How to measure a driveway for a bid
Measure the length down the center, from the garage to the street, and the width in several places. If the driveway flares at the road or has a parking pad, split it into rectangles and add them.
Then look at what is underneath. A contractor will want to know about the soil, as that decides the base. ConcreteNetwork says 2 to 8 inches of crushed rock goes on expansive soil, depending on how expansive it is. Then call your town, as permits, right-of-way and the apron at the street may have their own rules.
Choose your thickness with what will drive on it in mind. ConcreteNetwork gives 4 inches as a minimum, and Inch Calculator says 4 inches for cars and 5 inches for trucks and larger. ConcreteNetwork suggests wire mesh at 4 to 5 inches and rebar at 5 inches or more.
A worked example
Here is a 40 by 12 foot replacement, 5 inches thick in standard gray, with reinforcement. These lines come from the same formula the calculator above runs.
40 by 12 ft replacement, 5 in, reinforced
- Pour, with the extra inch: $2,160 to $3,240
- Reinforcement: $480 to $1,440
- Removal: $1,500 to $2,500
- Total: $4,140 to $7,180
- Concrete: 7.41 cu yd
Permits and taxes are extra, at about $500 to $2,000 by LawnStarter. Concrete is not the main cost: Inch Calculator puts labor at about 40 percent of the total. Use the concrete calculator to check the yards, and the asphalt calculator if you want a quote for the other material.
Concrete driveway cost by size
These are at 4 inches, with no reinforcement or removal. Inch Calculator's typical range is $3,200 to $11,500, so a job with those extras can sit well above the plain figures here.
| Driveway | Area | Standard gray | Stamped | Concrete |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Short, one car, 20 × 10 ft | 200 sq ft | $800 to $1,200 | $1,600 to $3,000 | 2.5 cu yd |
| One car, 40 × 12 ft | 480 sq ft | $1,920 to $2,880 | $3,840 to $7,200 | 5.9 cu yd |
| Two cars, 40 × 20 ft | 800 sq ft | $3,200 to $4,800 | $6,400 to $12,000 | 9.9 cu yd |
| Long, one car, 60 × 12 ft | 720 sq ft | $2,880 to $4,320 | $5,760 to $10,800 | 8.9 cu yd |
| Long, two cars, 60 × 20 ft | 1200 sq ft | $4,800 to $7,200 | $9,600 to $18,000 | 14.8 cu yd |
Mistakes that raise a driveway's cost
- A yard price as the cost. A truck of concrete is a fraction of the job. Labor is about 40 percent on Inch Calculator's figures.
- Going thin to save money. ConcreteNetwork gives 4 inches as the minimum, so do not go below it.
- Forgetting the old slab. A replacement costs more than a new pour, by $1,500 to $2,500 on LawnStarter's figures.
- Skipping joints. ConcreteNetwork's limit on a 4 inch slab is 10 feet between joints. Ask to see the joint plan.
- Unitemized bids. You cannot compare a single total. Ask each contractor for the base, concrete and labor.
Questions
How much does a concrete driveway cost?
About $6 to $16 per square foot all in, by LawnStarter, and $5 to $18 by Inch Calculator. A 40 by 12 foot standard gray slab comes to about $1,920 to $2,880 on the finish rate alone. Removal, permits and reinforcement add more.
How much does a stamped concrete driveway cost?
About $8 to $15 per square foot on LawnStarter's figures. For a 40 by 12 foot driveway that is about $3,840 to $7,200, before reinforcement or removal. Get the pattern and color named in the bid, so that you can compare like with like.
How much does a concrete driveway cost to replace?
The price of the new slab, plus about $1,500 to $2,500 to remove the old one, by LawnStarter. Debris disposal may be its own line, so ask whether the removal price includes it.
Is it worth reducing the thickness to reduce the cost?
Rarely. ConcreteNetwork gives 4 inches as a minimum, and Inch Calculator suggests 5 inches for heavier vehicles. LawnStarter says 2 more inches can add about 25 percent. Check what will drive on it before you choose.
Asphalt or concrete?
Price both locally, because we found no reliable side-by-side with the same date. Concrete lasts about 20 to 30 years by Inch Calculator. The asphalt calculator gives you the tonnage for a paving quote.
How far apart should the joints be?
No more than 10 feet apart on a 4 inch slab, by ConcreteNetwork. Joints give the slab a place to crack in a straight line. Ask your contractor to show you the plan, particularly on a long or a wide driveway.
This concrete driveway figure is a planning range drawn from contractor-matching sites rather than any survey. Concrete prices, access and local labor all move it, and permits, right-of-way rules and a city apron are extra. Only a written quote from a licensed contractor is binding, so get itemized local bids before choosing.
Sources and review
- How much does a concrete driveway cost?, LawnStarter, 2025.
