Is It Cheaper to Pour Your Own Concrete?
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 about 45 eighty-pound bags — past that point, bagging stops making sense on cost, time, and quality.
"Is it cheaper to pour my own concrete?" is one of the most common questions in DIY, and the honest answer is: it depends entirely on the size of the pour. For a few post holes, bags win easily. For a driveway, ordering a truck is both cheaper and better. The trick is knowing where the line falls.
This guide compares the real cost of DIY bagged concrete against ready-mix delivery — including the hidden costs of your time and mixer rental — and pinpoints the break-even point for your project.
Key takeaways
- Under ~1 cubic yard: DIY bags are usually cheaper.
- Over ~1 cubic yard: ready-mix delivery wins on cost and quality.
- A cubic yard ≈ 45 eighty-pound bags of mixing and hauling.
- Factor in mixer rental ($40–$80/day) and your own labor.
- Large hand-mixed pours risk weak cold joints between batches.
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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 eighty-pound bags), the combined bag cost, mixing time, mixer rental, and risk of cold joints make ready-mix the better deal on both price and quality.
DIY bags vs ready-mix cost
| Project size | DIY bagged | Ready-mix | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| ¼ yd³ (post holes) | ~$60–$80 | Min. delivery fee | DIY |
| ½ yd³ (small pad) | ~$130–$170 | Delivery + min charge | DIY |
| 1 yd³ (break-even) | ~$250–$320 | ~$120–$165 + fees | Toss-up |
| 3+ yd³ (slab/driveway) | Impractical | $120–$165 / yd³ | Ready-mix |
What DIY really costs
- Bags: about $5–$7 each (an 80-lb bag yields ~0.6 ft³).
- Mixer rental: $40–$80 per day if you don't hand-mix.
- Your time: hours of mixing, hauling, and cleanup.
- Quality risk: cold joints if batches aren't placed fast enough.
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 plus a short-load or delivery fee. It pours in one continuous placement, avoiding the cold joints that plague large hand-mixed jobs. Use the concrete calculator to see exactly how many yards — or bags — your project needs before you decide.