Concrete Removal Pricing Guide

Assess weight and plan load count

Measure the slab dimensions on-site or from customer-provided measurements. Calculate total weight using 150 lbs per cubic foot. Divide by your truck's payload capacity to determine trip count. A 10×12 patio at 4 inches thick weighs roughly 6,000 lbs — that is 1.5 loads on a 4-ton payload truck, meaning you are making two trips. Build both trips into the quote before starting work.

Concrete removal typically costs $200–$400 for small jobs under 1 ton, $400–$900 for medium jobs between 1 and 3 tons, and $900–$1,500+ for large jobs over 3 tons like full driveways. Add $200–$800 if the slab is intact and needs jackhammer breakup before loading. Rebar-reinforced concrete adds $100–$200 for on-site cutting. Total cost depends primarily on weight, slab thickness, rebar content, and how far the concrete sits from your truck.

Concrete weighs approximately 150 pounds per cubic foot, or about 4,050 pounds per cubic yard. A standard 10×10-foot patio slab poured at 4 inches thick weighs roughly 5,000 lbs (2.5 tons). A 12×20-foot driveway at 4 inches thick is approximately 12,000 lbs (6 tons). Measure length times width times thickness in feet, then multiply by 150 to estimate total weight. Always round up 10% because pours are rarely uniform thickness.

It depends entirely on your truck's payload capacity. Check your GVWR sticker on the driver door jamb and subtract your truck's empty weight — that is your maximum payload. A typical 16-foot box truck allows 8,000–10,000 lbs of payload, which handles 4–5 tons of concrete per trip. The truck will look half empty by volume at full weight capacity. Weigh your truck empty at a CAT scale for $12 so you know the exact number. Never estimate.

Yes, many concrete recycling facilities accept clean concrete with no rebar, wire mesh, or dirt contamination at zero cost. They crush it into recycled aggregate and sell it as road base material for $8–$12 per ton, so your concrete is their raw material. Some facilities even pay $2–$5 per ton for large clean loads. Concrete with rebar or mixed debris routes to C&D facilities instead at $25–$55 per ton. Separating rebar on-site saves you that entire disposal cost.

Yes, you need general liability insurance at minimum for concrete hauling, plus commercial auto insurance for transport. If you break intact slabs with a jackhammer, verify your GL policy includes demolition coverage — many standard junk removal policies exclude demo work. Workers compensation is essential because concrete handling causes the highest injury rates in the industry. A single back injury claim averages $28,000–$45,000. Budget $3,500–$6,000 per year total for a properly insured 2-truck concrete removal operation.