Concrete guide / Before you order
Ready-mix or bagged concrete: what to check before ordering
Compare both options using the same concrete requirements and project quantity. Then check the full quote, site access and work involved. A bag price or a price per cubic yard alone cannot tell you which option suits your job.
See what to ask each supplier01 / Understand the options
The main difference is how the concrete reaches the job
Truck-delivered ready-mix
Concrete arrives freshly mixed. Confirm the delivery arrangements and how it will reach the place where you need it.
Bagged concrete mix
You buy a dry packaged product and mix it on site. Include the work and equipment needed to move and prepare it.
The National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, or NRMCA, describes fresh delivery in its CIP 31 ordering guide. For a packaged example, the QUIKRETE Concrete Mix No. 1101 sheet explains hand and machine mixing. Check the instructions for the exact product you plan to use.
Compare the products against your project requirements before comparing prices. Neither the delivery method nor the word “concrete” confirms that a product meets those requirements.
02 / Prepare comparable quotes
Give both suppliers the same starting information
Start with your project’s concrete requirements and calculated quantity. NRMCA’s guidance covers project information, volume, timing and access. The questions below turn those topics into a record you can use when comparing quotes.
| Check | Delivered ready-mix | Bagged mix |
|---|---|---|
| Product requirements | Which mix is quoted against the project specification? | Which exact product and bag size are quoted? Does the product meet the specified requirements? |
| Quantity | What volume will be supplied, and what minimum or order increment applies? | What mixed volume does each bag make, and how many whole bags are needed? |
| Extra charges | Are delivery, a small-load charge, waiting time, pumping or taxes included? | Are pickup or delivery, mixer hire, handling and taxes included? |
| Getting it into place | Can the vehicle reach the agreed unloading point? What extra moving equipment is needed? | How will bags, water and mixed batches reach the work area? |
| People and timing | Who will receive, move, place and finish the concrete, and when must they be ready? | Who will mix, move, place and finish it? Is the planned method suitable for the work? |
A short-load fee means a charge associated with a small delivery. Ask whether one applies and how it is calculated. These are questions for your suppliers, not charges that every order necessarily includes.
Keep the quote scope visible
Write down each quoted total and its inclusions. Keep material, transport, equipment and labor separate where possible. If one quote includes placing and finishing and the other covers material only, ask for the missing information before comparing them.
03 / Carry the same quantity into each request
Ordering volume and whole bags are different figures
Net volume is the concrete inside the specified shape. An ordering allowance is extra volume you choose to add. A bag’s yield is the approximate mixed volume it produces. Use the exact product data; the concrete bag yield guide explains why package weight alone is not enough.
For example, a specified 9 ft × 7 ft rectangle, 4 in deep, contains 21 ft³. An illustrative 5% allowance adds 1.05 ft³, making an estimated order of 22.05 ft³. Those dimensions and that allowance are example inputs, not recommendations.
22.05 ÷ 27 = 0.816666… yd³. Ask the supplier what quantity it can supply and charge for.
At the QUIKRETE sheet’s approximate 0.60 ft³ yield per 80 lb bag, 22.05 ÷ 0.60 = 36.75 bags, rounded upward.
Those 37 bags have a listed capacity of 22.2 ft³, which is 0.15 ft³ above the estimated order. That difference comes from whole-bag rounding. Keep any delivery minimum or supplier rounding separate too. This example establishes neither a price nor which supply method to choose.
04 / Take the next step
Calculate the quantity, then confirm the supply plan
For a rectangular slab or pad, calculate volume from the specified dimensions. For different geometry, use the footing calculator for strip, pad or circular footings, or the wall calculator for poured walls with openings. Those two tools also accept a manufacturer’s bag yield.
Prepare your slab quantity
The slab calculator keeps net volume, allowance and estimated ordering volume separate. Its optional price estimate covers concrete material; it does not calculate bag counts or delivery charges.
Calculate slab concrete volumeWhat still needs project-specific confirmation?
Confirm the concrete requirements, supplier terms, access and placement plan with the people responsible for the work. This guide does not select structural dimensions, a mix, strength, water quantity or a construction method. Follow the applicable project and product instructions, including safety information.