How much does a cubic yard of concrete cost?

It depends on your local plant, the mix strength and distance, so we do not publish a live price. Enter your quote in the cost-per-yard tool. Remember the delivered cost is higher than the sticker rate once delivery, short-load and pump fees are added.

Why is my concrete bill more than the price per yard?

Because delivery, short-load fees (on small orders), pump rental and standby time are separate line items. A 5-yard pour at $160/yard is $800 in concrete but about $880 delivered once an $80 delivery fee is added.

What is a concrete pump fee?

When a truck cannot reach the forms — a backyard slab or an upper floor — a concrete pump moves the mix through a hose. It is a separate rental, often several hundred dollars with its own minimum, added on top of the per-yard cost.

How can I lower my concrete cost per yard?

Order a full load to avoid short-load fees, provide easy truck access to skip the pump, place the concrete quickly to avoid standby charges, and get quotes from more than one nearby plant. The base mix strength you actually need also matters.

Concrete cost per cubic yard, explained

Ready-mix is quoted "per yard," but the number on your invoice is bigger — delivery, short-load and pump fees ride along. This guide breaks a ready-mix bill into its parts so you can estimate the real cost and read a plant quote with confidence.

By Francesco Zinghinì

The base formula

Ready-mix concrete is priced per cubic yard, so the core cost is just your volume times the plant's rate, plus the fees that come with sending a truck:

Total = cubic yards × price per yard + delivery + short-load + pump

You supply the cubic yards (volume ÷ 27 — see how much concrete do I need) and the plant supplies the rate and fees. Our concrete cost per yard estimator adds them up; it stores no prices, so it stays accurate no matter what the market does.

A worked example

Pouring 5 cubic yards at $160 a yard: 5 × $160 = $800. Add an $80 delivery, no short-load fee (5 yards is a full load), and no pump: total = $880. That $880 ÷ 5 = $176 "all-in" per yard — notice it is higher than the $160 sticker rate, which is exactly why you budget the fees, not just the base price.

The line items, one by one

Price per yard: the base rate for the mix. A stronger mix (higher PSI), fiber, or cold-weather additives raise it.
Delivery: a flat trip charge to bring the truck to your site.
Short-load fee: added to orders under roughly 4–5 yards, since the plant sends a whole truck either way. On small pours this fee is why bagged mix can be cheaper — see ready-mix vs bags.
Pump: if the truck cannot reach the forms (a backyard slab, a second story), a concrete pump is a separate rental, often several hundred dollars with its own minimum.
Standby / wait time: charged if the truck waits past a set number of minutes while you place slowly.

What moves the per-yard rate

The base rate is not one number; it depends on the mix you order:

Strength (PSI): a 4,000 PSI driveway mix costs more than a 3,000 PSI mix.
Admixtures: fiber reinforcement, accelerators for cold weather, retarders, water reducers, air-entrainment — each adds a bit.
Distance: plants price delivery by how far they must drive.
Season and demand: rates and lead times climb in the busy warm months.

Because all of this is local and time-bound, we do not publish a live rate — you enter the number from your own quote. As a labeled planning band only, ready-mix commonly runs somewhere in the low-to-mid hundreds of dollars per yard delivered; treat that as a sanity check, not a price.

Reading a plant quote

When you call for a quote, ask for the all-in number and confirm each piece: the per-yard rate and the delivery charge, whether a short-load fee applies to your volume, the free unload time before standby charges start, and whether a pump is needed for access. A quote that is only "$X per yard" is incomplete; the fees are where surprises live. Rounding your order up slightly (you cannot pour what you did not order) is cheaper than a second truck.

PSI: paying for the strength you actually need

The per-yard rate is partly a function of the mix's compressive strength, measured in PSI. Residential flatwork commonly falls in a 3,000–4,000 PSI range: a walkway or a basic slab at the lower end, a driveway or a garage floor that carries vehicles at the higher end. Stepping up in strength costs a little more per yard, and stepping down to save money on load-bearing flatwork is a false economy that shows up later as cracks. Air-entrainment (tiny bubbles that help concrete survive freeze-thaw) is standard in cold climates and worth specifying there. The point for budgeting: order the strength the job needs, get that exact mix quoted, and compare plants on the same PSI — a cheaper "per yard" number for a weaker mix is not really cheaper.

Getting the most out of one truckload

Because the fees reward a full, efficient delivery, a few moves genuinely lower your all-in cost. Order a full load rather than a partial one to dodge the short-load fee. Give the truck the closest, firmest access you can so you skip the pump rental — even laying down plywood or planning the approach can matter. Have enough hands and tools staged so the concrete is placed quickly and you never trip the standby clock. Combine nearby small pours into one delivery if the timing allows. And measure carefully so you order the right volume in one shot: a second, tiny "top-up" truck is the most expensive concrete you will ever buy, carrying its own delivery and short-load fees for a fraction of a yard.

The bottom line

Cost per yard = yards × rate + delivery + short-load + pump. The base rate is only the start; the fees can add 20% or more on a small pour. Estimate with your plant's real quote in concrete cost per yard, and on tiny jobs check ready-mix vs bags first. Everything here is a planning estimate from your own numbers, not a bid.