Concrete price per yard
Ready-mix concrete sold for an average of $159.68 a cubic yard in 2023, according to the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association. Carried forward by the government's price index for ready-mix, that is about $174 a yard at September 2026 prices, before delivery and small-load fees.
Where the figure comes from
NRMCA's annual benchmarking survey reports what its member producers took in for each cubic yard they sold. The average rose from $122.98 in 2021 to $137.99 in 2022 and $159.68 in 2023, and producers in the survey's bottom and top quartiles averaged $150.03 and $170.66.
| Year | Average selling price per cu yd |
|---|---|
| 2021 | $122.98 |
| 2022 | $137.99 |
| 2023 | $159.68 |
NRMCA hasn't published a later national figure, so this site carries the 2023 average forward with the Bureau of Labor Statistics' producer price index for ready-mix concrete. The index averaged 369.7 in 2023 and stood at 402.8 in September 2026, 9% higher, which puts the 2023 average at about $174 today and the quartile range at $163 to $186.
How prices have moved
The index rose 2.3% in the year to September 2026 and 31.1% over five years. Most of that climb came in 2022 and 2023; since 2024 it has risen more slowly.
| Year | Index (June 1981 = 100) |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 256.7 |
| 2017 | 264.5 |
| 2018 | 275.7 |
| 2019 | 283.0 |
| 2020 | 290.2 |
| 2021 | 301.0 |
| 2022 | 333.0 |
| 2023 | 369.7 |
| 2024 | 390.9 |
| 2025 | 394.2 |
| September 2026 | 402.8 |
By region
The BLS also publishes the index for the four census regions, on a base of December 2012 = 100. They show how much prices have risen in each region since then, not which region is cheaper.
| Region | Index, September 2026 | Change since December 2012 |
|---|---|---|
| Northeast | 180.1 | +80% |
| Midwest | 187.2 | +87% |
| South | 177.2 | +77% |
| West | 185.3 | +85% |
What a load costs
| Order | At $174 a yard | NRMCA's range, carried forward | The same in 80 lb bags at $6.47 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 cu yd | $174 | $163 to $186 | $291 |
| 2 cu yd | $348 | $326 to $372 | $582 |
| 3 cu yd | $522 | $489 to $558 | $873 |
| 4 cu yd | $696 | $652 to $744 | $1,165 |
| 6 cu yd | $1,044 | $978 to $1,116 | $1,747 |
| 8 cu yd | $1,392 | $1,304 to $1,488 | $2,329 |
| 10 cu yd | $1,740 | $1,630 to $1,860 | $2,912 |
Bags are dearer by the yard: 45 bags of 80 lb mix make one cubic yard, and at the typical online price in November 2026 that is $291. A plant's delivery and small-load fees change the sums for small pours, which is why the calculator above takes them; concrete delivery cost explains them, with how much a truck holds. The concrete is also only part of an installed price: contractors bid three to four times the cost of the concrete for a finished slab or driveway.
| Item | Typical | Range | Stores |
|---|---|---|---|
| 80 lb bag of concrete mix | $6.47 | $5.56 to $7.59 | 7 |
What to ask the plant
- The price per cubic yard for the mix you need, and whether delivery is included.
- The smallest load they deliver and the fee for a load below their full-truck size.
- How long the truck can wait on site before standby time is charged.
- Whether you need a pump to reach the forms, and what it costs.
Then enter their figures here or in the concrete cost calculator, which adds rebar, the gravel base, forms and labor.
Sources
- Annual Performance Benchmarking Survey and State of the Industry, National Ready Mixed Concrete Association, October 2024 (2023 data). Average selling price of ready-mixed concrete: $159.68 per cubic yard in 2023, $137.99 in 2022, $122.98 in 2021; 2023 quartiles $150.03 to $170.66.
- Producer Price Index by Industry: Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing (PCU327320327320), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, via FRED (Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis), monthly, latest September 2026. Index 402.82 in September 2026 (June 1981 = 100), 393.59 a year earlier and 307.18 five years earlier; 2023 average 369.67.
- Online store listings for bagged concrete, mortar, grout, block, rebar, mesh, gravel, sand, soil, mulch and pavers, Google Shopping results (Home Depot, Lowe's, Menards, Ace Hardware, Walmart and others), November 2026. Single-item prices by store; the calculators use the median as the default and show the range.
- QUIKRETE Concrete Mix (No. 1101) data sheet, The QUIKRETE Companies, revised October 2022. Bag yields: 40 lb 0.30 cu ft, 50 lb 0.375, 60 lb 0.45, 80 lb 0.60, 90 lb 0.675; about 140 lb per cubic foot; 2,500 psi at 7 days and 4,000 psi at 28 days; cure 5 days at 70 °F or warmer, 7 days at 50 to 70 °F; protect from freezing for the first 48 hours.