Concrete Batch Calculator

Enter your mix ratio, target volume, and water-cement ratio to get exact quantities of cement, sand, coarse aggregate, and water for any concrete batch.

Free to use No sign-up required Based on ACI 211.1 mix proportioning Imperial & metric supported

✓ Cement, sand, aggregate & water ✓ By volume or by weight ✓ Any mix ratio (1:2:3, 1:1.5:3, custom) ✓ Last verified May 2026

Reviewed by the AllConcreteCalculator.com editorial team — formulas cross-checked against ACI 211.1 standard practice for selecting proportions for normal concrete, May 2026.

Enter Your Batch Parameters

Mix Ratio — Cement Parts

Almost always 1. This is the reference part; sand and aggregate ratios are relative to it. Enter a value greater than 0.

Mix Ratio — Sand Parts

Parts of fine aggregate (sand) per 1 part cement. Standard range: 1.5–3. Enter a value greater than 0.

Mix Ratio — Aggregate Parts

Parts of coarse aggregate per 1 part cement. Standard range: 2–4. Enter a value greater than 0.

Water-Cement Ratio (w/c)

Typical range: 0.40–0.60. Lower = stronger. ACI recommends ≤0.45 for freeze-thaw exposure. Enter a w/c ratio between 0.30 and 0.80.

Target Batch Volume

Enter the finished concrete volume you need to produce. Please enter a valid volume greater than 0.

Show Ingredient Quantities In Weight is the industry standard for batching. Volume is useful for on-site mixing.

Quick-select mix ratio

Cement Price per 94 lb Bag (optional)

Leave blank to skip cost estimate. US average: $12–$18 per 94 lb bag (1 cu ft yield).

Results appear instantly. No sign-up required.

Your Batch Estimate

Cement Required

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94 lb Bags of Cement

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Cement

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Water

All Ingredients per Batch

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Cement

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Fine Aggregate (Sand)

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Coarse Aggregate

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Water

— Mix Ratio (C:S:A)

— w/c Ratio

— Batch Volume

— Total Batch Weight

Estimated Cement Material Cost

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Cement cost only, based on bag price you entered. Add cost of sand (~$25–$50/ton), aggregate (~$20–$40/ton), and admixtures for total material cost. Use our Concrete Cost Calculator for a full project budget.

Absolute volume method (ACI 211.1):
Step 1: Convert target volume to ft³
Step 2: Dry loose volume of ingredients = target_ft³ ÷ 0.67 (void ratio correction for compaction to ~67% of loose volume)
Step 3: Total ratio parts = C + S + A (e.g. 1+2+3 = 6)
Step 4: Cement vol (ft³) = (C ÷ total) × dry_vol
Step 5: Sand vol (ft³) = (S ÷ total) × dry_vol
Step 6: Aggregate vol (ft³) = (A ÷ total) × dry_vol
Step 7: Cement weight (lb) = cement_ft³ × 94 (loose density ~94 lb/ft³)
Step 8: Water weight (lb) = cement_weight × w/c_ratio
Step 9: Sand weight (lb) = sand_ft³ × 105.6 (dry loose density ~105.6 lb/ft³)
Step 10: Aggregate weight (lb) = agg_ft³ × 100 (dry loose density ~100 lb/ft³)
Step 11: Bags = CEIL(cement_weight ÷ 94)

