What You Need to Pour a Concrete Slab: Tools and Materials Checklist
To pour a slab you need tools for five jobs: marking and digging, building the forms, placing the reinforcement, pouring and leveling, and finishing and curing. Most are cheap hand tools you keep; the plate compactor and the mixer are usually rented. A 10 × 10 ft slab 4 inches thick takes 1.36 cubic yards of concrete (62 bags of 80 lb), 2.1 tons of gravel base, 5 form boards and about 16 stakes. The checklist is below, and the concrete patio materials calculator works out the materials for your size.
Part of the project planner: Planning a concrete patio, slab or driveway.
The tool checklist, stage by stage
1. Mark out and dig
| Tool | What it is for | Own or rent |
|---|---|---|
| Tape measure (25 ft or longer) | Measuring the slab and checking the diagonals for square | Own |
| String line, stakes and a line level | Setting the edges and the finished height | Own |
| Marking paint | Drawing the outline on the ground | Own |
| Square-nose shovel and a spade | Digging out and leveling the soil | Own |
| Wheelbarrow | Moving soil out and gravel in | Own or borrow |
| Plate compactor | Compacting the soil and the gravel base | Rent |
2. Forms and reinforcement
| Tool | What it is for | Own or rent |
|---|---|---|
| Circular saw | Cutting the form boards to length | Own |
| Drill/driver and screws | Fixing the forms to the stakes, so they come apart easily | Own |
| 4 ft level | Setting the forms level, or to the slope | Own |
| Small sledgehammer | Driving the stakes | Own |
| Rebar cutter, or an angle grinder | Cutting rebar or wire mesh to fit | Own or rent |
| Tie wire and a twister | Tying the rebar crossings | Own |
3. Pour and level
| Tool | What it is for | Own or rent |
|---|---|---|
| Concrete mixer | Mixing bags, for a small slab only | Rent |
| Concrete rake (come-along) | Pushing the concrete into the corners and to height | Own |
| Screed board | A straight 2×4 longer than the slab is wide, drawn across the forms to strike off the surface | Own |
| Bull float | Smoothing a large slab straight after screeding | Rent |
4. Finish and cure
| Tool | What it is for | Own or rent |
|---|---|---|
| Magnesium hand float | Closing the surface once the bleed water has gone | Own |
| Edger and groover | Rounding the edges and cutting the control joints | Own |
| Steel trowel and a stiff broom | A smooth finish, or a broom finish for grip outdoors | Own |
| Plastic sheeting or curing compound and a sprayer | Keeping the slab damp while it gains strength | Own |
Safety kit
- Waterproof gloves and rubber boots. Wet concrete is caustic and can burn skin, so do not kneel in it or let it soak through clothes, and wash it off straight away.
- Safety glasses, because concrete splashes when it is raked and screeded.
- A dust mask when you open and tip bags of dry mix.
- Ear protection for the plate compactor and the saw.
- Call 811 a few days before you dig, so the buried lines are marked.
Bags or ready-mix, sized to your slab
The size of the slab decides the biggest tool question. 40 bags for an 8 × 8 ft slab is a day's work with a rented mixer and a helper, but a 20 × 20 ft slab needs 245 bags, so order ready-mix and have the truck pour it. The screed board needs to be about 2 ft longer than the slab is wide, so it rests on both forms.
| Slab, 4 in thick | Concrete | Usual way to pour it | Screed board | Stakes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 × 8 ft | 0.87 yd³ (40 bags) | Bags and a rented mixer | 10 ft | 13 |
| 10 × 10 ft | 1.36 yd³ (62 bags) | Ready-mix, or a mixer and a big crew | 12 ft | 16 |
| 12 × 12 ft | 1.96 yd³ (88 bags) | Ready-mix, or a mixer and a big crew | 14 ft | 20 |
| 16 × 16 ft | 3.48 yd³ (157 bags) | Ready-mix | 18 ft | 26 |
| 20 × 20 ft | 5.43 yd³ (245 bags) | Ready-mix | 22 ft | 32 |
The materials
For the 10 × 10 ft slab: 1.36 yd³ of concrete, 2.1 tons of gravel for a 4 inch base, 9 bars of #3 rebar (or 2 sheets of wire mesh), 7 rebar chairs, 5 form boards, 16 stakes and 10 ft of expansion joint strip. The materials list for a 10 × 12 slab and the concrete patio materials list show how each number is worked out, and the concrete calculator handles other shapes.
Before you start, read the common mistakes when pouring a slab, and see the slab planner for the whole job in order. Estimates only: check your local code.
Frequently asked questions
What tools do I need to pour a concrete slab?
A tape measure, string line and stakes, a shovel, a wheelbarrow, a plate compactor (rented), a circular saw and drill for the forms, a level, a concrete rake, a screed board, a float, an edger, a groover and a broom. Add a mixer for a small slab, or order ready-mix for a large one.
How much concrete for a 10x10 slab?
1.36 cubic yards at 4 inches thick with 10% extra, which is 62 bags of 80 lb mix.
Should I rent a concrete mixer or order ready-mix?
Up to about a cubic yard, bags and a rented mixer work. An 8 × 8 ft slab is 0.87 yd³ (40 bags). Above that, ready-mix is usually easier, because the whole slab has to be placed and leveled before the first batch starts to set.
Do I need a bull float?
For a small slab a hand float is enough. For a patio or driveway, a bull float on a long handle smooths the middle of the slab that you cannot reach from the edges.
More guides
Tools & materials for this project
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Estimates only. Quantities depend on your materials, site and supplier. Confirm important numbers before you order, and follow local building codes for anything structural.
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