- Concrete driveway cost, Inch Calculator, updated 2023, read November 2026.
- 8 concrete driveway construction essentials, ConcreteNetwork.com, 2026.
Checked in November 2026. Spotted a wrong number? Report it and it goes in the corrections log.
How this is calculated
Every figure below is read from the code that produces the answer, so what is written here is what the calculator ran. The constants were last checked against their sources in November 2026.
The arithmetic
Range
Range = Area × Rate × Thickness factor + Reinforcement + Removal
- Thickness factor
- 1 at 4 inches, rising by 12.5 percent per inch
Worked through: 480 × 4 × 1 = 1920
Volume
Cubic yards = Area × (Thickness ÷ 12) ÷ 27
- Thickness
- In inches
Worked through: 480 × (4 ÷ 12) ÷ 27 = 5.93 cu yd
The constants, and where they come from
COST_PER_SQ_FT
Modelled from published dataInstalled cost per square foot, low and high, by finish
- standard
- 4, 6
- stained
- 6, 12
- textured
- 6, 12
- stamped
- 8, 15
Applies to: United States, a lead-generation estimate and not a survey
Source: How much does a concrete driveway cost?, LawnStarter, published 2025-12, read 2026-11.
Also from: Concrete driveway cost, Inch Calculator, published 2023-07, read 2026-11.
LawnStarter's figures. Inch Calculator gives $5 to $18 per square foot, and Angi, read only as an excerpt, gives $8 to $20. No source read gives regional factors, so none is applied.
REINFORCEMENT_PER_SQ_FT
Modelled from published dataRebar or wire mesh per square foot, low and high
- 0
- 1
- 1
- 3
Applies to: United States, a lead-generation estimate and not a survey
Source: How much does a concrete driveway cost?, LawnStarter, published 2025-12, read 2026-11.
Inch Calculator's parts are in the same range, at $1.00 to $1.50 for mesh and $2 to $3 for rebar.
REMOVAL_PER_JOB
Modelled from published dataRemoving an old driveway, per job, low and high
- 0
- 1500
- 1
- 2500
Applies to: United States, a lead-generation estimate and not a survey
Source: How much does a concrete driveway cost?, LawnStarter, published 2025-12, read 2026-11.
A per job figure, from one source. A long driveway may cost more. We saw a per square foot rate only in an excerpt, and did not use it.
COST_INCREASE_PER_INCH
Modelled from published dataShare added to the cost per inch over 4 inches
Applies to: Our model of LawnStarter's statement, which covers 2 inches
Source: How much does a concrete driveway cost?, LawnStarter, published 2025-12, read 2026-11.
LawnStarter says 2 more inches can add about 25 percent. Splitting that into 12.5 percent per inch is our own step.
BASE_THICKNESS_INCHES
Published range, narrowedThickness the prices are taken to assume, in inches
Applies to: Driveways for cars. Inch Calculator says 5 inches for trucks
Source: 8 concrete driveway construction essentials, ConcreteNetwork.com, published 2026-03, read 2026-11.
ConcreteNetwork says to place concrete at a minimum thickness of 4 inches.
INCHES_PER_FOOT
DefinitionalInches in one foot
Applies to: Definitional, everywhere
True by definition, so there is nothing to cite. The derivation is below.
Twelve inches make a foot by definition, so a thickness in inches is divided by 12.
CU_FT_PER_CU_YD
DefinitionalCubic feet in one cubic yard
Applies to: Definitional, everywhere
True by definition, so there is nothing to cite. The derivation is below.
Three feet in a yard, and a volume is three lengths multiplied, so 3 × 3 × 3 = 27.
What the labels mean
- Modelled from published data:
- derived rather than measured, calibrated against the source named beside it.
- Published range, narrowed:
- a source publishes a range and this calculator uses a representative value from it.
- Definitional:
- true by definition, like the number of inches in a foot, so there is nothing to cite.
If a figure here looks wrong, it may be. Tell us what you found and we will check it against the source and publish a correction if it needs one. How constants are chosen and how often they are reviewed is set out in our methodology.
How to use the concrete driveway cost calculator
- 1
Measure the driveway's length and width
- 2
Choose a thickness
- 3
Choose a finish
- 4
Say if you want reinforcement and if the old one is coming out
- 5
Get itemized local bids, and compare them with this range
What this calculator assumes
Every estimate here rests on the assumptions below. Where your job differs from one of them, the figure will differ too.
- Prices are per square foot at a 4 inch slab, with each extra inch adding 12.5 percent, which is our model
- Removal is a per job figure from one source
- Permits and taxes are extra, at about $500 to $2,000 on LawnStarter's figures
- No regional factor, since no source we could read gives one
Pro tips
- Get itemized bids, so that you can see the base, the concrete and the labor
- Ask to see the joint plan before the pour
- Check the rules for the apron with your town before you pour