Concrete does not have one useful price until you name the product, unit, project, and included work. A ready-mix material rate is quoted per cubic yard; many installed projects use square feet; steps may use a per-step reference. The table below keeps those measures separate and preserves each source date so unlike prices are not averaged into a misleading national number.
Published reference ranges at a glance
The figures below are dated planning references, not real-time local quotes. Use each only for its stated unit and category. Where a source lists multiple options, the ranges are alternatives rather than additive charges. The material rate is a subtotal basis; the installed project rates already include categories stated by their sources.
For installation comparisons, area generally means the plan area for flatwork, building footprint for the foundation guide, or one face of a wall for the wall guide. A step rate uses its own unit. The unit is part of the price: changing the denominator changes the meaning, even when two numbers both use dollars.
| Work or material basis | Published reference | Source date and scope note |
|---|---|---|
| Ready-mix material | $160–$195 per yd³ | Concrete Network, July 14, 2026; not a local quote or ceiling |
| Slab installation | $6–$12/ft²; 4 in $6–$8, 6 in $8–$10, 8 in $10–$12 | HomeGuide, February 3, 2026; materials plus labor |
| Driveway installation | Plain $6–$10/ft²; basic decorative $10–$15/ft² | HomeGuide, June 3, 2025 |
| Patio installation | Plain $4–$12/ft²; broom $6–$13/ft²; stamped $9–$30/ft² | HomeGuide, July 10, 2025 |
| Foundation installation | Slab $6–$14/footprint ft²; stem-wall $6–$18; unfinished basement $35–$50 | HomeGuide, February 6, 2026; guide scope includes excavation, site preparation, and footings |
| Residential entrance steps | Poured $200–$500 per step; precast $100–$350 per step | HomeGuide, December 29, 2025; source includes required platform |
| Poured wall installation | Fence wall $15–$35/one-face ft²; retaining wall $20–$45/one-face ft² | HomeGuide, February 5, 2026; each type has a height scope |
How to interpret the material figure
The Concrete Network price guide, published July 14, 2026, gives $160–$195 per yd³ as a ready-mix material planning reference. For a 3 yd³ order, the arithmetic subtotal is $480–$585. This does not mean that a truck will deliver the concrete for that amount. Delivery, short loads, taxes, pumping, waiting time, labor, forms, and site preparation need separate confirmation. The high value is not a cap; actual prices can exceed the reference.
A cubic yard is 27 cubic feet. If you know slab dimensions, calculate the volume before multiplying by a per-yard price. If your volume is net and you add a waste allowance, do so once. If it already represents the order quantity, do not apply the allowance again.
Installed project ranges answer a different question
A $/ft² installed range combines more than material at the source level. For example, a 400 ft² plain driveway at $6–$10/ft² gives $2,400–$4,000; the basic decorative category is $4,000–$6,000. Those are alternate installation ranges for the same footprint, not a plain rate plus an extra decorative rate. A 400 ft² patio at the plain range is $1,600–$4,800, while stamped is $3,600–$12,000.
Do not add a cubic-yard material subtotal to an installed range unless the proposal explicitly excludes the concrete supply. Otherwise the cost of materials appears twice. A foundation range is also not a wall-area rate: HomeGuide prices its foundation categories by building footprint.
Steps and walls have narrower use conditions
The steps guide, published December 29, 2025, lists $200–$500 per poured step and $100–$350 per precast step. The source includes a required platform, but its guide is not a price for every staircase. This site limits quick step pricing to a conventional small residential entrance with 1–6 steps and a 3–5 ft width. Railings, demolition, special site preparation, and unusual landings need confirmation.
The wall guide, published February 5, 2026, gives $15–$35 per one-sided square foot for poured fence walls in its 6–8 ft height range, including footings up to 2 ft deep. It lists $20–$45 per one-sided square foot for poured retaining walls in a 3–6 ft range. Do not double the face area or apply either range to an unsupported height. A price reference is not a retaining-wall design approval.
Why local quotes can differ
A supplier’s price sheet may name a mix and show a per-yard value while listing delivery and minimums elsewhere. For example, Gehring Concrete’s Columbus and Humphrey, Nebraska sheet was effective January 1, 2026 and listed SG-3000 at $148, SG-3500 at $152, and SG-4000 at $156 per yd³; it also listed $50 per truck below 4 yd³ and a mileage fee beyond 20 one-way miles. Townsend Concrete’s Vacaville-area page showed $162, $166, and $170 per yd³ for 3000, 3500, and 4000 psi mixes plus $120 local delivery per truck, but stated no effective date. Taxes and order conditions apply.
These named examples are not averages and should not be used as price presets for other locations. A contractor may also price small projects by minimum mobilization rather than the linear area calculation. Access, demolition, grading, reinforcement, pumping, weather protection, haul-off, and schedule can change a quote.
A simple way to plan and verify a budget
Start by writing down what you are pricing: concrete supply, installed flatwork, a foundation system, a set of steps, or a wall. Record the unit and the source date. Calculate area or volume using the right geometry, then select one applicable rate. List delivery, taxes, pumping, preparation, removal, reinforcement, and finish as included, excluded, or unknown.
Use the reference to prepare questions and compare scope, then replace it with current written local quotes. Ask every bidder to describe the same dimensions, finish, access, included items, exclusions, allowances, and payment basis. The calculator does not set state prices, live prices, or a universal fee schedule; it makes the estimate’s assumptions visible so you know what still needs a quote.
Frequently asked questions
What is the price of concrete per cubic yard?
Concrete Network’s guide published July 14, 2026 lists $160–$195/yd³ for ready-mix material as a planning reference. Delivery and other charges may be separate, and actual prices can exceed it.
Can I compare a per-yard material price with a per-square-foot installation price?
Only after identifying what each includes. A material rate prices volume; an installed rate prices project area and may already include concrete and labor.
Do these numbers represent national averages?
No. They are dated published ranges and named supplier examples with specific scopes. The available data does not establish a statistical national average or a local quote.
Why is a concrete step priced per step?
That is the unit used by the cited steps guide. It applies only to the source’s conventional scope; do not convert it into a per-square-foot rate without a matching source.
Are retaining-wall prices a design recommendation?
No. A cost range cannot establish wall stability, reinforcement, drainage, footing dimensions, or site suitability. Those require project-specific design input.
Sources
- Concrete Network, Concrete Prices (published July 14, 2026)
- HomeGuide, Concrete Slab Cost (published February 3, 2026)
- HomeGuide, Concrete Driveway Cost (published June 3, 2025)
- HomeGuide, Concrete Patio Cost (published July 10, 2025)
- HomeGuide, Foundation Cost (published February 6, 2026)
- HomeGuide, Concrete Steps Cost (published December 29, 2025)
- HomeGuide, Precast and Poured Concrete Wall Cost (published February 5, 2026)
- Gehring Concrete, Ready-Mix Products Pricing (effective January 1, 2026)
- Townsend Concrete, Prices (effective date not stated)