Driveway Calculator — Bags vs. Ready-Mix, Head to Head

Enter your driveway size and thickness. You get yards, bag counts, and the number that actually decides it: what bags cost vs. what a ready-mix truck costs, delivered.

Your driveway

Length (feet) Curb to garage.

Width (feet) 9–10 ft single, 16–18 ft double.

Thickness (inches) Most residential driveways are poured 4–6 inches.

Waste / overage allowance Always order a little extra. You cannot send back a shortage mid-pour.

Prices — national-average defaults, edit to your local prices

80 lb bag ($)

60 lb bag ($)

50 lb bag ($)

40 lb bag ($)

Ready-mix ($ per cu yd) National average; roughly $140–$170 in most areas.

Delivery fee ($)

Defaults are planning averages, not quotes. Your supplier's prices are the real ones — type them in.

Concrete to order (with your waste allowance)

0 cu yd

80 lb bags

60 lb bags

50 lb bags

40 lb bags

Mix it yourself (bags)

Ready-mix truck

Estimates only, for planning. A driveway almost always exceeds the bag-mixing crossover (about 1 cu yd), so compare the truck total carefully — and ask the plant about minimum orders and short-load fees on loads under roughly 3–5 cu yd, which typically apply.

Worked example: a standard single driveway, 10 × 20 ft at 5 inches: 10 × 20 × (5/12) = 83.33 cu ft = 3.09 cu yd. In 80 lb bags that is 139 bags exactly (153 with 10% waste) — nobody mixes that by hand. This is ready-mix territory; order 3.40 cu yd with the waste allowance.

The bags-vs-truck decision, honestly

Under ~1 cu yd: bags are usually cheaper and you pour on your schedule.
1–3 cu yd: gray zone. Price the truck with delivery and any short-load fee, then decide whether a weekend of mixing is worth the difference.
Over 3 cu yd: the truck wins almost every time — and the finish is better because the whole slab is placed at once, with no cold joints between batches.

A concrete pump or a power buggy rental can also change the math on a long driveway — both are usually cheaper than a day of wheelbarrow trips.

Frequently asked questions

How much concrete for a 20×20 driveway?

At 5 inches thick: 20 × 20 × (5/12) = 166.67 cu ft = 6.17 cu yd, or 6.79 cu yd with 10% waste. At 4 inches it is 4.94 cu yd (5.43 with waste). Either way, that is a full truck, not bags.

What does a short-load fee mean?

Ready-mix trucks are most efficient full. On small loads — typically under 3–5 cubic yards, varying by plant — many suppliers add a short-load fee on top of the per-yard price and delivery. It is normal and negotiable only by ordering more or combining with a neighbor's pour.

Should the apron be thicker?

Yes — the apron (where the driveway meets the street) takes turning wheels and street plows. Six inches with reinforcement at the apron is common practice even on a 4–5 inch driveway. Many cities also spec the apron themselves; check before you pour.