Concrete patio cost per square foot, by finish
Concrete patio cost depends more on the finish than on anything else. National 2026 cost guides put a plain patio at $4.75–$9 per square foot installed and a stamped one at $10.50–$21, so the same 12 × 16 ft patio can cost twice as much with a pattern pressed into it.
| Finish | Typical installed price per sq ft | 12 × 16 ft patio | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plain (smooth trowel) | $4.75–$9 | $910–$1,730 | 2 guides |
| Broom | $6–$13 | $1,150–$2,500 | 1 guide |
| Exposed aggregate | $7–$18 | $1,340–$3,460 | 1 guide |
| Stained or colored | $8–$25 | $1,540–$4,800 | 1 guide |
| Stamped | $10.50–$21 | $2,020–$4,030 | 2 guides |
HomeGuide describes each finish. Plain is a basic trowel finish in gray concrete. For a broom finish, a broom is dragged across the wet surface to leave a texture for slip resistance. Exposed aggregate leaves the decorative stones in the mix showing at the surface. Stained or colored concrete gets acid or water-based stains or other color treatments, and stamped concrete has patterns pressed in that mimic stone, brick or tile.
Three of the five finishes have only one national source, HomeGuide, which is why their ranges are so wide; treat them as a guide to the order of prices more than exact figures. ConcreteNetwork.com groups patios by design instead: $5–$8 per square foot for plain, $8–$11 for a simple design and $11–$18 for custom work, which includes stamping. Individual figures for stamped concrete run from $9 to $30 a square foot.
What drives the price of a concrete patio
- The finish. This is the biggest single factor. The same patio costs about twice as much stamped as plain.
- Getting the concrete there. If the patio is behind the house, out of reach of the ready-mix chute, the concrete has to be pumped or wheeled in. Two suppliers in our survey list a pump at $300–$450 per pour, close to the $510–$660 the concrete for a 12 × 16 ft patio costs delivered.
- Thickness. Going from 4 to 5 inches on a 12 × 16 ft patio raises the order from 2.61 to 3.26 cubic yards and the delivered concrete from $510–$660 to $620–$800.
- Digging and base. Soft or wet soil means deeper digging and more stone, and the soil that comes out has to go somewhere.
- An old patio to remove. Removal typically adds $2.25–$6.75 per square foot. An old 12 × 16 ft slab 4 inches thick weighs 8,960–9,920 lb, about 4.5 to 5 tons of broken concrete to haul away.
- Size. A small patio still needs a crew visit, forms and a delivery, so its price per square foot tends to run higher than a large one’s.
- Region. Ready-mix list prices in our survey ranged from $115 to $195 a yard depending on the state, before any labor.
Patio cost by size
The table prices five common patio sizes, from a 10 × 10 ft pad to a 20 × 20 ft entertaining area, in the three finishes most patios get. All are 4 inches thick.
| Size | Plain | Broom | Stamped |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 × 10 ft · 100 sq ft | $475–$900 | $600–$1,300 | $1,050–$2,100 |
| 12 × 12 ft · 144 sq ft | $685–$1,300 | $865–$1,870 | $1,510–$3,020 |
| 12 × 16 ft · 192 sq ft | $910–$1,730 | $1,150–$2,500 | $2,020–$4,030 |
| 16 × 20 ft · 320 sq ft | $1,520–$2,880 | $1,920–$4,160 | $3,360–$6,720 |
| 20 × 20 ft · 400 sq ft | $1,900–$3,600 | $2,400–$5,200 | $4,200–$8,400 |
National typical price ranges, 2026 sources. Plain: $4.75–$9 per sq ft; Broom: $6–$13 per sq ft; Stamped: $10.50–$21 per sq ft.
The concrete in each is the same whatever the finish. The 12 × 16 ft patio takes 2.61 cubic yards with 10% extra, which costs $510–$660 delivered as ready-mix with the short-load and delivery fees. A 16 × 20 ft patio takes 4.35 yards, $810–$1,040 delivered. For another size or thickness, the concrete calculator gives the yards and the bag count. So on a stamped patio the concrete is roughly a quarter of the price or less, and most of the difference between finishes is labor, color, stamps and sealer.
Stamped concrete vs pavers
A paver patio typically costs $9.25–$19.25 per square foot installed, from three national guides, and concrete pavers specifically $8–$15 installed in Angi’s figures. Stamped concrete, at $10.50–$21, sits in the same band. HomeGuide’s comparison of pavers and concrete puts an average paver patio at $10–$17 per square foot. Plain concrete costs roughly half as much as either.
The overlap between stamped concrete and pavers explains why a stamped quote can come in above a paver quote for the same patio: both depend heavily on the pattern, the product and the installer, and the national ranges don’t show either one as reliably cheaper. Take a quote of $16.50 per square foot for a 550 sq ft stamped patio. That’s $9,075, inside the typical $5,780–$11,550 for stamped concrete at that size; the same area in pavers would typically be $5,090–$10,590.
