Is It Cheaper to Pour Your Own Concrete?
Updated
For small jobs under about 1 cubic yard, pouring your own concrete with bags is usually cheaper. Above 1 cubic yard, ready-mix delivery costs less per yard and saves hours of mixing. A cubic yard is ~45 80-lb bags — past that point, bagging stops making sense.
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The break-even point
DIY bagged concrete makes sense for footings, post holes, and small pads. Once you pass roughly one cubic yard (about 45 80-lb bags), the bag cost, mixing time, and risk of cold joints make ready-mix the better deal.
What DIY really costs
- Bags: ~$5–$7 each (80 lb yields 0.6 ft³)
- Mixer rental: $40–$80/day
- Your time: hours of mixing and hauling
When to order ready-mix
For slabs, driveways, and anything over a cubic yard, ready-mix arrives premixed and consistent, and usually costs $120–$165 per yard delivered. Use the calculator to see exactly how many yards (or bags) your project needs.