Concrete & construction
Concrete Driveway Calculator
Works a driveway pour, where the thickness has to carry vehicles.
Result
The base matters as much as the concrete. A slab on poorly compacted fill cracks whatever its thickness, and no amount of extra concrete fixes bad preparation. Excavation, forming, reinforcement, control joints and disposal of the old surface are not included here.
Get a Free Business AuditHow the calculation works
Area times thickness converted to cubic yards, plus the subbase material and reinforcement. A driveway carries vehicle loads, which means the thickness and reinforcement requirement is higher than for a patio of the same area and the subbase matters more.
What moves the number
- Expected vehicle loads, including delivery vehicles.
- Thickness and reinforcement for that load.
- Subbase depth and compaction.
- Control joint layout and drainage fall.
Where this one goes wrong
A driveway that occasionally takes a delivery lorry or a skip is carrying loads far above a car, and a slab designed only for cars will crack under them, which is worth deciding before pouring rather than discovering. Think about the heaviest likely load. Drainage is the other design point, since a driveway without fall holds water, and in freezing climates water in and under a slab is what breaks it.
Before you quote
- Design for the heaviest likely load, not the usual one.
- Compact the subbase properly before pouring.
- Set a drainage fall away from the building.
Where the rules come from
Questions
About this calculator
How thick should a driveway be?
Thicker than a patio, and determined by the loads it will carry under the adopted code. A driveway that occasionally takes a delivery lorry or a skip is carrying loads far above a car, and designing for the usual case cracks under the exception.
Why does drainage matter?
Because a driveway without fall holds water, and in freezing climates water in and under a slab is what breaks it. Setting a fall away from the building is both a durability and a damp issue, and it cannot be fixed afterwards.
Is the subbase important?
As much as the concrete. A slab on poorly compacted fill cracks and settles whatever its thickness, and it is the part nobody can inspect afterwards, which makes it where corners get cut and where failures originate.
The formula
concrete yards = area x thickness/12 / 27, plus 8% waste; total = concrete + labour per square foot
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How to use this calculator
- Driveway length (ft) (ft). Enter your own figure; the page starts at 40 ft.
- Driveway width (ft) (ft). Enter your own figure; the page starts at 12 ft.
- Thickness. Enter your own figure; the page starts at 5 inch, typical.
- Gravel base depth (in) (in). Enter your own figure; the page starts at 4 in.
- Concrete per cubic yard ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $165.
- Labour and finishing per sq ft ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $4.5.
The result updates as you type, so you can try a figure, see what it does to estimated total, and change it back. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere or saved.
A worked example
These are the figures the calculator opens with. Every number in the results column below is produced by the same calculation the page runs, so you can follow it through before putting your own figures in.
What goes in
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Driveway length (ft) | 40 ft |
| Driveway width (ft) | 12 ft |
| Thickness | 5 inch, typical |
| Gravel base depth (in) | 4 in |
| Concrete per cubic yard | $165 |
| Labour and finishing per sq ft | $4.5 |
What comes out
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Estimated total main result | $3,480 |
| Concrete to order | 8.0 |
| Driveway area | 480.0 |
| Gravel base | 5.9 |
| Cost per square foot | $7.25 |
About $3,480 for 480.0 square feet, which is $7.25 per square foot. That is 8.0 yards of concrete over 5.9 yards of compacted base.
How sensitive the answer is
Holding everything else steady and changing only concrete per cubic yard, this is what happens to estimated total. It is worth knowing which of your inputs the answer actually hinges on, and which barely move it.
| Concrete per cubic yard ($) | Estimated total |
|---|---|
| $83 | $2,824 |
| $124 | $3,152 |
| $165 example above | $3,480 |
| $248 | $4,144 |
| $330 | $4,800 |
Every other input is held at the example value while this one changes, which is not how a real job behaves. Treat it as a guide to which number matters most, not as five separate quotes.
What each figure means
- Driveway length (ft) (ft)
- Measured in ft, starting at 40 ft.
- Driveway width (ft) (ft)
- Measured in ft, starting at 12 ft.
- Thickness
- Choose from 4 inch, cars only, 5 inch, typical, 6 inch, heavy vehicles, 8 inch, trucks.
- Gravel base depth (in) (in)
- Measured in in, between 0 and 24, starting at 4 in.
- Concrete per cubic yard ($)
- A money amount, starting at $165.
- Labour and finishing per sq ft ($)
- A money amount, starting at $4.5.
What the results tell you
| Result | What it is |
|---|---|
| Estimated total | The headline result. A money figure. |
| Concrete to order | A decimal figure. |
| Driveway area | A decimal figure. |
| Gravel base | A decimal figure. |
| Cost per square foot | A money figure. |
Order slightly more than this
Volume calculations assume a level, properly prepared base and exact dimensions. Sub-base variation, over-excavation and spillage all consume concrete, which is why most contractors add a margin. Running short mid-pour is far more expensive than a small overage.
Keep going
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