How Many Bags of Concrete Are on a Pallet? (QUIKRETE Counts, Yards and Weight)

A pallet of QUIKRETE Concrete Mix #1101 holds 42 bags of 80 lb, 56 bags of 60 lb or 80 bags of 40 lb. An 80 lb pallet yields 25.2 cubic feet (0.93 cubic yards) and carries 3,360 lb of mix.

How many bags of concrete are on a pallet?

For QUIKRETE Concrete Mix #1101, the manufacturer’s own product page lists the pallet count for three bag sizes: 80 bags of 40 lb (SKU 4030), 56 bags of 60 lb (SKU 10387) and 42 bags of 80 lb (SKU 10385). The page quotes them as "80 per pallet", "56 per pallet" and "42 per pallet". A lighter bag means more bags per pallet, but the totals land in the same range: 3,200 to 3,360 lb of mix.

Pallet counts come from QUIKRETE’s product page; yields come from the QUIKRETE data sheet. Both are linked in the sources. The 50 lb bag is sold in this product line too, but the page does not list a pallet count for it, so this guide gives none.

How much concrete is on a pallet?

cubic feet per pallet = bags per pallet × yield per bag (cu ft)
cubic yards per pallet = cubic feet per pallet ÷ 27

For the 80 lb pallet: 42 × 0.60 = 25.2 cubic feet, and 25.2 ÷ 27 = 0.933 cubic yards. A 60 lb pallet gives the same figure, 56 × 0.45 = 25.2. A 40 lb pallet gives 80 × 0.30 = 24.0 cubic feet, or 0.889 cubic yards. So one pallet of these bags is a little less than one cubic yard of concrete, which is why a job of exactly one yard needs a bit more than one pallet. If you need the yard-to-foot conversion, see how many cubic feet are in a cubic yard.

How much does a pallet of concrete weigh?

Multiply bags by bag weight: 42 × 80 = 3,360 lb for the 80 lb pallet, 56 × 60 = 3,360 lb for the 60 lb pallet and 80 × 40 = 3,200 lb for the 40 lb pallet. In short tons, 3,360 lb is 1.68 tons and 3,200 lb is 1.60 tons. That is the weight of the bags only. The wooden pallet and the wrap add to it, so treat the figures as a minimum. Before you load a pallet into a truck or trailer, check the vehicle’s payload rating against this weight, and ask the store about delivery or forklift loading.

How many pallets of concrete do you need?

pallets = cubic feet needed × (1 + allowance) ÷ cubic feet per pallet

Divide the volume you need by 25.2 for 80 lb or 60 lb pallets, or by 24.0 for 40 lb pallets. The table shows the pallets that cover common volumes with no allowance. Add your own allowance first: most estimators use 10% for a simple slab, which is a convention, not a standard.

Round up. A job that needs 2 cubic yards takes 2.14 pallets, so you buy 3 pallets, or 2 pallets plus 6 loose bags of 80 lb if the store sells singles. Whether it does, and at what price, is a question for your supplier.

Worked example: a 10 ft × 12 ft slab, 4 in thick

• Volume: 10 × 12 × (4 ÷ 12) = 40 cubic feet
• With a 10% allowance: 40 × 1.10 = 44 cubic feet
• 80 lb bags at 0.60 cu ft: 44 ÷ 0.60 = 73.33, so 74 bags
• Pallets of 42: 74 ÷ 42 = 1.76, so 2 pallets (84 bags), or 1 pallet plus 32 loose bags
• Weight of 74 bags: 74 × 80 = 5,920 lb
• Check by volume: 44 ÷ 25.2 = 1.75 pallets, the same answer

Two full pallets leave 10 spare bags, which is a useful cushion for a pour that cannot stop halfway. For the full slab method and a quick table of slab sizes, see how many bags of concrete you need.

How many bags are on a pallet for other brands and 50 lb bags?

It depends on the product and on the plant that packed it. The SAKRETE High Strength Concrete Mix page lists US bag sizes of 40, 60, 80 and 90 lb and yields of 0.30, 0.45 and 0.60 cubic feet for the first three, but it does not publish a pallet count, and the QUIKRETE page gives none for 50 lb bags. Rather than guess, this guide leaves those counts out. To get the number for any bag, use the pallet label or ask the store to count, then run the same arithmetic: bags × yield for cubic feet and bags × bag weight for weight.

Specialty mixes such as fast-setting, high-early-strength or high-yield concrete can have different yields and different counts, so do not reuse the figures in the table for them.

Pallets or ready-mix?

Pallets of bagged mix suit small and medium jobs: steps, small slabs, footings and fence posts. As the pour grows, mixing every bag by hand or in a small mixer becomes the limit. As a rough convention, once a job passes about 200 bags of 80 lb, which is 120 cubic feet or 4.44 cubic yards and 16,000 lb of mix, price ready-mix delivery as well. Trucks have minimum loads and short-load fees, so ask your supplier. For fence posts and tubes, the bag math is in how much concrete per fence post.

Assumptions and common errors

• Counts vary by product and plant. The figures above are QUIKRETE Concrete Mix #1101 only. A different product, bag size or store can differ.
• A store may sell part of a pallet. The count on the wrapper is the full pallet; a partial pallet has fewer bags.
• Weight excludes the pallet and wrap. Add them when you plan lifting or hauling.
• Yield is per product. Use the cubic feet printed on your bag if it differs from the data sheet.
• Skipping the allowance. Uneven ground and spillage mean the exact figure is rarely enough.
• Rounding pallets too early. Round bags up once, then convert to pallets.

This guide counts bags and pallets. It does not size slabs, footings or reinforcement; follow your local building code or an engineer for dimensions.

Questions people ask