Enter your concrete order volume, truck capacity, and pricing to instantly calculate the short-load surcharge, your true total delivered cost, and whether bagged concrete would be cheaper.
Free to use
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No sign-up required
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Industry-standard fee logic
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Includes bagged concrete comparison
✓ Short-load surcharge included✓ Cost-per-yard comparison✓ Works on any device✓ Last verified May 2026
The actual volume you need for your pour.Please enter a valid volume greater than 0.
Standard US ready-mix trucks hold 8–10 yd³. Ask your supplier.Please enter a valid capacity greater than your order.
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US average: $120–$160/yd³. Check your supplier's quote.Please enter a valid price greater than 0.
How your supplier charges for partial loads.
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US average flat fee: $50–$150. Ask your plant directly.Please enter a valid fee amount.
Volume at or above which no surcharge applies. Often same as truck capacity.
Results appear instantly. No sign-up required.
Your Short-Load Estimate
Delivery Cost Breakdown
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Short-Load Surcharge
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Concrete Material Cost
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Total Delivered Cost
Effective Cost Analysis
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Effective $/yd³
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Truck Fill %
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Yards Short
—Ordered (yd³)
—Truck Capacity (yd³)
—Base $/yd³
—Fee Charged
Bagged Concrete Comparison
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Estimated cost using 80 lb bags at $7.50/bag ($0.60 ft³ yield). Compare against your total delivered cost above to decide which is cheaper for your job.
Recommendation
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Step 1: Concrete Material Cost = Order Volume (yd³) × Price per yd³
Step 2: Check if Order Volume < Minimum Threshold → fee applies
Step 3a [Flat]: Short-Load Fee = flat fee amount entered
Step 3b [Per yd]: Short-Load Fee = (Minimum − Order Volume) × fee rate per yd
Step 3c [Pct]: Short-Load Fee = Concrete Material Cost × (fee % ÷ 100)
Step 4: Total Delivered Cost = Material Cost + Short-Load Fee
Step 5: Effective Rate = Total Delivered Cost ÷ Order Volume
Step 6: Bagged Cost = CEIL(Order Volume × 27 ÷ 0.60) × $7.50 per 80 lb bag
How to Use This Short-Load Fee Estimator
Enter your pour volume.
Use a concrete slab or footing calculator to determine exactly how many cubic yards you need — with waste factor already added. Enter that number here. If you're ordering in metric, switch the unit to cubic meters; the calculator converts automatically.
Set your truck capacity and minimum threshold.
Call your ready-mix plant and ask: "What's your truck capacity and minimum load?" Standard US trucks carry 8–10 yd³. The minimum threshold is the volume below which a surcharge kicks in — often the same as truck capacity, but sometimes lower (e.g. 6 yd³ minimum on a 10 yd³ truck).
Enter the fee structure your plant uses.
Select whether they charge a flat delivery fee, a per-yard penalty for each yard short of the minimum, or a percentage surcharge on the order total. Most US plants use a flat fee of $50–$150. Enter the dollar amount from your supplier's quote.
Compare your results before placing the order.
The calculator shows your effective cost per yard after the surcharge and compares that against buying 80 lb bags at a hardware store. If the effective ready-mix rate is over $250–$300/yd³, bags are almost certainly cheaper for your volume. Use the verdict to guide your decision.
⚠ Pro Tip: Never accept a short-load fee without asking if you can top up your order to the minimum. For many small pours, adding 1–2 extra yards eliminates the surcharge entirely — at a fraction of its cost. A $100 short-load fee on a 3 yd³ order is $33/yd³ of pure waste. Adding 1 yard at $130/yd³ saves you money and gives you a useful overage buffer.
How Short-Load Fees Are Calculated
Ready-mix plants charge a short-load fee (also called a short-load surcharge or partial-load fee) when your order is below their minimum load threshold. This covers the plant's fixed costs — the truck, driver, fuel, and drum washing — that apply regardless of how little concrete is in the drum. Here's how the fee math works for each fee structure:
Total delivered cost and effective rate — flat $100 short-load fee, $130/yd³ base price, 10 yd³ truck capacity.
