Flatwork quote builder for solo concrete contractors. Free, no signup.
Compare your instinct quote against the real cost-plus number below.
Flat concrete quotes die on square-foot pricing. A $/sqft number hides tear-out, haul-off, and two days of form work, so this calculator builds the quote from every cost line. Start with your bar: target dollars per hour (85), profit margin percent (20), and a minimum job fee ($1,200). Pick a preset: Patio 4in, Driveway 4in, or Shop slab 6in, each filling square footage, thickness, tear-out, and hours as editable starting points. The tool computes concrete yards itself (square feet times inches divided by 324, plus your waste percent) at your dollars per yard, with a short-load fee toggle if your plant charges one. Enter rebar or mesh and gravel base materials. The tear-out card takes tear-out footage times your per-foot rate, haul-off (only when tear-out is checked), and a grading flat fee. Labor hours are valued at your hourly bar, plus form rental and travel. Results show a line-item breakdown with yardage, the recommended quote (true cost plus margin, rounded up to $25, never below your minimum), and effective $/sqft and $/hr. The gut-check box grades your instinct quote, and the month planner turns your take-home goal into jobs, site hours, and concrete yards. No signup; runs on your phone.
Example only, not typical pricing. Patio 4in preset: 400 sq ft at 4 inches with 7% waste. Yards = 400 x 4 / 324 x 1.07 = 5.28. Concrete = 5.28 x 175 = $924.69. Tear-out is 400 x 2.50 = $1,000.00, haul-off $350.00, grading $250.00. Rebar $220.00 and gravel base $260.00. Labor is 10 prep plus 8 pour = 18 hours x $85 = $1,530.00, plus $120.00 form rental. True cost = 924.69 + 220 + 260 + 1000 + 350 + 250 + 1530 + 120 = $4,654.69. With a 20% margin: 4,654.69 x 1.20 = $5,585.62, rounded up to the nearest $25 = $5,600. That is $14.00 per sq ft and $137.52 per effective hour. A $3,500 gut quote is $4,654.69 - $3,500 = $1,155 under true cost, so the verdict is LOSING MONEY. A $9,000 monthly goal at $945.31 profit per job needs 9.52, rounded up to 10 jobs: 180 site hours and 52.8 yards of concrete.
**Q** How much concrete does my slab need?
Multiply square feet by thickness in inches and divide by 324, then add your waste percent (7 is the default). The tool does this automatically and shows the yardage on the concrete line.
**Q** Why is my per-square-foot number higher than the going rate?
Because your per-square-foot is an output, not an input. Material, tear-out, haul-off, grading, labor days, and margin all divide by the footage at the end. If the output surprises you, a line is missing, not the math.
**Q** Should I charge tear-out separately or fold it in?
Either way, it is counted. The tear-out checkbox adds tear-out square feet times your per-foot rate plus haul-off only when checked, so the recommended quote always covers the removal.
**Q** What is the short-load fee for?
Plants charge extra for loads below a full truck. If yours does, check the toggle and type your actual fee; if not, leave it off.
**Q** How do I hit my hourly rate on small jobs?
The minimum job fee is the floor. Mobilization, forms, and a day of finishing are fixed costs, and the floor stops small pours from paying minimum wage for owner-level risk.