Plan Memphis Concrete Quantity Before You Order
Use this Concrete Calculator in Memphis, TN to estimate concrete for slabs, patios, driveways, sidewalks, footings, piers, walls and curbs. Calculate cubic yards, cubic feet, cubic meters, approximate concrete bags and optional ready-mix material cost before contacting a local supplier.
Choose the shape that best matches your project and enter actual finished dimensions.
Estimate concrete for rectangular patios, pads, floors and similar slab-on-ground projects.
Material estimate only. Verify thickness, reinforcement, base, joints, drainage, permits and structural requirements separately.
Estimate rectangular driveway, sidewalk, walkway or replacement-panel concrete.
If work touches the public right-of-way, verify Memphis permits, standard plans and inspection requirements before starting.
Choose a continuous rectangular footing or a round pier / post footing.
Volume only. Footing dimensions, reinforcement, soil bearing, structural design and structural compliance require project-specific design.
Estimate linear wall, stem wall, curb or similar rectangular concrete sections.
Material volume only. Verify wall, retaining, curb and right-of-way requirements before construction.
Convert project dimensions into the standard ready-mix ordering unit.
Approximate 40, 60 and 80 lb bag quantities for smaller Memphis projects.
Use a local supplier quote and plan truck access before placement day.
Check Memphis permits and standard plans when work affects regulated construction or public right-of-way.
A Concrete Calculator in Memphis helps homeowners, contractors, estimators and property managers turn project dimensions into a practical material quantity. Whether the work is a backyard patio, residential driveway, sidewalk replacement, garage slab, footing, pier, retaining-wall footing or curb section, the starting point is concrete volume.
This Memphis concrete calculator supports several common shapes because local projects are not all simple slabs. The Slab & Patio calculator handles rectangular flatwork. Driveway & Sidewalk is optimized for longer rectangular pours. Footing & Pier switches between a continuous footing and round pier geometry. Wall & Curb calculates long rectangular concrete sections.
The result shows exact mathematical volume and an adjusted planning quantity after the user-selected extra percentage. It also converts the order into cubic feet, cubic yards and cubic meters, estimates common bag quantities, and can multiply the cubic-yard quantity by a price entered from a local ready-mix quote.
The quantity depends entirely on finished dimensions and thickness. A concrete slab is calculated by multiplying length × width × thickness after putting every measurement into compatible units. Since ready-mix concrete in the United States is normally discussed in cubic yards, cubic feet are divided by 27.
Cubic yards = cubic feet ÷ 27.
A 20 ft × 12 ft patio that is 4 inches thick contains 80 cubic feet of concrete mathematically. That is about 2.96 cubic yards before any extra allowance. The calculator then applies the percentage you enter to create a planning order quantity.
Do not confuse square footage with concrete volume. Square feet describe surface area; concrete orders also require thickness. A 240-square-foot slab at 4 inches thick requires substantially less concrete than the same 240-square-foot slab at 6 inches thick.
Memphis concrete quantity planning can cover residential patios, driveway sections, sidewalks, garage slabs, additions, equipment pads, footings, piers, retaining-wall footings, curb work and commercial site concrete. Project conditions can vary between older urban neighborhoods, newer subdivisions, industrial properties and larger commercial sites, so the correct dimensions should always come from the actual forms, plans or approved details.
Concrete quantity is only one part of a compliant construction project. Memphis and Shelby County use a joint construction-code framework administered through Construction Code Enforcement and related technical boards. Shelby County records show adoption of the 2021 International Building Code, 2021 International Residential Code, 2021 International Existing Building Code, 2021 mechanical, plumbing and fuel-gas codes, plus local amendments.
Recent Shelby County legislative records in 2025 continued to refer to the governing document as the 2021 Memphis and Shelby County Building Code while amending specific provisions, which is a useful reminder that local amendments can change even when the base code edition remains the same.
For current permit and code-enforcement information, use the official Memphis & Shelby County Construction Code Enforcement directory and applicable Planning & Development resources.
If concrete work affects a driveway apron, sidewalk, curb, gutter, street edge or other public-right-of-way feature, the raw cubic-yard estimate should be paired with the requirements of the agency responsible for that location. The City of Memphis Public Works Division maintains streets, sanitary sewers, storm drains, bridges, flood-control infrastructure and other public systems.
The City's Street Maintenance page states that areas beyond the face of curb or outside edge of asphalt, including sidewalks and driveways, are generally maintained by the property owner. That maintenance responsibility does not remove the need to verify applicable permits, design standards or inspection requirements before replacing concrete in or near the public right-of-way.
Use the official City of Memphis Public Works and Street Maintenance pages for current city information.
For a basic rectangular patio, measure the finished length and width inside the forms and enter the planned thickness. If the patio is L-shaped, divide it into rectangles, calculate each section and add the volumes. If it contains a circular section, use the Round Concrete Slab Calculator.
Before placing concrete, verify grading and drainage. A material calculator cannot tell you where runoff should go or whether a patio elevation conflicts with doors, vents, weep screeds, property drainage or other building details.
For a pool-area project, use the Concrete Pool Deck Calculator. For a tapered transition, use the Concrete Wedge Calculator.
A driveway quantity estimate needs length, width and thickness. If the driveway changes width, calculate separate sections rather than using one rough dimension. Thickened edges, aprons, curb transitions or replacement panels should also be calculated separately if their geometry differs.
Do not use this page to select driveway thickness or reinforcing. Vehicle loading, base conditions, jointing, site drainage, project plans and public-works details can all matter. If the work reaches the city sidewalk, curb or street interface, confirm the applicable City of Memphis requirements before demolition or placement.
