Colorado Concrete Prices, Codes & Climate

Ready-mix cost range

$140–$180per cubic yard

Frost depth reference

44″reference only

ACI 318 exposure classes

F3 · C2 · S2

Air entrainment

required for exterior flatwork

How much does concrete cost in Colorado?

Ready-mix in Colorado runs roughly $140 to $180 per cubic yard. That is an estimated band, not a quote — published US price sources disagree with each other by nearly two to one. How we source price figures.

What does the Colorado climate require?

High altitude produces wide daily temperature swings and well over a hundred freeze-thaw cycles a year, and magnesium chloride deicer on Front Range roads makes F3-grade air-entrained mixes essential.

Under ACI 318, Colorado falls in exposure classes F3, C2, S2. Air entrainment is required for exterior flatwork. Air entrainment is required for classes F1, F2 and F3.

How deep is the frost line in Colorado?

Compiled reference tables put Colorado at about 44 inches. That figure is orientation only. The footing depth you actually have to build to is determined by your local building department — IRC R403.1.4 requires footings to extend below the locally determined frost line, and there is no national number.

Soil concerns

Front Range bentonite claystone swells dramatically when wet and sulfate-bearing soils are common, so Type V cement, structural slabs and void-formed foundations are widely specified.

Seismic

Low seismicity overall with a few late Quaternary faults in the west. Residential flatwork requires no special seismic detailing.

Contractor licensing

We do not publish a licensing determination for Colorado without a dated primary source. We do not publish a state licensing determination without a dated primary source. Check the state board directly. Check the official source.

Cities

• Denver
• Colorado Springs
• Aurora
• Fort Collins
• Lakewood
• Thornton
• Pueblo