Concrete labour calculator
Form, pour and finish a slab on grade, priced by the square foot.
Concrete
Form, pour and finish a slab on grade, priced by the square foot.
Default 25 sq ft an hour, or $3.25 a foot for the finishing crew. Price excludes sales tax.
$1,813
$4.53 / sq ftPrice excludes sales tax.
How this calculator prices a job
Form, pour and finish a slab on grade. The pour is fast; forming and finishing are the hours, and the weather decides the schedule.
The formula
hours = quantity ÷ production rate base = hours × labour rate (or quantity × per-unit rate) burden = base × burden % cost = base + burden price = cost ÷ (1 − margin)
Assumptions and defaults
| Production | 25 sq ft/hr |
| Per-unit rate | $3.25 per sq ft |
| Labour rate | $65/hr default |
| Payroll burden | 22% of base labour |
| Crew | 3 people, eight-hour days |
| Target margin | 30% |
Pro tips
Finishing is a fixed crew for a fixed window. You cannot slow a pour down, so understaffing it costs far more than the extra hand would have.
Price excavation and base separately, by the yard. It is the line that varies most between sites.
Burden is not optional. Payroll taxes, workers' comp, liability and paid time run 20 to 35 per cent on top of the wage you quote — a crew at $65 an hour costs you nearer $80 before a single overhead dollar.
Margin divides, it does not multiply. A 30 per cent margin on $1,000 of cost is $1,429, not $1,300 — the second number is a 30 per cent markup and only a 23 per cent margin.
Common questions
What is a fair concrete labour rate?
About $3.25 a square foot for the finishing crew on a slab on grade, or 25 sq ft an hour at crew rates.
Why is concrete labour so weather-dependent?
Because the window is fixed once the truck arrives. Heat, cold and rain all change the set, and a bad call means a bad slab you own.
How do I price labour to hit a target margin?
Divide, never multiply: price = cost ÷ (1 − margin). An all-in labour cost of $2,000 at a 30 per cent margin is $2,857. Multiplying by 1.30 gives $2,600, which is only a 23 per cent margin.
What is payroll burden?
Everything you pay on top of the wage: payroll taxes, workers' comp, liability insurance, holiday and any benefits. Twenty-two per cent is a reasonable starting point for a small crew — check yours against last year's numbers and change the field.
Does this include materials?
No. This tool prices labour only, so the number stays honest when material prices move. Work the quantities out in the material calculator and add them as their own line.