Is Ready Mix Concrete Better Than Mixing It Yourself?

If you’re planning a concrete job, you’ve probably wondered whether to order ready mix concrete or mix it yourself. It’s a common question, and the answer depends on your project. Let’s break down the pros and cons of each approach to help you make the right choice.

The Reality of Mixing Concrete Yourself

Mixing your own concrete means buying cement, sand, gravel, and water separately, then combining them on site. You can do this by hand with a shovel and wheelbarrow, or use a small concrete mixer.

What You’ll Need

• Portland cement
• Sharp sand
• Gravel or aggregate
• Clean water
• Mixing equipment (shovel, wheelbarrow, or small mixer)
• Measuring tools
• Storage space for materials

The Basic Process You measure out the materials in the right ratios (typically 1 part cement to 2 parts sand to 3 parts gravel), add water gradually, and mix until you get a consistent blend. Sounds simple, but there’s more to it than meets the eye.

When Mixing Yourself Makes Sense

Small Jobs For tiny projects like setting a fence post or filling a small hole, mixing a bag or two of concrete makes perfect sense. Ready mix suppliers often have minimum orders that would be wasteful for such small tasks.

Flexible Timing When you mix your own concrete, you work at your own pace. There’s no delivery truck waiting, no pressure to pour everything quickly, and no scheduling constraints.

Remote Locations If your project site is difficult to reach or in a remote area where concrete trucks can’t access, mixing on site might be your only option.

Budget Constraints For very small amounts, buying bags of ready-mix concrete powder can cost less than ordering ready mix concrete, especially when you factor in delivery charges.

The Challenges of DIY Mixing

Getting the Mix Right Concrete isn’t just cement and water. The ratio of cement, sand, gravel, and water affects everything from strength to workability. Too much water makes weak concrete. Too little makes it impossible to work with. Getting this balance right takes experience.

Physical Effort Mixing concrete by hand is hard work. Really hard work. Even with a small mixer, you’re looking at heavy lifting, loading, and moving substantial amounts of material.

Time and Effort What seems like a quick job can take much longer than expected. You need to measure materials, mix multiple batches, and work quickly before each batch starts to set.

Consistency Issues It’s difficult to achieve the same mix quality batch after batch when doing it by hand. This can lead to weak spots or uneven curing in your finished concrete.

Why Ready Mix Concrete Often Wins

Professional Quality Ready mix concrete is produced in controlled conditions with precise measurements. The quality is consistent from the first load to the last, which means stronger, more reliable concrete.

Proper Equipment Concrete plants use industrial mixers that blend materials more thoroughly than any hand mixing or small mixer can achieve. This results in better concrete performance.

Expert Knowledge When you order ready mix, you’re getting advice from professionals who understand different concrete types, weather conditions, and application requirements.

Speed and Efficiency A concrete truck can deliver several cubic metres of concrete in minutes. Compare that to hours or days of hand mixing for the same amount.

The Numbers Game

Let’s look at a real example. Say you need 3 cubic metres of concrete for a driveway:

DIY Mixing

• Materials: cement, sand, gravel, water
• Equipment hire or purchase
• Your time (probably 2-3 days of hard work)
• Physical exhaustion
• Risk of inconsistent quality

Ready Mix Delivery

• One delivery appointment
• Professional quality concrete
• Job completed in hours, not days
• Guaranteed consistent strength

For anything more than half a cubic metre, ready mix usually makes more sense both financially and practically.

Quality Matters More Than You Think

Concrete strength develops over 28 days, but you won’t know if your mix was right until it’s too late to fix. Poor mixing can result in:

• Weak concrete that cracks or crumbles
• Uneven surfaces that are difficult to finish
• Water penetration problems
• Expensive repairs down the line

Ready mix concrete eliminates these risks because it’s mixed to exact specifications every time.

Weather and Timing Considerations

Hot Weather In hot conditions, concrete sets faster, making it harder to work with. Ready mix trucks can add ice or special additives to slow the setting time. This is difficult to manage when mixing yourself.

Cold Weather Cold temperatures slow concrete curing, which can affect strength. Professional suppliers can adjust mixes for cold weather conditions.

Rain If rain threatens, you need to work fast. With ready mix, you can pour large areas quickly before weather arrives. With DIY mixing, you might be caught with partially completed work.

Access and Equipment

Site Access Modern concrete trucks need reasonable access to your site. If they can’t get close enough, you might need a concrete pump, which adds cost but is still often more efficient than hand mixing.

Tools and Equipment Ready mix concrete requires basic finishing tools (screeds, floats, trowels) but eliminates the need for mixing equipment, material storage, and heavy lifting.

Making the Right Choice

Choose DIY mixing when:

• Your project needs less than 0.5 cubic metres of concrete
• You have unlimited time and don’t mind hard physical work
• Access to your site is impossible for delivery trucks
• You’re doing experimental or craft work where you want complete control

Choose ready mix when:

• You need more than 1 cubic metre of concrete
• Quality and strength are important
• You want to finish the job quickly
• You value your time and physical wellbeing
• The project has structural requirements

Cost Reality Check

Many people assume DIY is always cheaper, but this isn’t usually true for larger jobs. When you add up materials, equipment hire, your time, and the risk of having to redo poor work, ready mix often costs less overall.

Plus, there’s the hidden cost of your weekend, your back, and your sanity to consider.

The Bottom Line

For small, non-critical jobs, mixing your own concrete can work well. But for most projects – driveways, foundations, patios, or anything structural – ready mix concrete offers better value, quality, and results.

At Express Concrete, we’ve seen plenty of DIY concrete jobs that needed professional fixes later. Our ready mix concrete gives you professional results from the start, saving you time, effort, and often money too.

The choice is yours, but for most concrete jobs, ready mix is the smarter option. Your back will thank you, and so will your finished project.