For joint planning after the dimensions are known, use the Concrete Joint Spacing Calculator and Concrete Saw Cut Calculator.
Continuous footings use rectangular volume. The calculator converts footing width and depth from inches into feet, multiplies them by length and then converts the result to cubic yards.
Round piers use cylinder geometry. Their volume equals π × radius² × depth × quantity. Enter the actual diameter and depth shown on the project design rather than choosing a size from the calculator.
Diameter must be divided by two to obtain radius.
For preliminary footing geometry calculations, use the Concrete Footing Size Calculator. For reinforcing placement, see the Concrete Cover Calculator and Concrete Rebar Spacing Calculator.
For projects that require permits or inspections, calculate concrete from the approved dimensions rather than from early design sketches that may still change. Footing widths, slab thicknesses, stem-wall dimensions, driveway-apron geometry and site-concrete details can all change during plan review or field correction.
Memphis and Shelby County maintain joint technical-code boards and Construction Code Enforcement functions. The Building Code Board serves both jurisdictions and advises the building official and chief inspectors on technical-code matters, while the Joint Board of Appeals has jurisdiction over construction-code decisions for both Shelby County and the City of Memphis.
Before ordering concrete, confirm that required approvals and pre-pour inspections are complete for the work being placed.
Concrete prices are not hard-coded into this calculator because Memphis-area material prices, haul distance, minimum-load policies, fuel charges, mix specifications, waiting time, pumping and delivery conditions can change. Enter the price per cubic yard from a current local supplier quote to calculate a simple material estimate.
The resulting cost covers only the entered cubic-yard rate. It does not automatically include labor, reinforcement, forms, base material, demolition, haul-off, pumping, line-pump setup, short-load charges, permits, inspections, finishing or curing.
For delivery logistics, use the Concrete Delivery Distance Calculator. For placement duration, use the Concrete Pour Time Calculator.
Small repairs and pads may be practical with bagged concrete. Large patios, driveways and foundation pours can require many bags, which increases handling and mixer-cycle time. The calculator provides approximate counts for 40 lb, 60 lb and 80 lb bags using typical planning yields, but the actual bag yield printed by the manufacturer should control purchasing.
If a project needs many mixer batches, use the Concrete Mixer Size Calculator to compare mixer capacity and approximate batch count. For ready-mix work, coordinate delivery rate with your crew and placement method so concrete does not arrive faster than it can be handled.
Memphis concrete placement can occur in hot and humid conditions, and thunderstorms or rapid weather changes can affect scheduling, finishing and curing. Temperature, concrete temperature, humidity, wind, direct sun and rain risk should be checked for the actual pour date rather than assumed from a seasonal average.
Use the Concrete Hot Weather Calculator to compare warm-weather inputs for planning. Actual placement and curing procedures should follow the ready-mix supplier, project specifications and applicable professional guidance.
Concrete requires a thickness dimension. Square footage alone cannot determine cubic yards.
A 4-inch slab is 0.3333 foot thick, not 4 feet.
Turn-down edges, footings, curbs and thickened strips can add significant volume beyond the main slab.
Excavation and forming can change project dimensions. Calculate from final geometry before ordering when possible.
The volume estimate does not authorize construction or determine code compliance.
| Project | Dimensions | Exact Volume | Before Extra Allowance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Patio | 10 × 10 ft × 4 in | 33.33 ft³ | 1.23 yd³ |
| Patio | 20 × 12 ft × 4 in | 80.00 ft³ | 2.96 yd³ |
| Walkway | 40 × 4 ft × 4 in | 53.33 ft³ | 1.98 yd³ |
| Driveway Section | 30 × 12 ft × 5 in | 150.00 ft³ | 5.56 yd³ |
| Garage Slab | 20 × 20 ft × 4 in | 133.33 ft³ | 4.94 yd³ |
These examples are mathematical references only. Calculate your actual dimensions and project thickness.
Memphis and Shelby County Construction Code Enforcement includes building, electrical, mechanical/gas, plumbing, licensing, demolition and zoning-enforcement functions. Before a permitted concrete placement, confirm whether excavation, footing, foundation, reinforcement or other work must be inspected before it is concealed.
For City permits and licenses handled through Memphis city government, the City maintains a Permits Office and online permit-registration/payment resources. Construction-specific building permits may involve the joint Memphis-Shelby County code-enforcement system, so use the permit source appropriate to the project rather than assuming one office handles every type of approval.
Official resources include Construction Code Enforcement, the City of Memphis Permits Office, and the Memphis online permit portal.
The Memphis and Shelby County Building Code Board is a joint board with members appointed from both jurisdictions. Its stated functions include advising the building official and chief inspectors and considering technical-code rules and proposed changes. The Joint Board of Appeals likewise has jurisdiction over construction-code interpretations and appeals for both the City of Memphis and Shelby County.
For a concrete project, these governance details matter because local technical-code amendments and interpretations can affect foundation, slab, accessibility, structural and inspection requirements even though the basic concrete-volume formula itself never changes.
Use the official Building Code Board and Joint Board of Appeals pages for current local code-administration context.
Use the Concrete Volume Calculator for general geometry, the Round Concrete Slab Calculator for circular pads, and the Concrete Cubic Yard Calculator for direct yard conversions.
For reinforcing, see the Concrete Rebar Calculator, Concrete Rebar Spacing Calculator and Concrete Cover Calculator. For scheduling and logistics, use the Concrete Pour Time Calculator and Concrete Delivery Distance Calculator.
Measure final dimensions, convert them to volume, plan delivery access and verify City requirements where applicable.
Common questions about concrete yards, bags, local permits and Memphis project planning.