Ready-mix vs bagged concrete: when to order a truck
For a post or a stepping pad, bags are the obvious choice. For a garage floor, nobody mixes bags. In between is a range of jobs — patios, shed floors, a dozen deck footings — where the decision is genuinely close. This guide covers how to make it.
Start with the volume
Work out how much concrete the job needs first, in cubic yards (or cubic metres), with a waste allowance. The concrete calculator does slabs; the Sonotube and post hole calculators do round pours. Then turn the yards into bags: at Quikrete’s 0.6 cu ft per 80 lb bag, one cubic yard is 45 bags and about 3,600 lb of mix — see how many 80 lb bags of concrete in a yard.
| Job | Volume (+10%) | 80 lb bags | Usually |
|---|---|---|---|
| One fence post | ≈ 1.3 cu ft | 2–3 | Bags |
| 4 × 4 ft pad, 4 in | ≈ 0.22 cu yd | 10 | Bags |
| 8 × 8 ft slab, 4 in | ≈ 0.87 cu yd | 40 | Bags with a mixer, or a small load |
| 12 × 12 ft slab, 4 in | ≈ 1.96 cu yd | 88 | Price both — usually ready-mix |
| 20 × 20 ft slab, 4 in | ≈ 5.43 cu yd | 245 | Ready-mix |
The middle rows are worked through on how many bags of concrete for an 8×8 slab, how much concrete for a 12×12 slab and how much concrete for a 20×20 slab.
What a truck holds
NRMCA’s guide to ordering ready-mix puts truck mixer capacity at 8 to 12 cubic yards (about 6 to 9 m³), and a loaded truck at about 80,000 lb. That is far more than most home jobs need, which is why small orders often carry a short-load fee: the plant still sends a full truck and driver. More on how much concrete does a truck hold.
Reasons to choose bags
- Small or scattered pours. Posts, footings spread around a yard, a step pad. You can mix exactly what each one needs.
- No truck access. If the truck can’t get within chute reach and you can’t justify a pump, bags carried in by hand may be the only way.
- Work in stages. Bags let you pour one footing today and another next weekend.
- No minimums. Buy what you need and return unopened bags.
Reasons to choose ready-mix
- Effort. Every cubic yard in bags is 45 lifts of 80 lb, plus mixing and wheeling. A truck delivers the same yard in minutes.
- Consistency. Every load is batched to the same mix, so a slab sets evenly. Many bag batches mixed over hours vary in water and stiffness.
- One continuous pour. Big slabs need to be placed and finished before the first concrete sets. Hand-mixing can’t keep up past a yard or two.
- Mix options. The plant can supply air entrainment for freeze-thaw, higher strength, fiber, or a cold-weather mix — just ask.
Comparing cost fairly
Multiply the bag price by 45 to get its cost per cubic yard of concrete (or by 60 for 60 lb bags). Compare that with the plant’s price per yard plus any short-load, delivery or waiting-time fees spread over your order. Then add the cost of renting a mixer and the value of your time. The concrete cost calculator and ready-mix vs bags calculator put it side by side with your own prices.
Ordering tips
- Order a little over the calculated volume — NRMCA suggests 4–10% — and have a spot ready for leftover concrete, such as a form for a step pad.
- Tell the plant what you are pouring and when. Ask about the minimum order, the short-load fee, how much unloading time is included and what extra time costs.
- Check access: chutes reach only several feet from the truck, and the truck is heavy. Plan its route and parking spot, and protect septic tanks, lawns and thin driveways.
- Have forms, base, tools and helpers ready before the truck arrives. NRMCA notes concrete normally sets and hardens within two to eight hours after mixing — sooner in heat.
A middle path
Some areas have small-load or “mini-mix” suppliers with smaller trucks, or yards that rent towable mixer trailers loaded with a yard or so of ready-mix. They suit jobs of one to three yards. For buying bags by the pallet instead, see how many bags of concrete on a pallet.
CalculatorReady-Mix vs Bags Calculator →Compare bags and a truck for your volume, with your own prices.- Portable electric concrete mixerPremium price
A small drum mixer turns a long day of hand-mixing into batches of two or three 80 lb bags. Check the drum size against the bag count you need.
See options on Amazon (opens in a new tab) - Contractor wheelbarrowMid-range price
A 6 cu ft steel or poly tray with a pneumatic tire moves concrete from the mixer to the forms. Never load it to the brim with wet concrete.
See options on Amazon (opens in a new tab) - Bull float with handleMid-range price
Smooths and levels a slab you can’t reach across, right after screeding. Rent or buy one for anything wider than about 6 ft.
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 many yards before ready-mix is worth it?
Many people switch somewhere between one and two cubic yards (45–90 bags of 80 lb). Below a yard, bags are usually easier unless a small-load supplier is nearby; above two, a truck almost always wins.
Can a ready-mix truck deliver less than a yard?
Many plants will, with a short-load fee. Ask local plants for their minimum and fee before deciding.
Sources
- NRMCA Concrete in Practice 31 — Ordering Ready Mixed Concrete (opens in a new tab) — Truck capacity 8–12 cu yd; order 4–10% extra; loaded truck about 80,000 lb; set within 2–8 hours.
- Quikrete Concrete Mix (No. 1101) data sheet (opens in a new tab) — Bag yields; mixer capacity per bag.
- Quikrete Concrete Mix — product page with pallet quantities (opens in a new tab) — Bags per pallet.