Concrete Walkway Calculator
A 25-ft walkway 3 ft wide and 4 in thick takes 0.93 cubic yards of concrete — about 46 bags of 80-lb mix. Enter your walkway length, width, and thickness below for volume, bag count, and a material cost estimate for any path size.
Pro Tips
- →Garden walkways can be 3-4 feet wide
- →Use 4 inches thickness for standard foot traffic
- →Add curves for visual interest in landscaping
- →Consider stamped or colored concrete for aesthetics
- →Include expansion joints every 4-6 feet
Includes 10% waste factor
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Cost Estimate
Estimated material costs for your project
Recommendation: Ready-Mix Concrete
For projects over 1 cubic yard, ready-mix is typically more economical and easier to work with.
46 bags × 80lb
1.02 cubic yards + delivery
75 sq ft × $3.00–$8.00/sq ft
Prices vary by location and time. Contact local suppliers for accurate quotes.
For general step-by-step instructions, read our complete How To Pour Concrete and Stamped Concrete Guide.
What This Calculator Covers
Residential concrete walkways and garden paths from about 10 to 50 feet long, typically 3–4 feet wide and 4 inches thick. A 25-ft path 3 ft wide at 4 in thick takes 0.93 cubic yards — small enough to mix from bags but right at the cutoff where ready-mix starts to make sense. Use the calculator above for any combination of length, width, and thickness.
Walkway Concrete by Length
The table below assumes a 3-ft-wide path at 4 inches thick. Multiply bag counts by your actual width-to-3-ft ratio for narrower or wider runs.
| Length | Square Feet | Volume (cu yd) | 80-lb Bags (incl. 10% waste) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 ft | 30 | 0.37 | 18 |
| 15 ft | 45 | 0.56 | 28 |
| 20 ft | 60 | 0.74 | 37 |
| 25 ft | 75 | 0.93 | 46 |
| 30 ft | 90 | 1.11 | 55 |
| 40 ft | 120 | 1.48 | 73 |
| 50 ft | 150 | 1.85 | 92 |
Walkway Thickness: Foot Traffic vs. Light Loads
- 3.5 inches — minimum for garden paths that only see foot traffic and never need to support a wheelbarrow or mower. Saves about 12% on concrete vs. 4 inches.
- 4 inches — standard for residential walkways and sidewalks. Handles foot traffic, wheelbarrows, and lightweight push mowers indefinitely with #4 rebar or 6×6 W1.4/W1.4 wire mesh.
- 5 inches — use where the walkway crosses a driveway approach, may see occasional vehicle traffic (riding mower, ATV), or runs over expansive clay soils. Bump PSI to 4,000 here.
Bagged vs. Ready-Mix for Walkways
The practical cutoff sits right around 1 cubic yard (about 50 bags of 80-lb mix). Below that, bagged concrete is usually cheaper once you factor in the short-load fee that ready-mix companies add for small orders ($75–150 typical).
- Under 1 cu yd (paths up to 25–30 ft at 3 ft wide) — bagged mix from a wheelbarrow or rented mixer. Plan on 60-minute working time per batch.
- 1–2 cu yd (paths 30–60 ft) — borderline. Get a quote on short-load delivery vs. cost of buying and mixing 50–100 bags.
- Over 2 cu yd — ready-mix delivery. Expect $130–180/cu yd for the concrete plus delivery, with short-load fees waived above the truck's minimum.
Curves, Joints, and Finishes
Curved walkways read better in landscaping than straight runs. Form curves with strips of 1/4-inch hardboard or two layers of 1/8-inch plywood — both bend smoothly down to about a 3-ft radius without kinking.
Cut control joints across the walkway every 4–6 feet (roughly equal to the width × 1.5). Joints should be one-quarter the slab depth — 1 inch on a 4-inch path. Skipping joints almost guarantees random cracking within the first winter.
For traction, finish with a medium broom drag perpendicular to the walking direction. Stamped or colored finishes work well on walkways but typically add $4–8/sq ft to the installed cost — see our stamped concrete guide for cost and pattern details. For pricing the full walkway project including labor, the same per-square-foot rates from our sidewalk calculator apply.