Taplin Systems

Calculator / quantities

Concrete Quantity & Cost Calculator

Convert dimensions into yards, add a rational waste allowance, and carry the full pour cost into your estimate.

Inputs

Use your project numbers

Enter pour dimensions. Leave optional cost fields at $0 to calculate volume only.

Results

Your result will land here

Ready when your numbers are

Nothing is stored. Run the calculator to see a transparent result.

Estimate only. Verify your inputs against current supplier quotes, local requirements, signed scope, and your own accounting. Taplin does not provide legal, tax, or financial advice.

Keep learning

A takeoff is only as good as its assumptions.

Length times width times thickness gives volume. Convert inches to feet, divide cubic feet by 27 to get cubic yards, include waste, and round the recommended order up to the next quarter yard. Confirm mix and order quantity with your supplier.

Read the field guide

Contractor field notes

Estimate concrete volume, order quantity, and project cost

A concrete takeoff converts the pour's dimensions into cubic yards, then adds a waste allowance and rounds the order recommendation up to the next quarter yard. The optional cost estimate prices concrete using that rounded order quantity and adds any delivery, pumping, reinforcement, base, labor, and other costs entered.

The practical volume formula

Area = length in feet × width in feet × quantity. Cubic feet = area × thickness in feet. Cubic yards = cubic feet ÷ 27. Add waste by multiplying by (1 + waste percentage ÷ 100), then round up to the next 0.25 yd³ for the recommended order.

Worked example

For one 20 ft × 12 ft pour at 4 in thick, area is 240 sq ft and thickness is 4 ÷ 12 = ⅓ ft. Volume is 240 × ⅓ = 80 cu ft, or 80 ÷ 27 = 2.96296 yd³. With 10% waste, that is 3.25926 yd³; rounding up to the next quarter yard recommends 3.5 yd³. At $180 per yard, with $150 delivery and $500 labor, estimated cost is (3.5 × $180) + $150 + $500 = $1,280. At a 20% target margin, the indicated selling price is $1,280 ÷ 0.80 = $1,600.

Common estimating pitfalls

  • Convert inches to feet before multiplying dimensions. Thickness entered in inches is converted to feet by the calculation.
  • The recommended order is rounded upward in quarter-yard increments. When costing is entered, concrete cost uses this recommended order quantity, not the unrounded volume.
  • Waste is an estimate, not a substitute for checking the site, slab geometry, subgrade, supplier requirements, or delivery minimums.

Frequently asked questions

Why is the recommended order larger than the calculated volume?

The tool first adds the selected waste percentage, then rounds the result upward to the next quarter cubic yard as an order recommendation.

How does the calculator estimate concrete cost?

It multiplies the recommended order yards by the price per yard, then adds the optional entered costs. A target margin is applied to that estimated total to show a suggested selling price.

Should I use the result as the final supplier order?

Use it as a planning estimate. Confirm dimensions, mix, access, delivery terms, and the final quantity with the project team and concrete supplier.