How long before you can drive on concrete?
Typical guidance is passenger cars after about 7 days and heavy trucks after about 28 days — the City of Redmond’s concrete crew, for example, uses a 7-day minimum for cars and 28 days before heavy loads. Keep the slab curing for at least 7 days at 60 °F (5 days at 70 °F or above, per Quikrete), and for heavy vehicles ask your supplier when the slab has the strength it needs.
How to work it out
- 60 °F: below 70 °F → 7 days (Quikrete; NRMCA gives 3–7 days typically)
- Mix: Standard mix — Posts and light loads after 24 hours (Quikrete Concrete Mix)
Cars are a much bigger load than feet, and they turn and brake on the slab. The honest answer is “when it is strong enough”, which is a number your concrete supplier or contractor can give you for your mix.
Adjust for your project
- Setting
- Sets and hardens within about 2–8 hours of mixing (NRMCA)
- First loads
- Posts and light loads after 24 hours (Quikrete Concrete Mix)
- Strength gain
- ≈ 2,500 psi at 7 days, 4,000 psi at 28 days (Quikrete Concrete Mix lab figures)
- Freezing
- Protect from freezing for at least 48 hours (Quikrete); NRMCA: until it reaches 500 psi, about two days after placing
- For this temperature
- Mild weather. Quikrete calls for 7 days of curing between 50 °F and 70 °F.
- These are the earliest points the sources give, under the conditions they assume. Heavier loads, vehicles and structural use need the strength your plans or supplier specify — ask them.
Curing days by temperature (standard mix)
| Average air temperature for the next week | Moist-cure for | For this temperature |
|---|---|---|
| 45 °F | 7 days | Below 50 °F: setting and strength gain slow down — NRMCA notes a 20 °F drop roughly doubles setting time. Keep the concrete above 50 °F while it cures if you can, and don’t use curing compounds if it will drop below 50 °F within 24 hours (Quikrete). |
| 55 °F | 7 days | Mild weather. Quikrete calls for 7 days of curing between 50 °F and 70 °F. |
| 65 °F | 7 days | Mild weather. Quikrete calls for 7 days of curing between 50 °F and 70 °F. |
| 75 °F | 5 days | Warm weather. Quikrete calls for 5 days of curing at 70 °F or above. Keep the surface from drying out in sun and wind. |
| 85 °F | 5 days | Warm weather. Quikrete calls for 5 days of curing at 70 °F or above. Keep the surface from drying out in sun and wind. |
What the sources say
Quikrete calls for 5 days of curing at 70 °F or above and 7 days between 50 and 70 °F. Penn State’s concrete notes (from PCA) put the minimum curing at 7 days or until 70% of the specified strength. Quikrete’s lab figures for its standard 4,000 psi mix show about 2,500 psi at 7 days — roughly 62% — with full design strength at 28 days. None of them gives a single “drive on it” day, because that depends on the vehicle, the slab and the mix. Field practice fills the gap: the City of Redmond, Washington, keeps passenger cars off new concrete for at least 7 days and heavy loads for 28.
In practice that means: no cars during the curing week, then passenger cars, keeping heavier trucks, trailers, RVs and equipment off for about 28 days or until your supplier or contractor says the slab is ready. Quikrete’s 5000 mix gains strength faster (3,500 psi at 7 days) if you need the driveway back sooner — ask the ready-mix plant about high-early-strength options for a poured drive.
Other driveway rules
Avoid de-icing chemicals during the first winter (NRMCA’s scaling guide) — that is the bigger risk for a fall pour; use sand for traction instead. In freeze-thaw climates, order the driveway as air-entrained ready-mix (NRMCA recommends about 6% air for exterior slabs exposed to de-icers); standard bagged mixes don’t list air entrainment on their data sheets. Keep the edges from being driven over at first; they are the weakest part. The slab itself is worked through on how many yards of concrete for a 24×24 slab, and the seal coat on how much sealer for a concrete driveway. Foot traffic comes much sooner: see how long before you can walk on concrete.
Different size? Use the full Concrete Cure Time Calculator.
What you’ll need
- Acrylic concrete cure and sealMid-range price
Rolled or sprayed onto fresh concrete, it holds moisture in while the slab cures and leaves a light sealed finish.