Order Volume
Truck Fill %
Material Cost
Short-Load Fee
Total Cost
Effective $/yd³
1 yd³
10%
$130
$100
$230
$230.00
2 yd³
20%
$260
$100
$360
$180.00
3 yd³
30%
$390
$100
$490
$163.33
4 yd³
40%
$520
$100
$620
$155.00
5 yd³
50%
$650
$100
$750
$150.00
7 yd³
70%
$910
$100
$1,010
$144.29
10 yd³
100%
$1,300
$0
$1,300
$130.00
At full load (10 yd³) no surcharge applies and effective rate equals base price. Orders under 10 yd³ incur the $100 flat fee, which dilutes the more you order.
Is Ready-Mix Worth It for a Short Load?
The key decision is your effective cost per yard. Once the short-load fee is factored in, smaller orders become progressively more expensive per yard. The table below shows the break-even point relative to buying 80 lb bags at $7.50 each (approximately $337.50/yd³), using a $100 flat fee and $130/yd³ base price.
Decision guide: ready-mix vs bagged concrete at various order sizes (80 lb bags at $7.50, $100 flat short-load fee, $130/yd³ ready-mix).
Order Size
Ready-Mix Total
Effective $/yd³
Bagged Equivalent
Verdict
0.5 yd³
$165
$330/yd³
$152
Bags cheaper
1 yd³
$230
$230/yd³
$304
Ready-mix cheaper
2 yd³
$360
$180/yd³
$608
Ready-mix much cheaper
3 yd³
$490
$163/yd³
$1,013
Ready-mix far cheaper
5 yd³
$750
$150/yd³
$1,688
Ready-mix far cheaper
10 yd³
$1,300
$130/yd³
$3,375
Ready-mix far cheaper
Break-even is typically near 0.5 yd³ or less. For almost any pour exceeding half a yard, ready-mix is cheaper even with the short-load fee — but labor savings from not hand-mixing 135+ bags are also enormous.
For pours under 0.5 yd³ (about 13.5 cubic feet), bags genuinely win on material cost. For post holes, anchor pads, or tiny footings, a couple of 80 lb bags is the right call. Above that threshold, the convenience and quality consistency of ready-mix is nearly always worth the short-load fee.
Common Mistakes When Dealing with Short-Load Fees
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Not asking about the fee before ordering.
Most ready-mix plants don't advertise their short-load surcharge. Contractors who don't ask are blindsided by a $75–$150 charge on their invoice. Always call and ask: "Do you charge a short-load fee, and at what threshold?" Get the number in writing if the job matters.
📐
Confusing truck capacity with the minimum load threshold.
A 10 yd³ truck doesn't always have a 10 yd³ minimum. Some plants set the threshold at 6 or 7 yd³ — meaning you can order 7 yd³ on a 10 yd³ truck with no surcharge. Ask for the specific threshold, not just the truck size.
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Not checking if topping up eliminates the fee.
If you need 4 yd³ and the minimum is 5 yd³, adding 1 extra yard at $130 is almost always cheaper than paying a $100 short-load fee. You also get a 1 yd³ safety buffer against running short mid-pour. Run the numbers before accepting the surcharge.
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Ordering the exact volume needed with no waste — then getting hit by a fee.
If your pour needs 5.2 yd³ and the minimum is 6 yd³, ordering exactly 5.2 yd³ means you pay the fee AND you have no overage. Order 6 yd³ instead: you hit the minimum, dodge the fee, and have 0.8 yd³ buffer against subgrade variations.
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Assuming the short-load fee covers delivery.
Short-load fees and delivery/fuel surcharges are separate line items at most plants. You may still owe a standard delivery charge of $100–$250 on top of the short-load fee. Ask for an all-in quote with every line item before the truck rolls.
Frequently Asked Questions
A short-load fee (also called a short-load surcharge or partial-load penalty) is a charge applied by a ready-mix concrete plant when your order is below their minimum load threshold. Plants charge this because every delivery incurs fixed costs — the truck, driver, fuel, drum water, and plant labor — regardless of how much concrete is inside. Ordering 3 yards on a 10-yard truck costs the plant nearly as much to deliver as a full load. The surcharge offsets those fixed costs. Typical US flat fees run $50–$150 per delivery; some plants charge per cubic yard short of the minimum instead.
