Free Concrete Estimate Template
This free concrete estimate template lists every line a concrete job costs, from dimensions and yards to delivery, labor, extras, tax and total. Download the Excel version and it does the math as you type, or print the PDF for a clipboard. Below it: how to fill it in, and the state rules that kick in once a customer signs it.
Download the template
Excel (XLSX)
Live totals. Type length, width and thickness and it fills in square feet, cubic yards and yards to order with waste, then carries those into the material, labor, steel, base and sealing lines. Shaded cells are yours; gray cells calculate. A second tab shows a finished 20 by 20 patio.
What the template covers
| Line | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| Job details | Client, address, date, project type |
| Dimensions | Length, width, thickness, square feet |
| Volume | Cubic yards, plus waste |
| Material | Ready-mix yards, or bag count, and price |
| Delivery | Trucking and any short-load fee |
| Labor | Forming, pouring, finishing |
| Extras | Reinforcement, gravel base, sealing, pump |
| Totals | Subtotal, tax, total |
How to fill it in
- Record the dimensions in feet. Divide inches by 12, so 4 inches is 0.333 ft.
- Work out the volume. Length × width × thickness ÷ 27 gives cubic yards. Add waste: NRMCA's CIP 31 says to order 4 to 10 percent more than the plan dimensions give. Use the low end on a formed pour over a flat base and the high end on rough subgrade.
- Price the material. Delivered price per yard, or bag count and bag price for a small pour.
- Add delivery and fees, including any short-load or minimum-load charge: small loads usually carry one, so ask the supplier.
- Add labor and extras: forming, finishing, base prep and anything beyond the pour.
- Total it and apply tax if your state requires it (see sales tax below).
The concrete cost estimator will do the volume and material lines for you, and the worked example in the estimating guide shows the math step by step.
Estimate or quote: is it binding?
Fill it in for yourself and it's a working estimate. Hand a signed version to a customer and it's a contract, and your state's home improvement contract rules apply to it whatever the heading says. Spell out what's included and how long the price holds.
The "contractor can't go more than 10 percent over the estimate" rule people quote is real, but it's car repair law. Virginia's motor vehicle repair statute bars charging more than 10 percent over a written estimate without the customer's authorization. For construction, the limit is whatever your contract says.
Deposit and contract rules once it's signed
| State | Written contract | Deposit cap | Other requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | Over $500 | $1,000 or 10%, whichever is less | Mechanics lien warning; 3 business days to cancel, 5 if the buyer is 65 or older (not when negotiated at the contractor's place of business) |
| Maryland | Yes; signed copy before work starts | One third of the price | No payment before signing; MHIC license number, MHIC contact and Guaranty Fund notice |
| Massachusetts | Over $1,000 | One third, or the actual cost of special-order or custom-made materials, whichever is greater (M.G.L. c.142A, s.2) | State-required contract terms |
| New York | Yes | No percentage cap | Progress payments in dollars and cents tied to stages of work; payments before completion deposited per the Lien Law |
California also bars taking payments that exceed the value of work performed or material delivered (B&P Code 7159.5). On a $20,000 driveway, its cap is $1,000, which is 5 percent; Maryland and Massachusetts would allow about $6,700. So a "50 percent down" line on a form breaks the rules in several states. Check your own state's licensing board before printing a deposit line.
The federal FTC Cooling-Off Rule separately gives buyers three business days to cancel sales of $25 or more made at their home, or $130 or more at other locations away from your place of business.
Sales tax: check your state
| State | Rule | What decides it |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | Per the Comptroller's publication 94-116 (revised 2007): Labor on residential repair, remodel or new construction isn't taxable; the total charge on nonresidential repair and remodel is. On a lump-sum contract you pay tax on your materials; on a separated contract you buy for resale and collect tax on the material line. | Residential or not, then the contract type |
| New York | Installing or completely replacing a slab, sidewalk, patio, driveway or foundation is a capital improvement: no tax with a Form ST-124 from the customer. Patching cracks or replacing sections is a taxable repair. | Capital improvement or repair |
| Washington | Prime contractors collect retail sales tax on the gross contract price and buy incorporated materials with a reseller permit. Form lumber and visqueen don't qualify. | Whether material ends up in the work |
So "labor is never taxed, only materials" is wrong in both directions, depending on the state.