See options on Amazon (opens in a new tab) - Poly vapor barrier sheetingBudget price
Plastic sheeting under an indoor slab, and over a fresh slab to hold moisture in while it cures.
See options on Amazon (opens in a new tab)
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Links to products are affiliate links — they cost you nothing extra and help keep these calculators free.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a new driveway cure at 75 °F?
5 days of curing at 70 °F or above (Quikrete), then light vehicles once your supplier says it is ready.
How strong is high-early concrete after 7 days?
Quikrete 5000 is rated about 3,500 psi at 7 days and 5,000 psi at 28 days in its lab figures.
Other common sizes
- How long before you can walk on concrete — 4 hours for fast-setting mix; about a day for standard concrete
- Can you pour concrete in cold weather — Yes, if it is protected from freezing until about 500 psi (about 2 days)
Sources
- Quikrete Concrete Mix (No. 1101) data sheet (opens in a new tab) — Yields: 40 lb ≈ 0.30, 50 lb ≈ 0.375, 60 lb ≈ 0.45, 80 lb ≈ 0.60, 90 lb ≈ 0.675 cu ft; unit weight ≈ 140 lb/cu ft; for pours 2 in thick or more; 6–9 pints of water per 80 lb bag; control joints every 6–8 ft; cure 5 days at 70 °F or above, 7 days at 50–70 °F; protect from freezing for 48 hours.
- Quikrete Fast-Setting Concrete Mix (No. 1004) data sheet (opens in a new tab) — 50 lb ≈ 0.375 cu ft, 60 lb ≈ 0.45 cu ft, 25 kg ≈ 11.6 L, 30 kg ≈ 14 L; sets in 20–40 minutes; post holes 3× the post width and ⅓ of the post length deep; wait 4 hours before loading a post.
- Quikrete 5000 Concrete Mix (No. 1007) data sheet (opens in a new tab) — 60 lb ≈ 0.45, 80 lb ≈ 0.60 cu ft; ≈ 140 lb/cu ft; 1,500 psi at 1 day, 2,500 at 3, 3,500 at 7 and 5,000 at 28 days; 2 in minimum thickness.
- NRMCA Concrete in Practice 11 — Curing In-Place Concrete (opens in a new tab) — Cure for typically 3 to 7 days; keep placed concrete above 50 °F (10 °C); concrete in a dry environment can lose as much as 50% of its potential strength.
- American Concrete Institute — ACI 306R-16 Guide to Cold Weather Concreting (preview) (opens in a new tab) — Cold weather: when air temperature has fallen to, or is expected to fall below, 40 °F (4 °C) during the protection period.
- NRMCA Concrete in Practice 2 — Scaling Concrete Surfaces (opens in a new tab) — Order air-entrained concrete (about 6% air) for exterior slabs exposed to freezing and de-icers; avoid de-icing chemicals in the first winter.
- City of Redmond, WA — Concrete crew FAQ (opens in a new tab) — A minimum of 7 days before passenger cars on new concrete; heavy loads not until 28 days.
- NRMCA Concrete in Practice 27 — Cold Weather Concreting (opens in a new tab) — Cold weather definition; protect from freezing until 500 psi, about two days; a 20 °F drop roughly doubles setting time.
- NRMCA Concrete in Practice 12 — Hot Weather Concreting (opens in a new tab) — Continue curing for at least 3 days; avoid adding water to concrete more than 1½ hours old.
- NRMCA Concrete in Practice 31 — Ordering Ready Mixed Concrete (opens in a new tab) — Truck mixers carry 8 to 12 cubic yards (about 6 to 9 m³); order 4–10% more than the plan estimate; a loaded truck weighs about 80,000 lb; fresh concrete can cause severe chemical burns.
- Penn State CE 584 — Curing (compiled from Kosmatka et al., PCA Design and Control of Concrete Mixtures) (opens in a new tab) — Cure at least 7 days (above 40 °F) or until 70% of specified strength; 3 days for high-early-strength concrete above 50 °F; air-dried concrete gains only about 50% of the strength of moist-cured.
- American Concrete Institute — FAQ: why is compressive strength tested at 28 days? (opens in a new tab) — Specified compressive strength is based on 28-day test results; 3- and 7-day results are not commonly used for acceptance.