ConstructionCalc

Know what your project really costs — before you call a contractor.

Free calculators and guides built from sourced data, with every number explained.

Prices pulled live from public BLS/FRED data — and every figure on the site traces to a named source.

9 calculators liveLive FRED pricingImperial + MetricSources named

Calculators

The full live set covers driveways, slabs, footings, columns, walls, and stairs. Material cost flows from the BLS ready-mix index where relevant; labor and fees are computed estimates, labeled as estimates.

Gravel calculator

Convert length, width, and depth into cubic yards, tons, bags, and cost. Loose stone is about 1.4 tons per cubic yard; compacted base is 1.85.

Concrete calculator

A 10-by-10-foot slab 4 inches thick holds 1.23 cubic yards; order 1.36 with 10% extra, or 62 eighty-pound bags.

Concrete slab cost calculator

Installed slab cost from the Census cost-structure model; a 4-inch slab on a base runs about $6.42 per square foot.

Concrete bag calculator

Counts concrete bags for slabs, footings, and post holes at every size; a 10-by-10 slab needs 62 eighty-pound bags.

Concrete weight calculator

A cubic yard of plain concrete weighs about 3,915 lb, roughly 2 US tons, at a density of 145 lb per cubic foot.

Driveway area calculator

Driveway area in square feet and square metres for rectangle, round, or L-shape; a two-car area covers about 360 to 400 sq ft.

Driveway cost calculator

Installed concrete driveway cost from the Census cost-structure model, about $6.42 per square foot for a plain 4-inch drive.

Sand calculator

Calculates cubic yards, tons, bags, and cost of sand; sand weighs about 2,700 lb per cubic yard.

Topsoil calculator

Converts area, depth, and topsoil type into cubic yards and tons, with a 25% settling allowance built in.

All calculators →

Find your project, find your tools

The catalog is organized by what you're actually building: the project, then the calculators that compute its numbers, the main guide that surveys it, and the deeper guides on each decision.

Concrete slabs

If you're pouring a slab, these calculators and guides cover the whole process: sizing the pour, prepping the base, choosing reinforcement, mixing the right ratio, and getting cure timing right.

Tools

Concrete Slab Guide: Thickness, Rebar, Base & Cost

Residential slabs follow the code: a thickness floor, a strength class, a compacted gravel base, reinforcement where the load needs it, and control joints to steer where it cracks.

Concrete vs Cement: What's the Difference?

Explains that cement is the binder powder and concrete is the finished mix of cement, water, sand, and aggregate.

How Much Gravel Do You Need Under a Concrete Slab?

How much compacted gravel base a residential slab needs, how to build it in lifts, and how to size the order.

How Thick Should a Concrete Slab Be?

What US model codes actually require for slab thickness, why a private patio or driveway has no code minimum, and when heavier loads call for more.

Do You Need Rebar in a Concrete Slab? Rebar vs Mesh vs Fiber

Explains whether a slab needs rebar, mesh, or fiber, and where the steel sits for crack control.

How Long Does Concrete Take to Cure?

The curing milestones that matter: when concrete is safe to walk on, when it is ready for vehicles, and when it reaches its rated strength.

Concrete Mix Ratio: Cement, Sand & Aggregate

The cement-sand-aggregate proportions and the water-cement ratio that set a mix’s strength, from QUIKRETE and US Bureau of Reclamation data.

How to Estimate a Concrete Project

The steps to size a pour — area, depth, cubic yards, and a waste allowance — and which calculator does each one.

Concrete driveways

For a concrete driveway, start here: measuring the footprint, costing the install, sizing for cars and turning, comparing concrete vs asphalt vs pavers, and the upkeep of crack-repair, resurfacing, and sealing.

Tools

Concrete Driveway Guide: Cost, Size, Thickness & Lifespan

What a concrete driveway actually costs by the Census cost-structure model, how thick to pour it, and how it compares with asphalt and pavers.

How Thick Should a Concrete Driveway Be?

What US model codes require for driveway thickness and why a private driveway has no code minimum, plus when heavier vehicles call for more.

How Much Does a Concrete Driveway Cost?

A concrete driveway installed cost from the Census cost-structure model, with the DOT benchmarks, tear-out, and permit examples that frame it.

