How much concrete do I need for a driveway?

Multiply driveway length by width by slab thickness. A 6 m x 3 m driveway at 150 mm thick needs 2.7 m3 of concrete, or 2.97 m3 with a 10 percent waste allowance. A 20 ft x 10 ft driveway at 6 inches needs about 3.7 cubic yards, or 4.1 cubic yards with waste.

How thick should a concrete driveway be?

For cars and light vans, 150 mm (6 inches) over a compacted sub base is the standard. For heavier vehicles, or where a caravan or delivery truck will stand, 200 mm (8 inches) with reinforcement is normal. Anything under 125 mm will crack under vehicle loads.

Should I use ready mix or bags for a driveway?

Ready mix, in almost every case. Even a small driveway is over 2 m3, which is more than 200 bags of 25 kg mix, and hand mixing that volume cannot be poured fast enough to avoid cold joints where one batch sets before the next arrives.

How do I calculate a driveway that is not rectangular?

Break it into rectangles, calculate each one separately, then add the volumes. For a curved or tapered section, use the average width across the section as the width input. Rounding each part up slightly is safer than rounding down.

Does the calculator include the sub base?

No. It returns concrete volume only. The compacted MOT type 1 or crushed stone sub base under a driveway is typically 100 to 150 mm deep and is ordered separately by weight or by tonne, not as concrete.

Concrete Driveway Calculator

About Concrete Driveway Calculator

Concrete Driveway Calculator estimates the concrete needed for a driveway slab from its length, width and thickness. Driveways are the point where bag mixing stops making sense: a modest 6 m x 3 m drive at 150 mm thick is 2.7 m3 of concrete, 2.97 m3 with waste, which is around 248 bags of 25 kg mix but only about half a ready mix truck. In imperial terms a 20 ft x 10 ft drive at 6 inches is roughly 4.1 cubic yards with waste, or about 183 bags of 80 lb mix. Driveway thickness matters more than on any other residential pour because the slab carries repeated vehicle loads: 100 mm is too thin for a car and will crack, 150 mm (6 inches) is the normal residential figure, and 200 mm (8 inches) is used where vans, caravans or delivery vehicles park. If the driveway is not a simple rectangle, split it into rectangles, run each one through the calculator and add the volumes, then order the total in one delivery so the whole slab is poured from a consistent mix.

How to use Concrete Driveway Calculator

Choose metric or imperial input
Enter length, width, and depth of your slab
See volume and bag count in both metric and imperial instantly

Frequently Asked Questions

How much concrete do I need for a driveway?: Multiply driveway length by width by slab thickness. A 6 m x 3 m driveway at 150 mm thick needs 2.7 m3 of concrete, or 2.97 m3 with a 10 percent waste allowance. A 20 ft x 10 ft driveway at 6 inches needs about 3.7 cubic yards, or 4.1 cubic yards with waste.
How thick should a concrete driveway be?: For cars and light vans, 150 mm (6 inches) over a compacted sub base is the standard. For heavier vehicles, or where a caravan or delivery truck will stand, 200 mm (8 inches) with reinforcement is normal. Anything under 125 mm will crack under vehicle loads.
Should I use ready mix or bags for a driveway?: Ready mix, in almost every case. Even a small driveway is over 2 m3, which is more than 200 bags of 25 kg mix, and hand mixing that volume cannot be poured fast enough to avoid cold joints where one batch sets before the next arrives.
How do I calculate a driveway that is not rectangular?: Break it into rectangles, calculate each one separately, then add the volumes. For a curved or tapered section, use the average width across the section as the width input. Rounding each part up slightly is safer than rounding down.
Does the calculator include the sub base?: No. It returns concrete volume only. The compacted MOT type 1 or crushed stone sub base under a driveway is typically 100 to 150 mm deep and is ordered separately by weight or by tonne, not as concrete.

Concrete Driveway Calculator

About Concrete Driveway Calculator

How to use Concrete Driveway Calculator

Frequently Asked Questions

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