TryBuildCalc

Double-Car Driveway Calculator (20-24 ft Wide)

Size your double-car driveway instantly.

Inputs

ℹ️L-Shaped models a main run plus a second connected section — an apron, turn, or widened area — as two rectangles added together.

ℹ️Distance from the street/curb to the garage or parking area.

ℹ️Single-car driveways are typically 10-12 ft wide; double-car driveways are typically 20-24 ft.

ℹ️4 in covers standard passenger vehicles and SUVs; go to 5-6 in for pickup trucks or an RV; 8 in for frequent heavy commercial traffic.

Base / Sub-base

Include Base Layer?

ℹ️6 in compacted base is standard for residential driveways; go deeper in soft, clay-rich, or high-water-table soil.

Reinforcement

ℹ️Wire mesh and rebar both control crack width after cracking occurs — neither prevents cracking itself; control joints do that.

in

ℹ️Standard 5 x 10 ft sheets, overlapped at least one mesh square (commonly 6 in) at every edge.

Concrete Source & Waste

ℹ️Ready-mix truck is standard for a full driveway pour; bagged premix is more common for a small apron or DIY patch.

ℹ️Standard mixer trucks carry around 9-10 cu yd per load.

%

ℹ️Applied to the concrete order volume — 8% is a common estimating default for a slab pour.

Cost

Enable Cost Estimation?

Concrete Needed

5.33 cu yd

144 cu ft (4" thick, +8% waste)

Truck Loads

1

1 partial delivery: 5.33 cu yd (truck capacity 10 cu yd)

Driveway & Concrete

Area: 400 sq ft (20 × 20 ft)

Volume before waste: 4.94 cu yd

Control joints (10 ft spacing, both directions): 2

1 transverse + 1 longitudinal

Base / Sub-base

Quarry Process (QP) — US driveway base, 6" deep

Volume: 7.41 cu yd

Weight (+8% waste): 14.34 tons

Reinforcement

Welded wire mesh, 10 × 5 ft sheets, 6" overlap

Layout: 3 × 5

Sheets needed: 15

Assumptions Used

Standard US residential concrete driveway, rectangular or L-shaped (a main run plus a second connected section). Concrete volume is length × width × thickness per section, summed for L-shaped, with waste applied to the order volume. Base material weight uses the selected material's published density with a 15% compaction allowance and 8% waste, matching the site's general base-material calculator. Control joint spacing follows the widely-used "2 to 3× slab thickness, in feet" rule of thumb (clamped to a practical 8-15 ft range), applied in BOTH directions so panels stay roughly square rather than long, narrow strips — matching NRMCA/ACPA guidance. Wire mesh sheet count accounts for overlap only between adjacent sheets (never the first sheet) and checks both sheet orientations for the fewer-sheet layout. Rebar quantities include lap-splice material (40× bar diameter) for any run longer than one 20 ft stock length. Reinforcement — welded wire mesh or a rebar grid — controls crack WIDTH after cracking, it does not prevent cracking; control joints do that. This calculator computes material quantities only — it does not verify subgrade compaction adequacy, local frost depth requirements, or structural design for unusual soil or loading conditions.

Bill of Materials

Main material: 1 truck load + recommended tools

+

Computed items reflect your entered length, width, and thickness; consumables below are general recommendations — actual needs vary by product and site conditions.

For Your Job

Concrete

1 truck load

5.33 cu yd, 4" thick

Find suppliers

Base Material

14.34 tons

Quarry Process (QP) — US driveway base, 6" deep

Find suppliers

Wire Mesh

15 sheets

10 x 5 ft

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General Tools & Consumables

Curing compound or curing blankets

consumable

Isolation/expansion joint filler

consumable

Rebar chairs or mesh supports

site-dependent

Concrete saw (joint cutting)

tool

Bull float / hand float

tool

Broom (finish texture)

tool

Plate compactor

tool

Screed board / screed rail

tool

Forms (wood or metal)

tool

Safety glasses & work gloves

consumable
Concrete Driveway (Top View)20 ft20 ftWire mesh

Diagram simplified for clarity (not to scale) — joint and reinforcement layout shown schematically.

Looking for the verification checklist, reference tables, tips, or common mistakes?See the complete Concrete Driveway Calculator.

