PourGaugeHow much concrete you actually need, and what to mix into it.

How much does a 400 sq ft concrete slab cost in Des Moines, IA?

A poured concrete slab in Des Moines, IA
$2,607
400 ft² of slab · typical range $1,604 – $4,412
Typical total$6.52 per ft² of slab$2,607
Range you should see in bidsthree bids on the same scope normally land inside this$1,604 – $4,412
Labor portion50% of the job — this is the part that moves by city$1,303
Material portion50% — bought at national prices$1,303
Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers pay near Des Moinesabout $29/hr · Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro$60,370/yr
U.S. mean for the same tradeSOC 47-2051$60,050/yr
Versus the national pricetrade pay here runs +0.5% against the U.S. mean+$7
Short pour season123 freezing days a year in Des Moines. ACI 306 cold-weather protection — blankets, heated water, or waiting — is a real line item here, not boilerplate—

Notes

  • Where the number comes from. The national price for a poured concrete slab is $6.50 per ft² of slab — poured slab pricing published for 2026, $4–$11 per ft² for a 4-inch slab on grade. Labor is about 50% of that. Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers near Des Moines, IA average $60,370 a year against a U.S. mean of $60,050 — a factor of 1.005 — so the labor half is scaled by that and the material half is not. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 for the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro area, SOC 47-2051.
  • Why the city matters, not just the state. Trade pay moves inside a state as much as it does between states. Crews do not commute across a state to bid a job, and materials ship at national prices either way — so a metro wage is the honest input here and a state average quietly rounds four different cities into one number.
  • Short pour season. 123 freezing days a year in Des Moines. ACI 306 cold-weather protection — blankets, heated water, or waiting — is a real line item here, not boilerplate.
  • What is in the price: excavation to grade, a compacted gravel base, forms, wire mesh or fibre, the concrete itself, placing, screeding, a broom or trowel finish, and labor.
  • What is not: thickened edges for a load-bearing wall, a vapour barrier under a heated slab, rebar mats where an engineer calls for them, saw-cut control joints past the standard spacing, and any grading or drainage work around the pour. These are the lines that turn a $2,607 quote into a $3,259 invoice, so ask about each one before signing.
  • Use this as a bid check, not a quote. It prices an average job in average condition. Difficult access, the state of what is being replaced, the season, and a crew booked out three months all move the real number, and none of them are in a per-unit average.

a poured concrete slab in Des Moines, IA

$2,607 is the typical number, and three bids on the same scope normally land between $1,604 and $4,412.

That is $7 more than the same job priced at the national average.

Why the city changes the number

About 50% of this job is labor — $1,303 of the $2,607 above. Labor is the only part that moves locally; a bundle of material costs what it costs wherever it is nailed down.

Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers near Des Moines average $60,370 a year, against a U.S. mean of $60,050. That is a factor of 1.005, so the labor half is scaled by it and the material half is not.

Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 for the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro area, SOC 47-2051.

What the quote should include

Short pour season

The lines that turn a quote into an invoice

Ask about each of them before you sign. On a job this size they are the difference between $2,607 and something a quarter higher.

Use it as a bid check, not a quote

This prices an average job in average condition. Access, the state of what is being replaced, the season, and a crew booked out three months all move the real number, and none of them are in a national average.

If a bid lands outside $1,604 – $4,412, that is not automatically wrong — but it is the question worth asking out loud.

Nearby sizes

Read more