Fast budget for a focused pour
Free Concrete Pad Cost Calculator
This free concrete pad cost calculator prices a shed base, equipment pad or hot tub pad the way a contractor would: concrete, base rock, reinforcement and labor, each on its own line, with a realistic range around the total.
Reviewed September 1, 2026 by Sam Johnson from the Concrete Calculators Editorial Team. Published formulas and editable planning assumptions are identified below.
Estimated total cost
point estimate, see range below
- Likely range
- $825 to $1,106
- Concrete to order
- 1.75 cu yd
- Concrete cost
- $289
- Gravel base
- 2.1 tons, $67
- Wire mesh
- $42
- Labor (form, pour, finish)
- $540
- Cost per area
- $7.81 per sq ft
Plants add a short load fee, often $75 to $150, on orders under about 8 yards. Add it to this estimate when you compare quotes.
Take this estimate with you
How the concrete pad cost calculator works
The concrete pad cost calculator adds four buckets. Concrete is the volume with waste, rounded up to the quarter yard the plant batches in, times your ready mix price (default $165, a national average we review quarterly).
Base is 4 inches of compacted crushed stone at $45 a cubic yard, which weighs about 1.4 tons per yard. Reinforcement is wire mesh at $0.35 or a rebar grid at $1.10 per square foot. Labor is $4.50 per square foot for form, pour and broom finish.
The range is 12 percent under to 18 percent over the point estimate, which is about how far real quotes spread on a straightforward pad.
A worked concrete pad cost example
Worked example: a 12 by 10 shed pad at 4 inches is 1.48 cubic yards, 1.63 with 10 percent waste, so you order 1.75. Concrete comes to $289, gravel is 2.1 tons for $67, mesh $42, labor $540. Point estimate $937, likely range $825 to $1,106.
What each use preset assumes
The use presets fill in the spec we would price for that job. A shed base is 10 by 12 ft at 4 inches with mesh. A hot tub pad is 8 by 8 with a rebar grid for the water weight.
An AC or heat pump pad is 3 by 3, a generator pad 4 by 6, and trailer parking 12 by 24 at 6 inches with rebar. They are stated starting points, and every field stays editable.
Only need the volume, not the price? Use the concrete calculator. Pouring a finished interior floor instead of an outdoor pad? Price it with the concrete floor cost calculator.
Typical concrete pad cost by size
A 4 inch pad on a gravel base with wire mesh runs about $7.70 per square foot installed. Every row uses the calculator defaults: 4 inches thick, gravel base, wire mesh, labor included, $165 ready mix, 10 percent waste.
| Pad size | Concrete to order | Point estimate | Likely range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10x10 ft | 1.5 cu yd | $788 | $693 to $930 |
| 12x10 ft | 1.75 cu yd | $937 | $825 to $1,106 |
| 12x12 ft | 2 cu yd | $1,108 | $975 to $1,308 |
| 16x16 ft | 3.5 cu yd | $1,961 | $1,726 to $2,314 |
| 20x20 ft | 5.5 cu yd | $3,070 | $2,701 to $3,622 |
| 24x24 ft | 8 cu yd | $4,434 | $3,902 to $5,232 |
What the pad cost calculator does not include
- Permits. Many towns want one for anything over a set square footage, and the fee varies too much to guess here.
- Excavation beyond light grading. Tree roots, an old slab to break out, or hauling spoil are their own line items.
- A pump or georgia buggy when the truck cannot back up to the forms. Budget a few hundred dollars the moment access is tight.
- The short load fee on small orders, usually $75 to $150 under about 8 yards. The result note flags it when your pour is small.
- Sealing, and any structural work. A pad that carries building walls wants thickened edges, which the concrete slab cost calculator prices.
Straight answers
Concrete pad cost questions
Open a question for the practical answer, including the assumptions behind the number.
How much does a 12 by 12 concrete pad cost?
About $1,108 installed using our defaults, with a likely range of $975 to $1,308. Materials alone run about $460 of that, so pouring it yourself saves roughly the $648 labor line if your time is free.
How thick should a pad be for a shed or hot tub?
4 inches on a compacted gravel base carries a shed, a hot tub or foot traffic. Go to 6 inches for anything with wheels heavier than a lawn tractor, and price that thickness in the calculator, not in your head.
Can I skip the gravel base?
Only on undisturbed sandy or gravelly soil that drains. On clay or on any fill, 4 inches of compacted crushed stone is cheap insurance against settling and cracked corners.
Is wire mesh or rebar better for a pad?
Mesh handles shrinkage cracking on light duty pads and costs about a third as much. Step up to a rebar grid at 18 inches on center when the pad will carry a vehicle or bridge soft spots in the subgrade.
What does a concrete pad cost per square foot?
With the concrete pad cost calculator defaults, the installed cost lands between $7.50 and $8 per square foot at 4 inches thick, and small pads sit at the high end because the truck minimum spreads over less area.
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Free Concrete Floor Cost Calculator
Interior floor pricing with polish, stain and topping modes.
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Concrete guides to read next
- How long does concrete take to dry
Walk on it at 24 hours, drive on it at 7 days, full strength at 28. What moves those numbers.
- Concrete price per yard
What a yard costs delivered, by psi, and the fees the dispatcher does not volunteer.
What changed on this page
- Per field unit choice added.
- Copy, email and print estimate actions added.
- Use presets added for shed, hot tub, AC, generator and trailer pads.
Prices and formulas are reviewed on the schedule described in our methodology.