Pricing
How Much Is a Yard of Concrete in Nashville?
Published August 11, 2026 · Concrete Pros of Nashville
A cubic yard of ready-mix concrete material typically runs roughly $150–$200+ delivered in most U.S. markets today, before any labor, forming, or finish work — that's the raw material cost, not an installed price. One cubic yard covers about 80 square feet at a standard 4-inch driveway thickness.
Material cost vs. installed cost — two different numbers
'Cost per yard' usually refers to the raw ready-mix material delivered by the truck — it doesn't include excavation, base prep, forming, reinforcement, labor, or finish work, which together are typically the larger share of a project's total cost. An 'installed cost per square foot' figure (what most driveway and patio quotes are based on) already has all of that baked in.
How far a yard actually goes
A cubic yard of concrete covers roughly:
- About 80 square feet at 4 inches thick (standard driveway thickness)
- About 65 square feet at 5 inches thick
- About 54 square feet at 6 inches thick (typical for heavier-load slabs)
What changes the per-yard price
Mix strength (PSI), air-entrainment, special additives (like fiber reinforcement or accelerants for cold weather), and delivery minimums or small-load fees all move the per-yard price. A small job that needs less than a full truck load often pays a higher effective rate per yard because of short-load fees.
Why this number alone won't tell you your project cost
Because material is only part of the total, calculating 'yards needed × price per yard' will meaningfully undercount what a finished driveway or patio actually costs. It's a useful number for understanding how pricing works, but a written estimate covering the full scope is what actually tells you what your project will cost.