Bagged Concrete vs Ready-Mix: Which Should You Use?

For a few post holes, bagged concrete is the obvious choice. For a driveway, a truck is. In between there is a gray zone where the right answer depends on the size of the pour, your access, your crew and local prices. This guide walks through how to decide.

Last updated 2026-11-12

Start with the volume

Everything depends on how much concrete you need. Use the concrete calculator to get the volume in cubic yards and the equivalent number of bags. A handy reference:

Bag counts use the typical 0.60 cu ft yield of an 80 lb bag and include no waste allowance.

The case for bagged concrete

• No minimum order. Buy exactly the number of bags you need, plus a couple of spares.
• Work at your own pace. You can pour one post hole today and the next tomorrow.
• Access. Bags go anywhere a wheelbarrow does: backyards, behind fences, up slopes.
• Specialty mixes. Fast-setting post mix, high-strength mixes and crack-resistant fiber mixes are readily available in bags.

The downside is labor. Each cubic yard is about 45 bags, or 3,600 lb, lifted at least twice: into the vehicle and into the mixer. Mixing by hand in a tub, one or two people can realistically keep up with a small slab, but a large slab can start to set at one end before you finish the other, which leaves cold joints.

The case for ready-mix

• Consistency. The whole pour comes from one batch, mixed to a specified strength, so it cures evenly.
• Speed. A truck can discharge several yards in minutes, so the crew can focus on placing and finishing.
• Less heavy lifting. No bags, no mixer cleanup.

The drawbacks are planning and minimums. Suppliers usually charge a short-load fee on small orders, the truck needs firm access close to the pour (or you pay for a pump or line), and you must be fully ready when it arrives because the clock is running.

How to find your break-even point

Prices vary widely by region, so the only reliable way is to get two numbers:

1. Bag cost: (bags needed × local price per bag) + mixer rental + delivery of the bags if you can't haul them.
2. Ready-mix cost: call a local supplier and ask for the price per cubic yard, the minimum order, the short-load fee and any delivery or waiting-time charges.

Compare the totals, then weigh the labor. As a rule of thumb many DIYers find bags reasonable up to about one cubic yard and switch to ready-mix or a mix-on-site service above that, but local prices can move that line either way.

A cost worksheet you can fill in

Write down local prices for each line, then total both columns. Leave a line at zero if it doesn't apply.

Worked example with made-up prices

To show how the worksheet works, take a 10 × 12 ft patio at 4 in thick. That is 40 cu ft, or 1.48 cu yd; with 8% waste, 1.6 cu yd or 72 bags of 80 lb mix. Using illustrative round numbers only, not quotes: at $7 a bag plus $60 for a day's mixer rental, bags come to $564. If ready-mix were $160 a yard with a 3 yd minimum, the truck would bill 3 yd ($480) plus, say, a $100 short-load fee, for $580. In that made-up case the totals are close, and the deciding factor becomes labor: 72 bags is about 2.9 tons to lift and mix. Run the same sums with your own local prices; the balance often tips differently from one town to the next.

Mixing bags well

• Follow the water amount on the bag. Extra water makes concrete easier to place but weaker and more prone to cracking and dusting.
• Mix complete bags. Splitting a bag can separate the stone from the cement; mix the whole bag at once.
• Keep batches consistent. Use a marked bucket for water so every batch matches, which keeps the color and strength even.
• Work in a sequence. Place each batch against the previous one while it is still plastic to avoid cold joints.

A middle option: rented mixer and a helper

For 20 to 60 bags, a rented electric drum mixer and one or two helpers make bagged concrete practical. Stage the bags next to the mixer, keep a hose ready, and have one person mixing while others place and screed. Pour in sections divided by form boards if you can't finish in one go.

Checklist before any pour

• Forms built, braced and checked for level and slope (about 1/8 in per foot away from the house for patios).
• Gravel base compacted. The gravel calculator gives the tonnage.
• Reinforcement (wire mesh or rebar) in place if your design calls for it.
• Weather checked: avoid freezing nights and very hot, windy afternoons.
• Tools ready: wheelbarrow, shovels, screed board, bull float, edger, groover, and curing compound or plastic sheeting.

Related reading

Deciding how thick the slab should be changes the volume, and therefore the answer to bags vs truck. See how thick a concrete slab should be. Setting fence posts? Fence post spacing includes a per-post concrete example. For the gravel base, use the gravel calculator or read about gravel types.