Enter your concrete volume and truck capacity to instantly calculate how many loads you need, how many yards ride on the last truck, whether you'll trigger a short load fee, and your total estimated delivery cost.
Free to use
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No sign-up required
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Short load fee detection included
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Adjustable truck capacity
✓ Full loads & partial loads✓ Short load fee alert✓ Total delivery cost estimate✓ Last verified May 2026
Enter your total project volume including waste. Use our Slab Calculator to find this number.Please enter a valid volume greater than 0.
Standard US ready-mix trucks carry 8–11 yd³. Confirm with your supplier — capacity varies by truck, plant, and local regulations.Please enter a valid capacity greater than 0.
Your supplier's minimum full-price load. Orders below this amount trigger a short load (short pour) fee. Typically 75–80% of truck capacity. Leave blank to skip.
$
The surcharge your plant charges for delivering less than the minimum. Typically $50–$300 per occurrence.
$
Leave blank to skip the cost estimate. US average: $100–$150/yd³ for ready-mix, excluding delivery, short load fees, and taxes.
Results appear instantly. No sign-up required.
Your Delivery Estimate
Truck Loads Required
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Total Truck Loads
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Full Loads
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Last Load (yd³)
⚠️
Short Load Fee AppliesYour last load is below the minimum threshold and will incur a short load surcharge.
Delivery Breakdown
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Total Ordered (yd³)
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Per Truck (yd³)
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Total Weight (tons)
—Volume (ft³)
—Volume (m³)
—Last Load Fill %
—Short Load Fee
Estimated Material + Short Load Cost
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Concrete material cost + any applicable short load fee. Does not include standard delivery/haul charges, pump truck, environmental fees, or taxes. Use our Concrete Delivery Cost Calculator for a full breakdown.
Step 1: Convert volume to cubic yards (if entered in ft³ or m³)
Step 2: Full Loads = FLOOR(volume ÷ truck capacity)
Step 3: Remainder = volume − (full loads × truck capacity)
Step 4: If remainder > 0 → Total Loads = Full Loads + 1; Last Load = remainder
Step 5: If remainder = 0 → Total Loads = Full Loads; Last Load = truck capacity (full)
Step 6: Short Load Fee triggered if: Last Load < threshold AND total loads > 0 AND it is a partial load
Step 7: Weight (short tons) = Total yd³ × 4,050 lb/yd³ ÷ 2,000
Step 8: Cost = (total ordered yd³ × price/yd³) + short load fee (if applicable)
How to Use This Concrete Truck Load Calculator
Enter your total concrete volume including waste.
Use your concrete volume in cubic yards — this should already have a waste factor built in (typically 10%). If you haven't calculated your volume yet, use the Slab Calculator or any shape calculator on this site first. The result feeds directly into this tool.
Confirm the truck capacity with your supplier.
The default is 10 yd³, which is typical for a standard US rear-discharge mixer. However, actual capacity varies by plant, truck, state weight limits, and haul distance. Your supplier will tell you their standard load size — use that number, not a guess.
Enter the short load threshold if your supplier has one.
Most ready-mix plants charge a short load fee when a delivery is less than their minimum — commonly 75–80% of the truck's capacity. Ask your supplier: "What is your minimum full-price load?" Enter that number. If your last load falls below it, the calculator flags the fee automatically.
Use your results to plan the pour sequence and budget.
The total loads number tells you how many truck arrivals to expect and schedule. If the last load is small, you have a decision to make: can you increase your pour area slightly to fill that truck more efficiently, or is a short load fee unavoidable? Use the cost output to factor that fee into your budget.
⚠ Pro Tip: Never try to stretch a pour by reducing your order to avoid a short load fee. Running out of concrete mid-pour creates a cold joint — a structural defect that is far more expensive to remediate than the $150–$300 short load surcharge. Pay the fee, finish the pour clean.
Concrete Truck Load Calculation Formula
The calculation is straightforward division with one trap people consistently fall into: what happens to the remainder. Here is the process step by step, using a real example:
Step
Formula
Example (24 yd³ ÷ 10 yd³ truck)
1. Full loads
FLOOR(volume ÷ capacity)
FLOOR(24 ÷ 10) = 2 full loads
2. Remainder
Volume − (full loads × capacity)
24 − (2 × 10) = 4 yd³
3. Total loads
Full loads + 1 (if remainder > 0)
2 + 1 = 3 total truck trips
4. Last load
Remainder (if > 0), else full capacity
4 yd³ on truck 3
5. Short load check
Last load < threshold?
