Concrete estimating software that wins more jobs

A concrete price comes down to four groups:

1. Site work: tear-out, haul-off, excavation and grading.
2. Base and forms: gravel, vapor barrier and edge forms.
3. The slab: reinforcement, concrete, placing, finishing and curing.
4. Joints, sealing and extras: control and expansion joints, sealer, a pump, and fees for small loads.

Square feet to price, yards to order

You price flatwork by the square foot, but you buy concrete by the cubic yard. To convert, multiply the area by the thickness in feet and divide by 27.

Example: A 12 by 20 foot patio at 4 inches thick:

• Area: 12 × 20 = 240 square feet
• Volume: 240 × (4 ÷ 12) = 80 cubic feet
• Yards: 80 ÷ 27 = 2.96 cubic yards

Order a little over that to cover an uneven subgrade and spillage.

Swap bagged mix for ready-mix on truck pours

In BuildWell, the slab line prices bagged concrete mix at a store near the job. That works for small pours.

An 80-pound bag makes about 0.6 cubic feet, so a slab like this one would take more than 130 bags. For a truck pour, delete the bagged mix and add your supplier's delivered price for the yards you need as its own line.

Common line items and how each is measured

These are the common lines on a concrete and masonry estimate. Each is measured one of three ways:

• By the square foot: flatwork, base, reinforcement, walls and pavers.
• By the linear foot: forms, footings, joints and crack repair.
• By the each: piers.

The hours and prices are yours to set. Every crew is different, and every line's hours are editable.

Forming and prep take longer than the pour

Example: Here's the labor for that 12 by 20 foot patio as new work, with 64 feet of edge form. The hours below are example figures; say your own records show your crew needs:

Work	Your hours
Excavate and grade, 240 square feet	10
Gravel base, 240 square feet	5
Edge forms, 64 feet	10
Wire mesh, 240 square feet	2.5
Place and screed, 240 square feet	12
Broom finish and cure, 240 square feet	3.5
Total	43

Forming and getting the ground ready take more hours than the pour itself. That's the work a per-square-foot price tends to forget, and the reason small slabs cost more per foot than big ones.

Your labor rate is more than the wage

A laborer's wage isn't your labor rate. Your rate has to cover:

• the wage
• payroll taxes, and workers' comp and liability coverage
• the truck, the trailer, the mixer, the screeds and the saw
• days lost to rain and cold
• time spent bidding

Then it needs a profit.

How BuildWell prices each line's hours

BuildWell prices each line's hours from three numbers:

1. Wage: the metro median for the kind of work on that line: carpenter for forms, construction laborer for the rest.
2. Overhead: labor overhead, starting at 100%, so a $30 wage becomes $60.
3. Markup: labor markup, starting at 20%.

Example: Say your crew costs you $30 an hour per person. Use your real number. The 43 hours on that patio come to:

• Wages: 43 × $30 = $1,290
• With 100% overhead: $2,580
• With 20% markup: $3,096 for labor

Tear-out and haul-off of an old patio come on top.

Price the truck, pump and dump fees

• Concrete: price ready-mix at your supplier's delivered price per yard. Ask about minimum loads; many suppliers charge extra for small orders.
• Pump or buggies: if the truck can't reach the forms, add a pump or the extra labor to wheel it. In BuildWell, add a pump as a custom line.
• Base, forms and steel: gravel, form boards, stakes, mesh or rebar and chairs, priced near the job. BuildWell starts material markup at 20%.
• Disposal: broken concrete is heavy. Price the haul and the dump fee.

Plan for permits, utilities and weather

• Permits: many places require one for driveways, footings, retaining walls past a certain height, and work in the right of way. Put the fee on the estimate. BuildWell adds your flat permit fee whenever you say the job has a permit.
• Utilities: call 811 before you dig, every job.
• Weather: cold and heat both change how concrete cures. Say in your terms how you handle a delayed pour, and price blankets or additives when the season calls for them.

Pay depends on the season and your margin

What concrete contractors earn depends on the season and the margin. Wages vary between metro areas and between laborers, finishers and masons.

In cold climates, work slows or stops in winter, so the busy months have to carry the year. Owners earn the gap between the price and the cost of the job.

That's why your labor rate, your material markup and your deposits matter more than any wage table.

Self-employment tax is 15.3%

As a sole proprietor or single-member LLC, you pay self-employment tax on your net earnings: 15.3% in total.

• Social Security, 12.4%: applies to net earnings up to the Social Security wage base, which is $184,500 for 2026.
• Medicare, 2.9%: applies to all of it.
• Deduction: you can deduct half of the self-employment tax on your income tax return.

Federal and state income tax come on top, so put aside part of every deposit and final payment.

Pay estimated taxes every quarter

Nobody withholds tax from your jobs, so the IRS expects payments during the year on Form 1040-ES. They're usually due in mid-April, mid-June, mid-September and mid-January.

A strong summer means a larger September payment. Plan for it before the work slows down.

Track these deductions as you go

Concrete businesses commonly deduct:

• mixers, saws, screeds, floats and hand tools
• equipment rental
• the business share of your trucks and trailers
• fuel
• insurance and license fees
• disposal and dump fees
• phone and software

Keep receipts and log mileage as you go.

Send a 1099-NEC to subs you pay

If you pay an unincorporated subcontractor for services, you'll generally need to send them a Form 1099-NEC. For payments made in 2026 and later, that applies once you've paid them $2,000 or more in a year, up from $600 before 2026.

Collect a Form W-9 before you pay anyone. Whether a finisher is a contractor or an employee depends on how you direct the work, not on what you call them.

Sales tax on materials depends on your state

States treat concrete contractors differently:

• Some have you pay sales tax when you buy materials.
• Others have you charge it to the client, on materials or on the whole job.

Check your state's revenue department. In BuildWell, sales tax applies to materials only, not labor, at the rate you set.

This is general information, not tax or legal advice. A tax professional who works with contractors can tell you what applies to your state and business.