Mudjacking & slabjacking cost calculator
Enter the sunken area and the price per square foot from your quote to size a mudjacking (slabjacking) job — the low-cost way to lift a settled but sound slab instead of tearing it out.
Calculator
Mud-jacking/slab-jacking 200 sq ft at $5.00/sq ft is about $1,000.00 — a fraction of tear-out and repour for a sunken-but-sound slab.
Mudjacking — also called slabjacking or slab-jacking — pumps a cement-and-soil slurry under a sunken concrete slab to raise it back to grade. Because it lifts the existing slab rather than replacing it, it is usually a fraction of the cost of tear-out and repour, which is why it is the first option most contractors price for a driveway apron, sidewalk panel, patio or garage floor that has settled but is otherwise solid.
Crews price this work in one of two ways: by the square foot of slab lifted or by the number of injection holes drilled. This calculator uses the square-foot method, which is the most common for flatwork; if your quote is by the hole, divide the quoted total by the lifted area to get an equivalent price per square foot and enter that.
Formula
The estimate is a single product of the two numbers you enter:
total = area (sq ft) × price ($/sq ft)
There is no waste factor and no contingency here — leveling does not consume bagged material by volume, so the cost is driven entirely by the lifted area and the crew's rate. If your quote is hole-based, the equivalent is holes × $/hole; both should land in the same range for the same slab.
Worked example
A settled 200 sq ft section of driveway is quoted at $5 per square foot to mudjack:
200 × $5 = $1,000
The same 200 sq ft slab priced by the hole at roughly 8 holes × $125 also lands near $1,000. Compare that with tearing it out and repouring at, say, $8/sq ft plus removal — often three to four times as much — and you can see why leveling wins whenever the slab is structurally sound.
When mudjacking makes sense (and when it doesn't)
Mudjacking suits a slab that has settled evenly and is still in one solid piece: a driveway that dips toward the garage, a sidewalk panel that has dropped at a joint, a patio that has pitched toward the house, a garage or basement floor that has sunk in one corner. It does not fix a slab that is badly cracked, crumbling, spalled or heaving from tree roots — for those, price a crack repair, a resurfacing overlay or full removal and replacement instead.
Two things move the price on a real quote: access (a backyard patio a pump hose cannot reach costs more than an open driveway) and lift height (a slab that has dropped two inches takes more slurry than one that has dropped half an inch). Polyurethane foam leveling is the modern alternative — lighter and faster-curing but usually a higher price per square foot; the foam-vs-mud compare puts the two side by side.
| Typical lift job | Rough area |
|---|---|
| Sidewalk panel | ~15–25 sq ft each |
| Driveway apron / section | ~100–400 sq ft |
| Patio | ~150–400 sq ft |
| Garage floor | ~200–500 sq ft |
Areas are planning ballparks to help you measure — not prices. Enter the real area and the real per-sq-ft rate from your written quote.
Frequently asked questions
How much does mudjacking cost per square foot?
It varies widely by region, access and lift height, so this tool asks you to enter the price from your own quote rather than baking in a rate that would age. Whatever the number, the estimate is simply area × $/sq ft. Get itemized written quotes from licensed, insured contractors and enter their figure.
Is mudjacking cheaper than replacing the slab?
Almost always, when the slab is sound. Lifting an existing slab reuses the concrete you already have, so it typically runs a fraction of tear-out plus repour. If the slab is cracked, crumbling or heaving, replacement may be the better value — price both with the removal calculator.
What is the difference between mudjacking and slabjacking?
They are two names for the same technique: drilling small holes in a sunken slab and pumping a slurry underneath to raise it. "Slabjacking" and "slab-jacking" are just the more literal terms. Polyurethane foam jacking is a separate, newer method covered in the leveling calculator.
How is a hole-based quote handled?
Divide the quoted total by the lifted area to get an equivalent price per square foot, then enter that. For example, 8 holes at $125 over 200 sq ft is $1,000 ÷ 200 = $5/sq ft — the same total this calculator returns.
Is this a bid?
No. It is a planning estimate built from the numbers you enter, not a bid or a contract. Real pricing depends on access, lift height, soil conditions and local labor. Always get itemized written quotes from licensed, insured concrete contractors before you commit.