How to Use This Concrete Batch Calculator

Set your mix ratio (C:S:A). Enter the number of parts cement, sand, and coarse aggregate. If your mix design says "1:2:3," enter 1, 2, and 3. Use the quick-select buttons for the most common nominal ratios. If your spec calls for a custom ratio like 1:1.5:2.5, type it directly. The cement part is almost always 1 — it is the reference value; everything else is a multiple of it.
Enter the water-cement ratio (w/c). This is the weight of water divided by the weight of cement. It directly controls strength and durability — a w/c of 0.45 produces stronger, more durable concrete than 0.55. Your concrete spec, structural drawings, or engineer should specify the maximum w/c. If none is given, 0.50 is a safe default for general flatwork; use 0.45 or lower for driveways, slabs exposed to freeze-thaw, or any project requiring 4,000+ PSI.
Enter the target batch volume. This is the volume of finished concrete you need to produce from this batch. Match the unit to how your job is measured — cubic yards for US ready-mix orders, cubic feet for on-site mixing, cubic meters for metric projects. The calculator works in all three.
Read the ingredient quantities and order materials. The results show how much cement (in bags and by weight), sand, aggregate, and water you need. Use the bag count for cement procurement. Give the weight figures to your batch plant or use them to load a transit mixer. If you entered a cement bag price, the cost estimate helps you budget for material.

⚠ Pro Tip: The w/c ratio does more than the mix ratio to control your final concrete strength. Reducing w/c from 0.55 to 0.45 adds roughly 1,000–1,500 PSI of compressive strength for the same cement content. Never add water to the truck to make concrete easier to work — you're trading durability for convenience, and every gallon added cuts strength by 200–300 PSI.

Concrete Batch Formula Explained

This calculator uses the absolute volume method from ACI 211.1 — the standard practice for proportioning normal-weight concrete. The core principle is that the ingredients (cement, sand, aggregate, water) must sum to the required batch volume. A void-ratio correction factor of 0.67 accounts for the compaction of loose dry ingredients when mixed with water to produce finished concrete.

Step	Formula	Example (1:2:3, w/c=0.50, 1 yd³)
1. Convert volume to ft³	yd³ × 27	1 × 27 = 27 ft³
2. Dry loose volume	ft³ ÷ 0.67	27 ÷ 0.67 = 40.30 ft³
3. Total ratio parts	C + S + A	1 + 2 + 3 = 6 parts
4. Cement volume	(C ÷ total) × dry_vol	(1 ÷ 6) × 40.30 = 6.72 ft³
5. Cement weight	cement_ft³ × 94 lb/ft³	6.72 × 94 = 631.3 lb
6. Cement bags	CEIL(weight ÷ 94)	CEIL(631.3 ÷ 94) = 7 bags
7. Water weight	cement_weight × w/c	631.3 × 0.50 = 315.7 lb
8. Sand weight	sand_ft³ × 105.6 lb/ft³	13.43 × 105.6 = 1,418 lb
9. Aggregate weight	agg_ft³ × 100 lb/ft³	20.15 × 100 = 2,015 lb

Common Batch Reference Table — 1 Cubic Yard of Finished Concrete

All quantities shown per 1 yd³ of finished concrete. w/c = 0.50 unless noted. Bag count rounded up to nearest whole bag.
Mix Ratio (C:S:A)	Approx. Strength	Cement Bags	Cement (lb)	Sand (lb)	Aggregate (lb)	Water (lb)
1:1.5:3 (M25)	3,600 PSI	8	718	1,612	2,393	359
1:2:3 (M20)	2,900 PSI	7	631	1,418	2,015	316
1:2:4 (M15)	2,200 PSI	6	540	1,213	2,427	270
1:3:6 (lean)	1,500 PSI	4	385	1,299	2,598	193
1:1:2 (rich)	4,500+ PSI	10	960	1,080	1,440	384*

*Rich 1:1:2 mix uses w/c = 0.40 to achieve target strength. Strength values are indicative for properly cured, standard-weight concrete.

Which Mix Ratio Is Right for My Project?

The mix ratio determines the relative proportions of cement to aggregate. A richer mix (more cement, lower ratio numbers) costs more but delivers higher strength and durability. A lean mix costs less but is weaker and more porous. The table below reflects ACI 211.1 guidance and standard US commercial practice.