Markup and margin are not the same number
Margin is profit as a share of the price; markup is profit as a share of cost. Add 20 percent to your costs and your margin is 16.7 percent (0.20 ÷ 1.20), not 20.
Markup = Margin ÷ (1 - Margin). Price = Cost ÷ (1 - Margin).
| Target margin | Required markup | Multiply cost by |
|---|---|---|
| 10% | 11.1% | 1.11 |
| 15% | 17.6% | 1.18 |
| 20% | 25.0% | 1.25 |
| 25% | 33.3% | 1.33 |
| 30% | 42.9% | 1.43 |
| 35% | 53.8% | 1.54 |
Overhead is why it matters. NAHB puts remodelers' 2024 average gross margin at 29.9 percent (a 42.7 percent markup) and net margin at 6.3 percent, so overhead and other costs took about 23.6 percent of revenue. A contractor with overhead like that who marks up 20 percent loses money. No industry body publishes a figure for concrete flatwork specifically; across contractors, CFMA's benchmarker also found net income before taxes of 6.3 percent of revenue for 2023.
How long is a concrete estimate good for?
There's no standard period, so put one on the sheet. Ready-mix prices can move fast: on AGC's tables of the BLS producer price index, ready-mixed concrete rose 10.3 percent in 2022 and 11.1 percent in 2023, then 5.8 percent in 2024. In 2023 that's close to a percent a month.
A line like "price holds for 30 days; material is subject to the supplier's price at the time of pour" covers small jobs. For longer ones, ConsensusDocs publishes a material price escalation amendment (200.1) that adjusts the price up or down with an objective index. For concrete, a suitable index is the BLS ready-mixed concrete producer price index (WPU1333).
For the math behind each line, see the concrete estimate guide; for rates to plug in, how much concrete costs. If you bid full time, estimating software can replace this sheet.
Frequently asked questions
What should a concrete estimate include?
Job details, dimensions, cubic yards with waste, material cost, delivery and any short-load fee, labor for forming, pouring and finishing, extras like reinforcement, base, sealing or a pump, and a subtotal, tax and total.
Is this concrete estimate template free, and can I edit it?
Yes to both. The Excel version totals as you type and can be edited freely, the CSV opens in Google Sheets, and the PDF is for filling in by hand.
Is a concrete estimate legally binding?
An unsigned estimate is your working number. Once a customer signs it, it's a contract and your state's home improvement contract rules apply to it, whatever the heading says. The often-quoted 10 percent overrun limit comes from motor vehicle repair law, such as Virginia's, not from construction law.
How much deposit can a concrete contractor ask for?
It depends on the state. California caps it at $1,000 or 10 percent of the contract, whichever is less. Maryland caps it at one third and allows no payment before the contract is signed. Massachusetts allows one third or the actual cost of special-order or custom-made materials, whichever is greater. New York sets no percentage cap but requires a progress payment schedule in dollars and cents.
Do I charge sales tax on concrete work?
It depends on the state. In Texas, according to the Comptroller's publication 94-116, labor on residential repair, remodel or new construction isn't taxable, but nonresidential repair and remodel is. In New York, installing or completely replacing a slab, patio, driveway or foundation is a capital improvement with no tax collected on a Form ST-124, while patching cracks is a taxable repair. In Washington, prime contractors collect sales tax on the gross contract price.
How long is a concrete estimate good for?
There's no standard, so state one, such as 30 days, with a note that material is subject to the supplier's price at the time of pour. Ready-mix prices on the BLS producer price index rose 10.3 percent in 2022 and 11.1 percent in 2023.