4 < 8 (threshold) → fee applies
6. Weight
Total yd³ × 4,050 lb ÷ 2,000
24 × 4,050 ÷ 2,000 = 48.6 tons
Common Project Volume Reference Table
Pre-calculated truck loads for common concrete volumes — 10 yd³ truck capacity, 8 yd³ short load threshold.
Project Volume
Total Loads
Full Loads
Last Load
Short Load Fee?
5 yd³
1
0
5 yd³
Yes (below 8 yd³)
8 yd³
1
0
8 yd³
No (at threshold)
10 yd³
1
1
10 yd³ (full)
No
15 yd³
2
1
5 yd³
Yes (below 8 yd³)
18 yd³
2
1
8 yd³
No (at threshold)
20 yd³
2
2
10 yd³ (full)
No
24 yd³
3
2
4 yd³
Yes (below 8 yd³)
30 yd³
3
3
10 yd³ (full)
No
35 yd³
4
3
5 yd³
Yes (below 8 yd³)
50 yd³
5
5
10 yd³ (full)
No
Assumes 10 yd³ truck capacity and 8 yd³ short load threshold. Adjust your inputs for your supplier's specific terms.
What Truck Capacity Should I Enter?
The drum capacity is the single most important variable in this calculation. Using the wrong number gives you the wrong load count — and potentially the wrong budget. Here is what to expect by truck type and operating region:
Typical ready-mix truck capacities by type and region. Always verify with your specific supplier.
Truck Type
Typical Capacity
Common In
Notes
Standard rear-discharge mixer
9–10 yd³
Most of the US
Most common type; default setting
Front-discharge mixer
10–11 yd³
Western US, urban markets
Driver can see the chute; preferred for tight jobsites
Short-load / volumetric mixer
4–8 yd³
Rural areas, remote sites
Mixes on-site; useful for small orders without fees
Mini mixer
1–4 yd³
Residential renovation, tight access
Fits narrow driveways and alleys
Extended drum (super mixer)
11–12 yd³
High-output commercial sites
Rare; may require bridge or road permits
Agitator (transit mix)
8–10 yd³
Long hauls (>60 min)
Pre-mixed, agitated in transit
State gross vehicle weight (GVW) limits affect real-world capacity. A drum that holds 11 yd³ may only be legally loaded to 9 yd³ on certain routes. Your supplier knows their routes — trust their load size over the drum's nameplate rating.
Common Mistakes When Ordering Concrete by the Truckload
⚠️
Using the drum's nameplate capacity instead of the operating capacity.
A drum stamped "10 yd³" might only deliver 9 yd³ on your job due to road weight restrictions, haul distance, or company policy. Your supplier quotes you their operating load size — use that in this calculator, not the truck's physical maximum.
💸
Ignoring the short load fee when budgeting.
A partial last load on a multi-truck pour is extremely common. A $200 short load fee on a $3,000 material order is a 6.7% cost increase that rarely appears in initial budgets. Calculate it upfront, and decide whether to adjust your pour area or slab thickness slightly to avoid it.
⏱️
Not scheduling truck intervals correctly.
Trucks arriving too close together pile up concrete faster than your crew can place it. Trucks arriving too far apart risk a cold joint if the previous load starts to set. Standard practice is 45–60 minutes between trucks on normal pours; discuss timing with your supplier and crew before ordering.
🔢
Forgetting to include the waste factor before entering the volume.
This calculator uses whatever volume you enter. If you type in raw calculated volume without a 10% waste allowance, your load count will be accurate for that number — but you'll run short on the job. Always add waste before entering the volume here.
🚚
Assuming all suppliers use the same short load threshold.
Short load policies vary widely. Some plants charge a flat fee for any load under 8 yd³. Others charge per yard under the minimum. Some have no fee at all. A few require a minimum order of one full truck regardless. Get this in writing before you pour, not after the invoice arrives.
Frequently Asked Questions
Most standard ready-mix trucks in the United States carry between 8 and 11 cubic yards of concrete, with 9–10 yd³ being the most common operating load. The drum's physical capacity is typically 14–15 yd³, but trucks are never filled to the brim — doing so makes the concrete unworkable and creates dangerous weight conditions on public roads. The usable load is limited by state gross vehicle weight regulations, haul distance, and the plant's internal policies. Always confirm your supplier's specific load size before calculating.