Recommended mix ratios by application. Strength values assume w/c = 0.50 and 28-day moist curing.
Application	Mix Ratio (C:S:A)	Target Strength	Max w/c	Notes
Mass fill / blinding layer	1:3:6	2,000 PSI	0.65	Non-structural only
Sidewalk / garden path	1:2:4	2,500 PSI	0.55	Light foot traffic
Residential patio / slab	1:2:3	3,000 PSI	0.50	Wire mesh recommended
Driveway / garage floor	1:2:3	3,500 PSI	0.45	Air entrainment if freeze-thaw
Structural slab / beam	1:1.5:3	4,000 PSI	0.45	Engineer approval required
High-performance structural	1:1:2	5,000+ PSI	0.40	Superplasticizer recommended
Precast elements	1:1.5:3	5,000+ PSI	0.38	Steam curing often used

When specifying concrete for a permitted structural project, your engineer or local building code may mandate a minimum PSI and maximum w/c ratio — use those numbers, not nominal ratios. Nominal ratios like "1:2:3" are useful for estimating and site-batched concrete; commercial ready-mix plants batch by weight to an approved mix design, not by volumetric ratio.

Common Mistakes When Batching Concrete

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Adding extra water to improve workability. This is the single most common and destructive mistake on a jobsite. Every additional gallon of water above the design w/c ratio drops compressive strength by 200–300 PSI. If the mix is too stiff, add a plasticizer or water reducer admixture — not water.
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Batching by loose volume instead of weight. Sand and aggregate can have moisture contents that vary by 3–5% site to site and day to day. Batching by weight eliminates this variable and produces a consistent mix. Volume batching is only acceptable for small non-structural pours where consistency isn't critical.
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Misidentifying the "part" as a fixed unit. A mix ratio of 1:2:3 means 1 part cement to 2 parts sand to 3 parts aggregate — it doesn't matter if that "part" is a bucket, a shovelful, or a kilogram. But whatever unit you choose must be the same for all three materials when batching by volume, or you must convert to weights using each material's bulk density.
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Ignoring aggregate moisture content. Stockpiled sand can hold 3–8% free moisture by weight. If you don't account for this, you're adding that water to your w/c ratio without knowing it. Professional batch plants measure and adjust for aggregate moisture before every truck load.
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Confusing cement with concrete in the ratio. The ratio 1:2:3 refers to cement:sand:coarse aggregate — not concrete:sand:aggregate. "Concrete" is the final product; "cement" is one ingredient in it. Using premixed bag concrete (which already contains sand and aggregate) and then adding more aggregate will ruin your designed ratio.