Concrete vs Asphalt Driveway: Cost, Lifespan & Climate

Concrete costs more to install but lasts longer with less upkeep, while asphalt is cheaper upfront — weighed on cost, lifespan, and climate.

Concrete vs Pavers vs Gravel Driveway: Cost & Upkeep

Gravel is the cheapest and highest-maintenance driveway, concrete the durable middle, and pavers the priciest but most repairable — weighed on cost, lifespan, and upkeep.

How Big Should a Driveway Be? Width, Length & Turning

How wide and long a driveway should be for your vehicles, with room to turn and open doors, sized from parking-stall and roadway width standards.

Concrete Driveway Crack Repair: When and How to Fix It

How to tell a cosmetic driveway crack from a structural one, what to fill it with, and when to call a pro.

Resurface or Replace a Concrete Driveway?

When a driveway can be resurfaced over a sound base versus fully replaced, and what each path involves.

Sealing a Concrete Driveway: When, How Often & Which Sealer

Which sealer type suits a concrete driveway, when to first seal it, and how often to reseal it by sealer type.

Concrete patios

For a concrete patio, start here: picking the finish, sizing for use rather than a fixed number, the slope-away-from-the-house drainage rule, and the DIY-prep-hire-pour middle path.

Tools

Concrete Patio Guide: Cost, Size, Thickness & Finishes

What a concrete patio costs by the Census cost-structure model, how thick to pour it, and how plain, stamped, and decorative finishes differ.

How Thick Should a Concrete Patio Be?

How thick a concrete patio needs to be, why a private patio has no code minimum, and the drainage slope the code does set.

How Much Does a Concrete Patio Cost?

What a concrete patio costs from the Census cost-structure model, worked from a 12-by-12-foot example.

Stamped Concrete Patio: Pros, Cons & Maintenance

How stamped concrete is poured, sealed, and maintained, including the de-icer and resealing rules that keep the pattern intact.

Concrete vs Pavers Patio: Cost, Repairs & Climate

Concrete is the cheaper, lower-maintenance patio; pavers cost more but lift out one unit at a time to repair — weighed on cost, climate, and repair.

How Big Should a Patio Be? Sizes by Use

How to size a patio from its furniture and the clearances and walkway widths that building standards actually set.

Can You Resurface a Concrete Patio?

When a concrete overlay works over a sound slab versus full replacement, and which product does what.

Should You Seal a Concrete Patio?

Which sealer suits a concrete patio and how often to reseal it, stated per sealer type rather than one blended interval.

How Thick Should a Hot Tub Concrete Pad Be?

How thick and how reinforced a hot-tub pad needs to be for a filled spa’s weight, and what has a code minimum versus what does not.

Paint or Stain a Concrete Patio? Pros, Cons & Lifespan

How stain and paint differ on a concrete patio — penetration, durability, and upkeep — from the manufacturers’ own limits.

Landscape materials

For topsoil, fill dirt, sand, or gravel, pick by what the material has to DO (grow, support, drain a base, drain a surface), and layer when the job needs both. The guide teaches the sort; the calculators size each quantity.

Tools

Topsoil vs Fill Dirt vs Sand vs Gravel: Which Do You Need?

Choose topsoil, fill dirt, sand, or gravel by the job, and how to layer fill under a topsoil cap for planting.

Where these numbers come from

Every figure names its source. Material prices come from the Census Economic Census and USGS mineral data, escalated by BLS producer price indexes via FRED; installed cost uses the Census poured-concrete cost structure; bag yields and densities come from manufacturer data sheets and ASTM. When sources give a range we show the range; when a figure can't be traced to a primary source, we leave it out. Corrections and our AI-use disclosure are on the editorial policy page.

Operated by Marko Visic (BSc Physics, University of Ljubljana) through Moving Data Systems d.o.o. Background and contact on the about page.

Methodology

How every number on the site is sourced and computed — the PPI escalator and live-or-last-verified labeling.

Editorial Policy

What we publish, how we verify, when we correct — the editorial discipline behind the calculators and guides.

About

Operated by Moving Data Systems d.o.o. — who runs the site and where to reach us.