Most US ready-mix plants charge a flat short-load fee of $50–$150 per delivery, with $75–$100 being the most common range. Some plants use a per-yard structure — typically $10–$25 for each cubic yard your order falls short of the minimum. A few use a percentage of the order total, usually 10–20%. The exact amount varies by plant, region, and current fuel costs. Always ask your supplier for their specific fee schedule before placing an order below the minimum threshold.
Most US ready-mix plants set a minimum order of 1 cubic yard, but their no-surcharge threshold is typically much higher — often 6–10 cubic yards. Below that threshold, the short-load fee applies. Some larger plants won't dispatch a truck for less than 3 or 4 yards at all, regardless of surcharge. The practical minimum for most residential operations is 1 yard, but you'll pay a fee on anything less than 6–8 yards depending on the plant. Call your local supplier to get their specific numbers.
For most pours over about 0.5 cubic yards (roughly 13 cubic feet), ready-mix with a short-load fee is cheaper than bags on material cost alone — and it's far less labor-intensive. At 0.5 yd³ or less, bags typically win on materials. However, mixing 50–135+ bags by hand or in a rented mixer is physically exhausting, time-consuming, and results in inconsistent mix quality compared to plant-batched concrete. Unless the pour is genuinely tiny (post holes, anchor pads, small repairs), the ready-mix short-load fee is usually worth paying. Use this calculator to run the numbers for your specific volumes and prices.
Yes — and this is often the right move. If your order is slightly below the minimum threshold, rounding up to that threshold eliminates the surcharge entirely and gives you a useful overage buffer. For example, if you need 4.5 yd³ and the minimum is 5 yd³, ordering 5 yd³ at $130/yd³ costs $65 extra but avoids a $100 fee — saving $35 while also protecting you against cold joints if your pour runs over. Run the numbers: (additional yards × $/yd³) vs. the short-load fee amount. If the fee exceeds the top-up cost, top up.
Most do, but not all. Some rural plants serving low-volume markets price all orders the same and skip the surcharge to stay competitive. Some plants wrap the short-load cost into a higher base price per yard on small orders rather than calling it a fee separately. A few large commercial plants won't deliver below 4–5 yards at all. The only way to know is to call your local suppliers directly, compare their quotes on small volumes, and ask explicitly: "Is there a short-load fee and what is it?" Shopping two or three plants for a small job is almost always worthwhile.
The effective cost per yard is your total delivered cost (concrete material cost + short-load fee) divided by your order volume. For example: 3 yd³ at $130/yd³ = $390 material cost. Add a $100 flat fee and your total is $490. Divide by 3 yd³ and your effective rate is $163.33/yd³ — about 26% higher than the base price. This calculator computes this automatically so you can see exactly how much the surcharge inflates your per-yard cost and compare it against alternative sourcing options.
No — they are separate charges at most plants. A delivery fee (or fuel surcharge) covers the cost of transporting the truck from the plant to your job site and is typically charged on all orders regardless of volume, often $100–$250 depending on distance. The short-load fee is an additional surcharge applied specifically because the drum is less than full. If you're ordering a partial load, you may see both charges on your invoice. Always ask for a full breakdown of all line items when getting a concrete quote.
There's no universal standard — it depends entirely on the plant's minimum threshold. In the US, most ready-mix plants with standard 9–10 yd³ trucks consider anything under 7–8 yd³ a short load subject to surcharge. Some plants set the threshold at just 5–6 yd³. A few treat anything under a full truck as a short load. The most common practical answer is: anything under about 75% of truck capacity triggers a fee at most plants, but you must confirm this with your specific supplier before ordering.
In theory yes — if a neighbor also has a small concrete job, combining your orders on one truck delivery can push the total above the minimum threshold and eliminate the surcharge for both of you. In practice, this requires precise coordination: both pours must be ready at the same time, on the same day, within a short drive of each other, and the plant must be willing to make a scheduled stop mid-delivery. Some plants allow it; others don't due to liability and scheduling complexity. It's worth asking your plant if a split delivery is feasible, especially in a development where multiple slabs or driveways are being poured in the same week.
