# Concrete Cost Per Square Foot in 2026: Driveway, Patio, and Slab Prices

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Plain text: https://www.simplywise.com/blog/concrete-cost-per-square-foot/llms.txt
Publisher: SimplyWise, Inc. (https://www.simplywise.com)
Published: September 18, 2026
Updated: October 27, 2026
Category: Project Cost Guides
Summary: Concrete cost per square foot runs $5 to $15 installed at 4 inches in 2026, $7 to $12 for a driveway. Material only runs $1.57 to $1.83 a sq ft.

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## Concrete Cost Per Square Foot in 2026: Driveway, Patio, and Slab Prices

Concrete cost per square foot runs $5 to $15 installed at 4 inches in 2026. See the rate for a driveway, patio, or slab, plus the material only price.

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Concrete cost per square foot, at a glance

1. A 4 inch broom finish driveway runs $7 to $12 per square foot installed.
2. A 4 inch broom finish patio runs $5 to $15 per square foot installed.
3. A 6 inch reinforced driveway runs $10 to $14 per square foot, single sourced.
4. Material only runs $1.57 to $1.83 per square foot at 4 inches, $2.35 to $2.74 at 6 inches.
5. NRMCA CIP 31 says order 4 to 10 percent more than plan quantity.
6. Cement masons earn a $28.87 mean hourly wage (BLS, May 2025), most of the labor gap.

## How much does concrete cost per square foot in 2026?

Concrete cost per square foot depends on thickness, finish, and whether you want material only or a finished job. Concrete driveway cost per square foot runs $7 to $12 installed at 4 inches, broom finish. A 4 inch patio spreads wider, $5 to $15, since patio labor varies by region. At 6 inches with reinforcement the rate climbs to $10 to $14. The full concrete driveway cost (https://www.simplywise.com/blog/concrete-driveway-cost/) adds tear out.

## What does a 4 inch concrete driveway cost per square foot?

Two local contractors post a dollar figure for their own driveway work.

| Publisher | Basis | Per square foot, installed | Captured |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Local Concrete Contractor (Charlotte, NC) | Broom finish, 4 inch pour | $10 to $12 | Sept 5, 2026 |
| DirtRock Dallas (Terrell, TX) | Standard poured concrete, 4 inch with rebar | $7 to $10 | Sept 5, 2026 |

Blend the two and a 4 inch driveway runs $7 to $12 per square foot installed, matching our own cost to pour a concrete driveway (https://www.simplywise.com/blog/cost-to-pour-concrete-driveway/) guide. Excavation, base, forms, pour, and finish are all in that number.

## What does a 4 inch concrete patio cost per square foot?

Patio pricing spreads wider than driveway pricing. A patio is not load bearing, so each contractor sets its own base depth.

| Publisher | Basis | Per square foot, installed | Captured |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Viking Concrete LLC (Cincinnati, OH) | Plain broom finish patio | $5 to $8 | Sept 5, 2026 |
| Ohio Valley Concrete and Hardscapes (West Chester, OH) | Broom finish patio, 4 inch pour | $8 to $15 | Sept 5, 2026 |

Honest note: both publishers work greater Cincinnati and still post a $5 to $15 spread. Region moves patio price more than the concrete itself.

## Why does a 6 inch slab cost more per square foot than a 4 inch slab?

A 6 inch pour uses 50 percent more concrete than a 4 inch pour. It usually adds wire mesh or rebar. Local Concrete Contractor posts $10 to $14 per square foot for a 6 inch reinforced driveway. Its own 4 inch pour runs $10 to $12. Treat it as single sourced.

## What is the material-only concrete cost per square foot?

Strip out labor and look at delivered concrete alone. A cubic yard covers 81 square feet at 4 inches, 54 at 6 inches.

| Producer | Per cubic yard | Per sq ft at 4 in | Per sq ft at 6 in | Captured |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Supreme Concrete (Los Angeles, New York), 3000 PSI | $127.05 | $1.57 | $2.35 | Sept 5, 2026 |
| Gehring Construction (Columbus, NE), SG 3000 | $148.00 | $1.83 | $2.74 | Sept 5, 2026, effective Jan 1, 2026 |

Material only runs $1.57 to $1.83 per square foot at 4 inches and $2.35 to $2.74 at 6 inches. Compare that to the $5 to $15 installed range. The gap is labor, base prep, and the contractor’s margin, not the concrete.

