' median wage is $29.87 an hour (O*NET, 2025 wages).
Yes — “from” prices per square foot for slabs, driveways, patios and stamped work, with the finishes you offer. Homeowners compare per-square-foot figures before they call, and a published price list is what ranks for those searches. On a Zarla site, tell the editor “add a pricing section” with your rates, and change them when your plant's price moves.
Where these numbers come from
Every range on this page is read off a published source, dated below. They're US figures for residential work — typical, not a rule; your costs and your market come first.
- LawnStarter — Pricing Guide: How Much Does a Concrete Slab Cost? — dated November 2026, read November 2026
- LawnStarter — Pricing Guide: How Much Does a Concrete Sidewalk Cost? — dated October 2026, read November 2026
- LawnStarter — Pricing Guide: How Much Does a Concrete Patio Cost? — dated October 2026, read November 2026
- LawnStarter — Pricing Guide: How Much Does Stamped Concrete Cost? — dated October 2026, read November 2026
- LawnStarter — How Much Does Concrete Removal Cost in 2026? — dated October 2026, read November 2026
- LawnStarter — How Much Does Concrete Cost Per Yard in 2026? — dated September 2026, read November 2026
- LawnStarter — How Much Does a Brick Wall Cost in 2026? — dated October 2026, read November 2026
- Concrete Network — Concrete Prices 2026: How Much Is a Yard of Concrete? — dated July 2026, read November 2026
- Concrete Network — How Much Does a Concrete Driveway Cost? 2026 Prices — dated January 2026, read November 2026
- Concrete Network — How Much Does Stamped Concrete Cost? 2026 — dated January 2026, read November 2026
- Fixr — Concrete Driveway Cost — dated January 2025, read November 2026
- Fixr — Cost to Build Concrete Foundation — dated February 2026, read November 2026
- This Old House — How Much Does a Concrete Slab Cost? (2026 Prices) — dated March 2026, read November 2026
- Homewyse — Cost to Install CMU Block Wall — dated May 2026, read November 2026
- Jobber — How to Price Concrete Jobs — dated June 2026, read November 2026
- Housecall Pro — How to price concrete jobs profitably (2026 guide) — dated June 2026, read November 2026
- ProMatcher — California Concrete Costs & Prices — no date on the page, read November 2026
- ProMatcher — Oklahoma Concrete Costs & Prices — no date on the page, read November 2026
- Contractors State License Board (California) — What Kind of Contractor Do You Need? — no date on the page, read November 2026
- O*NET OnLine — 47-2051.00 Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers (median wages, 2025) — no date on the page, read November 2026
- O*NET OnLine — 47-2021.00 Brickmasons and Blockmasons (median wages, 2025) — no date on the page, read November 2026
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — regional price parities by state, 2024 — dated February 2026, read September 2026
Put your concrete prices on your website
Add your town and your company name, and Zarla builds the site from that one line. Your per-square-foot rates go in a pricing section you edit by chat.
Already have a website? Bring it across →Zarla keeps your old page addresses where it can and redirects the ones that change, helping you keep the Google standing you've built.