Pavers cost more in materials than concrete. Concrete pavers alone typically cost $3.50–$5.50 per square foot before installation, so the pavers for a 12 × 16 ft patio come to $670–$1,060, while the concrete for the same patio is $510–$660 delivered. Each paver is then set by hand on a screeded bed. A stamped slab is placed in one pour, and its cost goes into finishing it.
The two need different upkeep. Stamped concrete is one slab, so a crack runs through the pattern and can’t be fixed by swapping out a piece. Pavers can be lifted and relaid one at a time, and the sand in the joints may need topping up. Ask each installer what their warranty covers and for how long, and how often they recommend resealing a stamped patio. The paver installation cost guide prices paver patios in detail, and patio cost lines up every surface from plain concrete to natural stone.
Prep: excavation, gravel base and forms
Sakrete’s instructions call for at least 4 inches of concrete for slabs, sidewalks and walkways, and Ohio’s ready-mix association uses 3.5 inches as a floor where no code sets a thickness. Under the concrete, the residential code’s rule for floor slabs, reproduced by the American Concrete Institute, calls for a 4 in base of stone or gravel. That rule is written for floors, but it’s a sensible reference for a patio; ask your contractor what your soil needs.
For the 12 × 16 ft patio, crusher run packs down hard and needs about a third extra for compaction:
- Area: 12 ft × 16 ft = 192 sq ft; × 4 in deep = 64 cu ft.
- 64 cu ft ÷ 27 = 2.37 cubic yards.
- Adding 33% for compaction and 5% extra for waste gives 3.31 cubic yards.
- Rounded up to the next 0.5 cubic yard: order 3.5 cubic yards.
- Weight of crusher run: 4.02–4.97 tons, depending on moisture and grading.
At $24–$34 a ton, 4.02–4.97 tons cost $95–$170, plus a delivery fee of $50–$150, which on a load this small can cost as much as the stone.
The digging is 8 inches deep for 4 inches of concrete on 4 inches of base: 128 cubic feet, or 4.74 cubic yards of soil measured in the ground, to remove and haul or spread somewhere else. The forms run around the 56 ft perimeter. If an old patio has to come out first, removal typically adds $2.25–$6.75 per square foot, $430–$1,300 for 192 square feet.
Pouring a 12 × 16 ft concrete patio yourself vs hiring a contractor
Take the 12 × 16 ft patio in the calculator, with 4 inches of concrete on 4 inches of crusher run:
- Concrete: 2.61 cubic yards, $510–$660 as ready-mix with the short-load and delivery fees
- Base: 4.02–4.97 tons of crusher run, $145–$320 delivered
- Materials total: $655–$980, plus form boards, a rented plate compactor and finishing tools
In 80 lb bags the concrete would be 118 bags for $735–$765, $105–$225 more than ready-mix and 9,440 lb of mix to lift and mix by hand. At this size the truck is both cheaper and easier.
Installed, the same patio is $910–$1,730 plain, $1,150–$2,500 broom finished and $2,020–$4,030 stamped. HomeGuide’s labor-only figure for slabs, $3–$5 per square foot, comes to $575–$960 here. Cement masons and concrete finishers, the people doing the work, had median pay of $27.41 an hour nationally in May 2025, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data. A contractor’s hourly rate runs above that because it also pays for insurance, tools and overhead.
The finish decides how realistic DIY is. A broom finish needs a bull float, edgers, a groover and a broom. Stamping needs a full set of stamp mats, release agent and color, applied while the slab is at the right stage across the whole patio at once. Installed, stamped patios cost about twice as much as plain ones, and a stamped surface is hard to redo if the timing goes wrong.
What to ask a patio contractor
- Can I see the stamp pattern and color on a finished job, not only a sample board?
- Is the color mixed into the concrete or applied to the surface?
- Is a sealer included, and how often do you recommend resealing?
- How will you place control joints within the pattern?
- How thick is the concrete, and how deep is the base?
- Which way does the patio slope, and how far does it drop away from the house?
- Is removal of the old patio and the dug-out soil in the price?
- What does your warranty cover, and for how long?
How to read a concrete patio quote
Divide the total by the patio’s square footage, then compare it with the range for the finish you’re buying, not with plain concrete. A stamped patio at $16.50 a square foot is ordinary; a broom-finished one at that price is above the typical $6–$13 and needs a reason, such as removal of an old patio, a lot of digging or difficult access. If a quote for stamped work comes in near plain-concrete prices, check whether color, a second color or sealer has been left out.
Look for the lines that should be there: excavation, base stone and its depth, forms, concrete and its thickness, finish, color, sealer, joints and cleanup. Two quotes at the same total can cover very different work.
The quote box under the patio calculator runs this check for you. Pick the finish you were quoted in the Finish menu first, then enter the patio’s size and the total; the result is your price per square foot set against that finish’s typical range.