A short load fee (also called a short pour fee or minimum load surcharge) is a charge your ready-mix supplier adds when you order less than their minimum full-price load. The minimum is typically 75–80% of the truck's operating capacity — on a 10 yd³ truck, that often means 7.5–8 yd³. The fee exists because the plant incurs nearly the same batching, loading, and delivery cost for a partial load as for a full one. Fees range from about $50 to $300 per occurrence nationally, with many plants charging $100–$200 as a flat fee or $10–$20 per yard under the threshold. Always ask your supplier for their exact policy before ordering.
There are a few practical strategies. First, slightly increase your slab dimensions or pour a thicker slab to bump your volume to the nearest full load. Adding an inch of thickness to a 20 ft × 20 ft slab adds about 1.2 yd³ — sometimes that is enough to fill the last truck. Second, pour a small secondary element on the same day — a concrete step, a short footing, or thickened edges — to use up the partial load. Third, use a volumetric mixer for the last portion: these trucks mix on-site and charge by the yard with no short load fee. Fourth, simply budget for the fee if none of those options work — it is often cheaper and simpler than redesigning the pour.
A fully loaded standard concrete mixer weighs approximately 66,000–70,000 pounds (33–35 tons) total, including the truck itself. The truck and drum alone weigh about 26,000–30,000 pounds empty. Concrete weighs approximately 4,050 pounds per cubic yard (about 150 lb/ft³), so a 10 yd³ load adds roughly 40,500 pounds of concrete. Combined gross vehicle weight regularly approaches or exceeds 66,000 lb, which is why state weight limit compliance is taken seriously — overloaded trucks cause serious road and bridge damage and face heavy fines.
ASTM C94, the standard specification for ready-mixed concrete, requires discharge to be completed within 90 minutes of water being added to the mix, or before the drum has made 300 revolutions — whichever comes first. In hot weather (above 90°F), usable time can drop significantly because heat accelerates hydration. In cool weather, you may have a bit more time. Most plants print the batch time and water-add time on the delivery ticket so your crew can track the clock. Once concrete exceeds these limits, it must be rejected and returned to the plant, regardless of how it looks.
Adding water at the jobsite is one of the most damaging things you can do to concrete. Every gallon added above the design water-cement ratio reduces compressive strength by approximately 200 PSI. A mix designed for 4,000 PSI can be degraded to 3,200 PSI or worse by adding water until it "flows nicely." If slump is too low for your placement conditions, the correct fix is a plasticizer (water reducer) or superplasticizer, ordered through the plant before batching. Jobsite water addition is a last resort and is almost always a mistake driven by impatience, not necessity.
Most ready-mix plants require at least 24–48 hours notice for standard residential orders. During peak season — typically late spring through early fall — lead times at busy plants can stretch to 3–5 business days. Large commercial pours requiring multiple trucks in sequence may require a week or more. Call your plant immediately once your pour date is confirmed and provide a preliminary volume estimate. You can adjust the final volume up to the day before, but the date and approximate size need to be locked in early. Never assume same-day delivery is possible.
A standard drum mixer (transit mixer) loads pre-batched concrete at the plant and delivers it ready to pour. A volumetric mixer carries separate compartments for cement, aggregates, water, and admixtures on the truck itself and mixes on-site as it dispenses. Volumetric mixers are billed by the yard actually used — there are no short load fees and no waste from leftover concrete. They are ideal for small or uncertain quantities, remote locations, and jobs where exact volumes are hard to predict. The trade-off is slightly higher cost per yard compared to a full transit mix load, and limited availability in some markets.
A standard two-car residential driveway (24 ft × 40 ft at 6 inches thick) requires about 17.8 yd³ before waste, or approximately 19.5 yd³ with a 10% overage. With a 10 yd³ truck, that is 2 trucks — one full load and one partial load of about 9.5 yd³. That partial load is just under a full truck but comfortably above most short load thresholds. Use this calculator with your actual driveway dimensions and your supplier's specific truck capacity for precise figures, since actual driveways vary significantly in size, shape, and thickness requirements.
If the truck cannot reach the pour location with its chute (standard chute extension reaches about 18–20 feet from the truck), your options are: pump truck (a separate concrete pump that can move concrete up to several hundred feet and multiple floors), wheelbarrow brigade (labor-intensive but workable for small pours), conveyor belt systems, or crane-and-bucket. A concrete pump truck typically adds $400–$1,500 to the pour cost depending on volume and distance. Plan access routes before the pour day — a truck that cannot maneuver to position is a $1,000 mistake waiting to happen.
