Bagged Concrete versus Ready-Mix Concrete. Which is better?
Lets pretend for a moment you are finalizing the details for a small project at your house and you are going to need 2 yards of concrete to make it all happen. You talk to a few friends and some recommend grabbing bags of Quikrete at the hardware store and mixing it yourself. But others say you should call a ready-mix concrete delivery company and have the 2 yards delivered. Who is right? As a ready-mix supplier, we obviously think you should call us and have the concrete delivered. But is that really the most effective and efficient approach? Again, we say yes. Let’s cover three reasons why ready-mix is a much better option than hand mixing bags of concrete mix.
Cost: Don’t think that mixing concrete from bags is cheaper than getting a delivery. It takes 45 bags of 80-pound Quikrete to mix one yard of concrete. For your 2 yard project, that means you will need 90 bags at 80 pounds apiece. 80# bags cost approximately $4.65 each. A total of $418.5 before tax, or delivery. As of writing this, Rocket Concrete can deliver 2 yards of ready-mix concrete for $420, before tax. So right out of the gate, depending on how you get the bags delivered to your house, a ready-mix delivery is the same price if not cheaper. Maybe you want to rent a portable mixer instead of mixing it in a wheelbarrow. Don’t forget to add that expense or any other specialty tool rental to your price. Which will make a Rocket Concrete delivery even more cost-effective! I think I made my point, so I won’t even mention the savings on the value of your time. But that does lead to reason #2.
Save Time: Consider this, it takes roughly 10-14 wheelbarrows to move one yard of concrete. Meaning, if you choose to mix the bags in a wheelbarrow you can count on doing 20-28 individual mixes. If you are really fast and can get a wheelbarrow properly mixed in 10 minutes, it will still take you over 3 hours to pour a 2-yard project. And don’t forget, you will have to move 90, 80# bags from the pallet to your worksite, from the ground to the wheelbarrow, from the wheelbarrow to the forms. 90 bags weigh 7,200#. So you can count on lifting a total load of roughly 21,600 pounds! That is a massive commitment of time and manual effort compared to simply putting the wheelbarrow under the chute of our truck and taking a breath while we fill you up. The time and energy you save with a ready-mix delivery means you will have more time for troweling and finishing to make your project look perfect.
Inconsistent Mix Quality: Continuing from point #2, if there is a three-hour gap from your first batch to your last, depending on the temperature and humidity, you can expect the concrete to set differently. As a result, best case, you won’t get the finish perfect and there will be visual differences in the final product. And worst case, due to pouring small section by small section, you risk having a cold joint between the sections which will threaten the integrity of the concrete. By using a ready-mix delivery you can eliminate all these issues. If we can get the truck in position on your job site, we can pour directly from the truck into your forms, completing the pour in less than 20 minutes. And the entire project will have come from the same batch giving you a consistent product and finish.
If you are fixing a fence post or patching a 2’x2’ area on your driveway, hand mixing a few bags of concrete is a great option. However, if you are trying to handle a project requiring more than one-yard of concrete, or if the structural integrity of the project is important, there is no reason not to call us for a ready-mix delivery. We will save you money, time, effort, and ensure a quality product for the job. Call Rocket Concrete today at (980)281-3131 to schedule a delivery. We proudly serve the entire Charlotte, NC area.
