How Many 80 lb Bags of Concrete Can a Pickup Carry? 3,000 lb Payload

A pickup with 3,000 lb of payload carries 37 bags of 80 lb concrete mix, 2,960 lb, with nothing else aboard. The driver, passengers and other cargo count against the payload: with 200 lb of people and gear it is 35 bags. Use the payload printed on the door-jamb sticker of your own truck.

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Example job shown. Change the numbers to match yours.

Weight

5,000 lb

2.50 US tons, at 150 lb/ft³

What to buy

Bags of 80 lb mix one payload carriesPayload ÷ dry bag weight, rounded down. That is 2,960 lb of bags; the driver and other cargo count against the payload37 bags
Bags of 80 lb mix this slab would needAt about 0.30, 0.45 and 0.60 ft³ per 40, 60 and 80 lb bag (Quikrete data sheets)56 bags

In US tons: 2.50 tons
In kilograms: 2,268 kg
Weight per square foot: 50.0 lb/ft²
Volume: 33.33 ft³
Volume in cubic yards: 1.23 yd³

Bagged mix in a truck

Truck trips for those bags: 2 trips

Concrete weighs about 150 lb per cubic foot (4,050 lb per cubic yard), or 12.5 lb per square foot for every inch of thickness. Plain concrete with no steel is about 145 lb per cubic foot and reinforced concrete about 150 (FHWA Lightweight Concrete Bridge Design Primer, 2021, report FHWA-HIF-19-067). Lightweight concrete is much lighter, and the 115 and 160 lb per cubic foot choices are rough figures that are not from that source: ask your supplier for the real density of the mix. A 4 inch slab weighs about 50 lb per square foot. Check that a deck, roof or the ground can carry the weight.

Before you buy: round up to whole packs, check the size printed on the label, and add a little spare. Your supplier has the final say.

Blueprint

1.23 yd³ · 56 bags

3,000 lb: most of a cubic yard in one trip

A 3,000 lb payload carries 37 bags of 80 lb mix, 2,960 lb, with 40 lb left. That is 22.2 cubic feet of concrete, 0.82 cubic yards, or 66.6 square feet at 4 inches.

Loads this size raise a different question: whether to haul bags at all. 37 bags is 2,960 lb to lift off the shelf, into the bed, out again and into a mixer. A 12 × 12 ft slab needs 80 bags, 3 trips, and weighs 7,200 lb finished.

Bags left after people and cargo

Payload is everything the truck carries: the driver, passengers, tools, a toolbox, a hitch and the bags. Take the rest off first.

Already aboard	Payload left for bags	40 lb bags	60 lb bags	80 lb bags
Nothing else aboard	3,000 lb	75	50	37
200 lb of people and cargo	2,800 lb	70	46	35
400 lb of people and cargo	2,600 lb	65	43	32
600 lb of people and cargo	2,400 lb	60	40	30

Use the payload on the sticker inside the driver's door of your own truck, not a figure for the model or the class. Bag weights are dry weights as sold.

Trips for a slab with 80 lb bags (3,000 lb payload)

Each row is a 4 inch slab with no waste added, at 37 bags a trip.

Slab	Concrete	80 lb bags	Trips	Weight of the slab
8 × 8 ft	21.3 ft³	36	1	3,200 lb
8 × 10 ft	26.7 ft³	45	2	4,000 lb
10 × 10 ft	33.3 ft³	56	2	5,000 lb
10 × 12 ft	40.0 ft³	67	2	6,000 lb
12 × 12 ft	48.0 ft³	80	3	7,200 lb
12 × 16 ft	64.0 ft³	107	3	9,600 lb

Worked example

3,000 ÷ 80 = 37.5, so 37 whole bags. 37 × 80 = 2,960 lb, 40 lb under the payload. 37 × 0.60 = 22.2 cubic feet of concrete.

Bags per load at other payloads

Payload	40 lb bags	60 lb bags	80 lb bags
1,000 lb	25 bags	16 bags	12 bags
1,500 lb	37 bags	25 bags	18 bags
2,000 lb	50 bags	33 bags	25 bags
3,000 lb	75 bags	50 bags	37 bags

Enter your own payload and slab in the concrete weight calculator, or see how many bags of concrete equal a yard and how much concrete weighs.

Want to change anything else? The calculator above is the full Concrete Weight Calculator: edit any number and the results update instantly.

Tools & materials for this project

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Tape measure (25 ft)

Frequently asked questions

How many 80 lb bags of concrete can a truck with a 3,000 lb payload carry?

37 bags, which weigh 2,960 lb, if nothing else is aboard: 3,000 ÷ 80, rounded down. The driver, passengers and other cargo count against the payload, so with 200 lb of people and gear it is 35 bags.

Can a pickup carry a full yard of bagged concrete?

Not in one trip at 3,000 lb of payload. A cubic yard is 45 bags of 80 lb mix, 3,600 lb dry, and this payload takes 37. It is 2 trips.

How much concrete do 37 bags of 80 lb mix make?

About 22.2 cubic feet (0.82 cubic yards), at 0.60 cubic feet a bag. That pours 66.6 square feet of slab 4 inches thick.

Related sizes and guides

Estimates only. Results assume standard materials and simple shapes. Supplier products vary, and the final call on quantity, structure and safety is yours. Check your local code and your supplier's guidance before ordering.

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