Frequently Asked Questions

A 1:2:3 concrete mix ratio means 1 part cement, 2 parts fine aggregate (sand), and 3 parts coarse aggregate (gravel or crushed stone) by weight or volume. The cement part is always the reference — all other ingredients are multiples of it. This is a commonly used nominal ratio for general residential concrete, producing approximately 3,000 PSI compressive strength when mixed with a water-cement ratio of 0.50. The actual strength depends heavily on the w/c ratio, curing conditions, and aggregate quality, not just the nominal ratio.
The amount of water per bag of cement is determined by the water-cement (w/c) ratio in your mix design. A standard 94 lb bag of cement with a w/c of 0.50 requires 47 lb (about 5.6 gallons) of water. At w/c = 0.45, that drops to 42.3 lb (about 5.1 gallons). Never rely on visual consistency or "splash tests" — use your calculated water weight and a scale or calibrated flow meter. Bag concrete products (Quikrete, Sakrete) specify water amounts on the bag for their pre-blended mix, but those are different products from plain cement.
The water-cement (w/c) ratio is the mass of water divided by the mass of cement in a batch. It is the single most important variable in concrete mix design. A lower w/c ratio means less water, denser paste, fewer voids, higher compressive strength, and better durability. For example, a w/c of 0.40 typically produces 5,000+ PSI concrete; w/c of 0.60 produces around 3,500 PSI. ACI 318 specifies maximum w/c ratios for different exposure conditions — 0.45 for concrete exposed to freeze-thaw or deicers, 0.40 for concrete in contact with sulfate soils. The practical challenge is that lower w/c concrete is harder to place and consolidate, which is why water reducers and plasticizers are used on engineered projects.
The number of cement bags per cubic yard depends on your mix ratio. For a 1:2:3 mix with w/c = 0.50, you need approximately 7 bags (94 lb each) per cubic yard. A richer 1:1.5:3 mix requires about 8 bags. A lean 1:3:6 mix uses only 4 bags. Ready-mix concrete plants typically use 5–7 bags per cubic yard for most residential work, with richer mixes for structural applications. Use this calculator to get the exact figure for your specific mix ratio.
M20, M25, and M30 are IS (Indian Standard) concrete grade designations where the number is the characteristic compressive strength in N/mm² (MPa) at 28 days. M20 (20 MPa ≈ 2,900 PSI) uses a nominal 1:1.5:3 mix and is common for slabs, beams, and columns in residential construction. M25 (25 MPa ≈ 3,600 PSI) uses a 1:1:2 or 1:1.5:3 mix for more demanding structural elements. M30 (30 MPa ≈ 4,350 PSI) is a designed mix requiring laboratory testing to proportion correctly and is used for bridges, high-rise columns, and prestressed members. In the US, these grades roughly correspond to 3,000, 3,500, and 4,000 PSI ready-mix grades, though US specifications typically use PSI and maximum w/c ratio rather than M-grade designations.
This is normal and expected. When cement, sand, aggregate, and water are mixed together, the fine particles (cement and sand) fill the voids between coarser aggregate particles. The total volume of finished concrete is always less than the sum of the dry loose volumes of the ingredients added separately. This compaction effect is why the calculator applies a 0.67 void ratio correction factor — the dry ingredients need to be about 1.5 times the required concrete volume to produce the correct yield. This is a fundamental physical property of granular material packing, not a calculation error.
Yes, for non-structural on-site mixing — but with important caveats. Volumetric batching is acceptable for garden paths, curb repairs, non-structural fill, and similar work. However, it introduces significant variation because sand bulks up when damp (a phenomenon called "bulking" — damp sand can measure up to 40% more volume than fully wet or oven-dry sand for the same weight). For any structural concrete requiring a specified PSI — driveways, slabs, footings, beams — use weight batching. Commercial batch plants always batch by weight for this reason.
For most US residential and commercial concrete, Type I/II portland cement (often sold as "Type I-II" or "general purpose") is correct. It is the standard for slabs, footings, driveways, and most structural work. Type III is a high-early-strength cement useful when you need to strip forms quickly or work in cold weather — it reaches 28-day strength in about 7 days. Type V is for concrete in high-sulfate environments (soils, seawater). White portland cement is used for architectural and decorative work. The density of all standard portland cement types is approximately 94 lb per cubic foot, which is the figure this calculator uses for its weight conversions.
The maximum aggregate size should not exceed one-third of the slab thickness, three-quarters of the minimum clear spacing between reinforcing bars, or one-fifth of the minimum form dimension — whichever is smallest. For a standard 4-inch residential slab: maximum aggregate = 1.33 inches. In practice, 3/4-inch (19mm) aggregate is the most common choice for general flatwork and structural concrete in the US. Smaller 3/8-inch aggregate is used for thin sections or where rebar spacing is tight. Larger 1.5-inch aggregate is sometimes used for mass concrete like footings and retaining walls to reduce heat of hydration.
The Concrete Mix Ratio Calculator helps you determine the correct ratio for a target strength or exposure condition — it answers "what ratio should I use?" The Concrete Batch Calculator (this tool) takes a ratio you already know and calculates the actual quantities to order or measure for a specific volume — it answers "how much of each ingredient do I need for X cubic yards?" Use the mix ratio calculator first if you're designing a mix from scratch, then use this calculator to turn that ratio into a purchase order or batch ticket for your specific project volume.