Buying by the pallet is cheaper per bag and saves a dozen trips to the merchant. It also puts a ton and a half on your driveway, so it is worth knowing the numbers before you order.
Pallet counts and yields
| Bag size | Bags per pallet | Pallet weight | Concrete yield |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40 lb | 80 | 3,200 lb | 0.89 yd³ |
| 50 lb | 64 | 3,200 lb | 0.89 yd³ |
| 60 lb | 56 | 3,360 lb | 0.93 yd³ |
| 80 lb | 42 | 3,360 lb | 0.93 yd³ |
| 20 kg (UK) | 60–70 | 1,200–1,400 kg | 0.56–0.65 m³ |
| 25 kg (UK) | 40–56 | 1,000–1,400 kg | 0.46–0.65 m³ |
US pallet counts are fairly consistent between Quikrete and Sakrete. UK merchants vary more, so confirm the count when you order rather than assuming.
A pallet is about a cubic yard
That is the useful shorthand. Whichever US bag size you choose, one pallet lands within a whisker of 0.9 cubic yards, because the manufacturers build pallets to a weight limit rather than a bag count.
Which also means the pallet is close to the point where ready-mix becomes the better buy. A pallet of 80 lb bags at $6 each is around $250 for 0.93 yd³. The same volume delivered as ready-mix costs roughly $140 plus a short-load fee — and someone else mixes it.
Getting it home
A full pallet weighs about 1.5 US tons or 1.4 tonnes. That is beyond the payload of most pickups and every car trailer you are likely to own. Merchants deliver on a lorry with a tail lift or a Hiab, and they will need somewhere firm and level to set it down.
Keep the shrink wrap on until you are using the bags. Cement powder pulls moisture out of the air, and a pallet left open through a wet week will have gone hard round the edges.
How many bags do you actually need?
Work out the volume first, then convert. Our bag calculator gives the count for every common size at once, so you can see whether you are buying two pallets or half of one. For the pour itself, the slab calculator handles dimensions and wastage.
Common questions
How many 80 lb bags of concrete are on a pallet?
42 bags, weighing 3,360 lb in total and yielding about 0.93 cubic yards of concrete.
How many 60 lb bags are on a pallet?
56 bags — the same 3,360 lb pallet weight, yielding roughly 0.93 cubic yards.
How much does a pallet of concrete weigh?
Around 3,200 to 3,400 lb (1.45 to 1.55 tonnes) for US pallets, and 1,000 to 1,400 kg for UK pallets. Check your delivery access can take it.
How long can I store bags of concrete?
Six to twelve months if kept dry, off the ground and wrapped. Any bag that has gone lumpy has already reacted with moisture and will not reach full strength.