Bagged vs Ready-Mix Concrete

The short answer

Use bags for patch repairs, post holes, small pads and any place a truck cannot go. Use ready-mix for slabs, driveways, footings and walls where you need more than about two cubic yards. Between one and two yards, price both options, because the answer depends on local fees.

Three questions decide it: How much do you need? Can a truck get close? How many people and how many hours do you have? One yard is 45 bags of 80 lb mix, about 3,600 lb to lift, mix and place before it starts to set.

Cost: the break-even point

A yard of 80 lb bags costs roughly $248 to $360 in material. A yard from a truck costs about $125 to $195. But the truck comes with fixed costs: delivery, and below about 7 yd³ a short-load fee. The break-even is the volume at which the truck's fixed costs are paid off by its cheaper yards.

Break-even (yd³) = (delivery + short-load fee) ÷ (bagged cost per yd³ − ready-mix price per yd³).

With the example prices in the cost calculator ($150 per yard, $100 short-load fee, $6.50 per 80 lb bag), the break-even is about 0.70 yd³. Below that, bags cost less in materials; above it, the truck does. For a 4 yd³ net order with the same prices, the calculator says: ready-mix looks cheaper, $760, versus $1,287 for the other route (materials and delivery only).

Labor and time

Mixing is the hidden cost of bagged concrete. A rented drum mixer handles a bag or two at a time and one bag takes a few minutes to mix and place. Doing a 4 yd³ pour in 180 bags takes many hours, and concrete begins to set after roughly an hour or two depending on temperature. If part of the slab has begun to harden before the next batch goes in, you get cold joints. With a truck, the concrete arrives in one continuous stream and the work is placing, screeding and finishing, which takes a crew.

Consistency and strength

A batch plant weighs ingredients, controls water and can test the concrete. Bagged mix is also a manufactured product with consistent dry proportions, but the water you add is up to you, and adding more water than the label says reduces strength and durability. Ready-mix is supplied to a specification, including strength class, slump, air entrainment and aggregate size. If your design or code calls for a specified strength or air content, ready-mix is the practical way to get it.

Access, space and logistics

• A truck needs a firm path and clearance. It weighs tens of thousands of pounds loaded and can crack driveways and lawns.
• You can wheel concrete a short distance, but a long haul requires many barrow trips; a pump can reach where a truck cannot.
• Bags need dry storage and a pallet jack for large amounts.
• Trucks are on a clock. Prepare forms, base and rebar before the delivery.
• Bag deliveries from stores arrive when you want; truck times are fixed.

Side by side

A decision path

1. Calculate the volume with the yards calculator and add waste.
2. Under about half a yard: bags.
3. Between half a yard and two yards: get a delivered price and run the cost calculator.
4. Over two yards: order ready-mix, and read how to order ready-mix.
5. If access is limited, consider a pump or split the job into bags.

Mixed approaches

Some jobs use both: a truck for the main slab and bags for an adjacent step or repair. Others ask for a small ready-mix order of one yard with a short-load fee, just to avoid mixing. Remember that ordering too little concrete is expensive in a different way, because a second delivery costs another fee. Round up the first order.

Three scenarios with the example prices

The results illustrate the trade-off. At small volumes the delivery and short-load fees dominate, so bags win. As the volume grows, the labor and the total cost of bags overtake the fixed fees. These are example prices, so enter your own quotes in the cost calculator.

Where bags are the better tool

• Post holes, footings for a mailbox or small sign.
• Repairs, steps and thresholds.
• Sites a truck or pump cannot reach.
• Projects spread over many days, where you pour a section at a time.
• Remote locations where delivery is expensive.

A note on waste and leftovers

A truck order that is slightly too large leaves leftover concrete, which you have to place or pay to dispose of. Bags let you use exactly what you need and keep the rest dry for another job. This flexibility is a real advantage for small, staged projects, even when the price per cubic yard is higher.

Example: a 6 × 6 ft landing

A 6 × 6 ft landing at 4 in needs 0.49 yd³ with 10% waste: 22 bags of 80 lb mix, about 1,760 lb. This is a job for bags: no short-load fee, no schedule, no truck on the lawn. Rent a mixer if you are mixing more than four or five bags, and plan to place the slab in one session. If the landing is part of a bigger project, such as a patio and steps, pour it all with ready-mix on the same day and save the bags for repairs.

Frequently asked questions