How much should I charge per square foot for a concrete slab?

Angi puts a new concrete slab at about $4 to $8 per square foot, or about $110 per cubic yard, with the national average near $6. Patios run $6 to $9, driveways $6 to $12 and foundations $12 to $18, because thicker slabs use more concrete. Use these to sanity-check a price built from your own costs.

Should I price concrete by the square foot or by the cubic yard?

Order concrete by the cubic yard because that is how it is sold, and quote the customer by the square foot of finished slab with the thickness written in. One cubic yard covers about 81 square feet at 4 inches thick, so the two numbers convert easily. The concrete estimate calculator does the conversion and adds a waste allowance.

Should removing an old slab be a separate line?

Yes. Angi lists removing an old patio at $2 to $6 per square foot for demolition and disposal, and says bundling it into the quote can save the customer money. Show it as its own line so it can be compared and approved separately.

What affects how much a concrete job costs?

Thickness, finish, reinforcement, site preparation and access. Angi lists labor at $2 to $3 per square foot to pour a slab, labor at one-third to one-half of the total, broom finishes at $4 to $7 per square foot and stamped designs at $5 to $15.

How to Price a Concrete Slab or Patio (Per Square Foot Rates)

Typical installed price for a concrete slab

These are consumer-facing figures from Angi's 2026 cost guides, not rules. They show where the market sits so you can tell whether your price is far above or below it.

What is priced	Published 2026 range (Angi)
New slab, installed (national average about $6)	$4 – $8 per sq ft, or about $110 per cu yd
Walkway, 4 in	about $6 per sq ft
Patio or sidewalk, 4–6 in	$6 – $9 per sq ft
Driveway, 4–8 in	$6 – $12 per sq ft
Foundation, 8–10 in	$12 – $18 per sq ft
Labor to form and pour (one-third to one-half of the total)	$2 – $3 per sq ft
Broom or trowel finish on a patio	$4 – $7 per sq ft
Stamped or custom patio	$5 – $15 per sq ft
Removing an old patio (demolition and disposal)	$2 – $6 per sq ft
Resurfacing existing concrete	$3 – $5 per sq ft

Angi also notes that site preparation for leveling or regrading hilly ground runs about $15 per cubic yard, and that prices vary by region, from about $5.35 per square foot in the middle of the country to as much as $8.50 on the coasts. Check your local ready-mix supplier for the real price per yard.

What moves the price

Thickness. A 6 in slab takes half as much concrete again as a 4 in slab. Write the thickness into the estimate so the customer knows what they are buying.
Use. Patios and walks are usually 4 in, while driveways and garage floors are thicker and often reinforced. Do not quote them at the same rate.
Finish. Broom, stained and stamped finishes take very different labor. Price the finish as its own line where you can.
Reinforcement and base. Rebar or wire mesh, gravel base and forms are real costs. Show reinforcement separately so the customer can compare bids line by line.
Tear-out and prep. Removing an old slab, regrading and hauling are extra. Do not fold them into the pour rate.
Access and size. Hard-to-reach jobs add labor, and short loads or small pours cost more per square foot because delivery and setup are roughly fixed.

Work out the cubic yards with waste first

Concrete is sold by the cubic yard. Multiply length by width by thickness in feet, divide by 27, add a waste allowance and round up to the next load size. A 20×20 ft slab at 4 in thick is 400 sq ft × 0.333 ft = 133.3 cu ft, or 4.94 cu yd. With 10 percent waste that is 5.43, which rounds up to 5.5 cu yd. As a rule of thumb, one cubic yard covers about 81 square feet at 4 inches. The concrete estimate calculator does the volume, waste and rounding for you.

Set a minimum charge

Small pours and short loads cost nearly as much to deliver and finish as bigger ones. Set a minimum job charge from your crew's hourly cost times the real time a small job takes, and show any short-load fee as its own line. See how to calculate labor cost and your overhead rate for the inputs.

A worked quote

One 20×20 ft, 4 in patio slab, using example rates (yours will differ):

Total	$3,027.50
Concrete: 5.5 cu yd (4.94 cu yd + 10% waste, rounded up) × $165	$907.50
Reinforcement: 400 sq ft × $0.80	$320.00
Forming, pouring and finishing: 400 sq ft × $4.50	$1,800.00

Check it against the market: $3,027.50 over 400 sq ft is about $7.57 per sq ft installed, inside Angi's $6 to $9 patio range and its $4 to $8 overall range. The $165 per cubic yard concrete price is an example above Angi's roughly $110 average, so use your supplier's delivered price. The $4.50 forming and finishing rate is above Angi's $2 to $3 pour labor because it includes a broom finish and covers overhead and profit; confirm yours with the job price calculator. Removal, base preparation and delivery fees are not included; add them as separate lines. These figures are examples, not recommended prices.

Common mistakes

Quoting a single square-foot number without stating the slab thickness.
Ordering the exact volume and having no allowance for waste, then absorbing the cost of the extra load.
Folding removal, grading and reinforcement into the pour rate, so the customer cannot compare bids.
Charging the same rate for a patio and a driveway.
Taking no deposit. Read how to write a contractor estimate for deposit wording.

Sources

Angi, How Much Does a New Concrete Slab Cost? [2026 Data] (angi.com).
Angi, How Much Does a Concrete Patio Cost? [2026 Data] and Patio Cost to Build and Install (angi.com).

Prices are published averages read in October 2026 and vary by region. For planning only. This is not accounting, tax or legal advice.

How to Price a Concrete Slab or Patio