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How Much Concrete for an 8x28 Slab?

An 8 by 28 foot slab is 224 square feet. How much concrete for an 8x28 slab at the common 4-inch thickness: about 2.77 cubic yards. Most people order 3.25 yards to cover waste and an uneven base.

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The math for an 8x28 slab

  1. Area: 8 ft × 28 ft = 224 sq ft.
  2. Thickness in feet: 4 in ÷ 12 = 0.333 ft.
  3. Volume: 224 × 0.333 = 74.7 cubic feet.
  4. Cubic yards: 74.7 ÷ 27 = 2.77 yd³.
  5. With 10% extra: 3.04 yd³.

The concrete calculator runs the same steps for any size and thickness.

Concrete for an 8x28 slab by thickness

ThicknessCubic feetCubic yardsYards +10%80 lb bags60 lb bags
4 in74.72.773.04125166
5 in93.33.463.80156208
6 in112.04.154.56187249

Bag counts assume about 0.60 cubic feet per 80 lb bag and 0.45 per 60 lb bag, rounded up.

Thickness for this job

Four inches is the usual thickness for patios, walks and shed floors. Slabs that carry cars or a heavy hot tub are often poured at 5 to 6 inches, and edges are sometimes thickened where loads concentrate.

Truck or bags?

Concrete is ordered by the cubic yard, and a yard is 27 cubic feet. Ready-mix plants usually sell in quarter- or half-yard steps, so round up to the next step rather than down. Running short in the middle of a pour leaves a cold joint, which is a weak seam in the slab.

Base and forms

Uneven ground is the main reason pours run short. Every half inch of extra depth across the slab adds concrete you did not plan for. Screed the base flat, check it with a string line and set the forms to finished height before the truck arrives.

Joints and reinforcement

Reinforcement does not stop cracks, but it holds them tight. Wire mesh or rebar set mid-depth on chairs is common for a slab that carries vehicles; fiber-reinforced mix is an option for light-duty slabs. Joints about 10 feet apart control where cracks form.

Questions people ask

How many yards of concrete for an 8x28 slab at 4 inches?

About 2.77 cubic yards, or 3.04 with 10 percent extra.

How many yards for an 8x28 slab at 6 inches?

About 4.15 cubic yards.

How many 80 lb bags for an 8x28 slab?

About 125 bags at 4 inches thick, before any waste allowance.

How many square feet is an 8x28 slab?

224 square feet.

Should I add extra for waste?

Yes. Adding 5 to 10 percent covers uneven base, spillage and form bulges.

How thick should the base under the slab be?

About 4 inches of compacted gravel is common for residential slabs, more on soft or poorly drained soil.

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