Double-car driveway material takeoff

A double-car driveway is typically 20-24 ft wide, sized to fit two vehicles side by side.

This page defaults to a 20 ft × 20 ft slab at 4 in thick — edit the inputs above to match your actual driveway.

Concrete Driveway Calculator Formula: How Is It Determined?

Concrete volume, base material, reinforcement, and control joint layout, calculated separately and combined into a material takeoff.

Step 1 — Concrete Volume

Area = Length x Width

Volume = Area x Thickness

Order Volume = Volume x (1 + Waste Factor)

Straightforward slab volume — length times width times thickness, with a waste allowance applied to the order volume. Ready-mix orders fill as many full trucks as the volume allows, plus one partial delivery for the remainder — only the DELIVERY COUNT rounds up, not the volume itself. Bagged orders round up to full bags using each bag's published cubic-foot yield.

Step 2 — Base Material

Base Volume = Area x Base Depth

Base Weight = Base Volume x Material Density x (1 + Compaction%) x (1 + Waste%)

Reuses the same base-material density and compaction/waste logic as the site's general base-material calculator — a 15% compaction allowance and 8% waste are applied by default.

Step 3 — Control Joints

Joint Spacing = clamp(2.5 x Thickness (in), 8 ft, 15 ft)

Transverse Joints = ceil(Length / Spacing) - 1

Longitudinal Joints = ceil(Width / Spacing) - 1

Follows the widely-cited "2 to 3x slab thickness, in feet" rule of thumb, clamped to a practical residential range — and applies the SAME spacing to BOTH the length and width, per NRMCA and American Cement Association guidance, so panels stay roughly square instead of long, narrow strips on a wide driveway.

Step 4 — Reinforcement

Mesh: Sheets = tile Length x Width with 5x10 ft sheets (overlap only between sheets, both orientations checked)

Rebar: Bars = ceil(Width / Spacing) + 1 (each direction) + ceil(Length / Spacing) + 1

Rebar order length = coverage length + (splices x 40 x bar diameter), for any run over 20 ft

Wire mesh tiles standard 5 x 10 ft sheets across the driveway footprint — overlap only reduces the space BETWEEN sheets, never the first sheet, and both sheet orientations are checked to find the layout that uses fewer sheets. Rebar lays a grid at the selected spacing in both directions; any individual bar run longer than one 20 ft stock length needs a lap-spliced overlap, which adds real material beyond the as-designed coverage length.

Worked Example

This example walks through your current inputs above, using the same steps as the Formula section.

Input Values Used

InputValueWhy it is used
Shape20 ft / 20 ftSets area and concrete volume
Thickness4 inSets volume and joint spacing
ReinforcementmeshSets mesh sheet or rebar count

Step 1 — Concrete Volume

CalculationResult
Area = Length x Width = 20 x 20400 sq ft
Volume = Area x Thickness = 400 x 0.333 ft4.94 cu yd
Order volume = Volume x (1 + 8%)5.33 cu yd
Trucks = ceil(Order Volume / 10 cu yd)1 loads

Step 2 — Base Material

CalculationResult
Base volume = Area x Base Depth = 400 x 0.500 ft7.41 cu yd
Base weight = Volume x Density x (1 + 15% compaction) x (1 + 8% waste)14.34 tons

Step 3 — Control Joints

CalculationResult
Spacing = clamp(2.5 x 4, 8, 15)10 ft
Transverse joints = ceil(20 / 10) - 11
Longitudinal joints = ceil(20 / 10) - 11
Total joints2

Step 4 — Wire Mesh

CalculationResult
Rows x Cols = 10x5 ft sheets, 6" overlap, best of both orientations3 x 5
Total sheets15

Therefore, this 20 ft x 20 ft, 4" thick driveway needs approximately 5.33 cu yd of concrete, 14.34 tons of base material, 15 mesh sheets, and 2 control joints.

Disclaimer: This calculator provides approximate results for planning and estimation purposes only. Actual requirements may vary based on site conditions, materials, workmanship, and local building regulations. Always consult a qualified engineer, architect, or construction professional before making final decisions.

FAQ

20 to 24 ft is standard — enough for two vehicles parked side by side with margin for opening doors.
At 4 in thick, roughly 6.2 cubic yards before waste (20 × 20 × 4/12 ÷ 27), or about 6.7 cubic yards with a typical 8% waste allowance.