## How to price a slab from a square foot rate

1. Measure the area and pick a thickness Length times width gives square feet. Use 4 inches for a patio or sidewalk, 6 for anything vehicles cross. Our concrete cubic yard calculators (https://www.simplywise.com/blog/concrete-cubic-yard-calculators/) convert the footprint to yards for a supplier quote.
2. Match the finish to a posted rate Broom finish sits at the low end of every table above. Stamped or exposed aggregate finishes run higher.
3. Apply the rate and add the ordering allowance Multiply square footage by the rate, then add 4 to 10 percent per NRMCA CIP 31.
4. Add fees and the labor line separately Short load, mileage, and site access fees are their own line items, apart from material and labor.

## What do the crew and fees add on top of the material?

Cement masons earn a $28.87 mean hourly wage, laborers $25.02 (BLS OEWS, May 2025): wages paid, not rates billed. Burden, overhead, and margin ride on top, most of why installed price runs four to eight times the material-only rate. Our contractor hourly labor rates by trade (https://www.simplywise.com/blog/contractor-hourly-labor-rates-by-trade/) page breaks down how a wage becomes a billed rate.

## SimplyWise Cost Estimator for concrete cost per square foot

SimplyWise Cost Estimator turns a job site photo into an itemized estimate in about 6 seconds, with editable material, labor, and fee lines. Send a branded quote the client signs to approve. It is $29.99/mo or $239.99/yr, about $20/mo on annual, with a 7-day free trial.

## Keep reading

- Concrete Cost Per Yard (https://www.simplywise.com/blog/concrete-cost-per-yard/).
- Cost to Pour a Concrete Driveway (https://www.simplywise.com/blog/cost-to-pour-concrete-driveway/).
- Concrete Cubic Yard Calculators (https://www.simplywise.com/blog/concrete-cubic-yard-calculators/).
- Concrete Contractor Pricing Guide (https://www.simplywise.com/blog/concrete-contractor-pricing-guide/).

## Sources

- Local Concrete Contractor, Concrete Driveway Cost (https://www.localconcretecontractor.com/blog/concrete-driveway-cost), 2026-08-03, captured 2026-09-05.
- DirtRock Dallas, Concrete Driveway Cost in Texas (https://dirtrockdallas.com/how-much-does-a-concrete-driveway-cost-texas/), 2026-02-16, captured 2026-09-05.
- Viking Concrete LLC, Concrete Patio Cost in Cincinnati (https://www.vikingconcretellc.com/post/concrete-patio-cost-cincinnati), captured 2026-09-05.
- Ohio Valley Concrete and Hardscapes, Concrete Patio Cost (https://www.ohvconcrete.com/concrete-costs/concrete-patio-cost), captured 2026-09-05.
- Supreme Concrete, price list (https://supreme-concrete.com/pages/price-list), captured 2026-09-05.
- Gehring Construction, Ready-Mix Pricing (https://gehringconcrete.com/Products/Ready-Mix-Products-Pricing), effective 2026-01-01, captured 2026-09-05.
- NRMCA CIP 31, Ordering Ready Mixed Concrete (https://www.nrmca.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/31pr.pdf), captured 2026-09-05.
- BLS OEWS, May 2025 national estimates (https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), 47-2051, 47-2061.
- SimplyWise Cost Estimator on the App Store (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/simplywise-cost-estimator/id6670619664), 4.8 rating.

## Frequently asked questions about concrete cost per square foot

### The price

**How much does concrete cost per square foot in 2026?**

A 4 inch broom finish driveway runs $7 to $12 per square foot installed. A 4 inch patio runs $5 to $15. A 6 inch reinforced driveway is $10 to $14, single sourced.

**How much more does a 6 inch slab cost than a 4 inch slab?**

About $1 to $2 more per square foot, per Local Concrete Contractor’s own rates. A 6 inch pour uses 50 percent more concrete and usually adds reinforcement.

### Patios and driveways

**Does a concrete patio cost less per square foot than a driveway?**

Not reliably. Posted patio prices ran $5 to $15 per square foot against $7 to $12 for a driveway. Patios are not load bearing, and each contractor sets its own base depth.

### Estimating the pour

**Can I measure a slab with my phone camera instead of a tape measure?**

Tape or wheel an outdoor slab, then enter the dimensions. SimplyWise Cost Estimator turns that photo into an itemized estimate in about 6 seconds. On a Pro iPhone, the room scan captures measurements with LiDAR.

**Does SimplyWise Cost Estimator price concrete by the square foot?**

It builds material, labor, and fee lines with a unit, quantity, and price each. A per square foot rate becomes one editable line. Pricing is $29.99/mo or $239.99/yr, 7-day free trial.

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## About SimplyWise

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