Concrete slab cost in Redding, CA

Redding weather and the concrete slab calendar

Climate numbers on this page come from NOAA's 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals at the nearest suitable station, Redding Muni Ap (5 miles from the city center). They are 30-year averages, so any one year can run hotter, colder or wetter.

For pouring concrete, the comfortable months in Redding are March through May and October through November: 5 of 12. Outside them, January, February and December have an average overnight low of 40°F or below, and June, July, August and September have an average daytime high of 90°F or more.

The 40°F line is a deliberately cautious stand-in. The American Concrete Institute's cold-weather guide (ACI 306R-16) defines cold-weather concreting around an average daily air temperature below 40°F, which is colder than our test of an average overnight low at or below 40°F, so we flag a few extra shoulder months. In cold weather crews may need heated enclosures, insulating blankets or accelerated mixes, and those measures can raise a quote.

Heat matters for concrete as well. With average highs of 90°F or more in June, July, August and September, crews often start early, wet the base and plan for faster set times.

Redding gets about 34 inches of precipitation in a normal year, including roughly 3 inches of snow. The wettest months are January, February and December (6.3 inches in December). Inside the workable window, May and October are the driest, at 1.8 and 1.9 inches. The station averages about 106 days a year at 90°F or above.

We do not adjust the estimate by month, because we have no reliable published data on seasonal pricing. It is still worth asking contractors whether an off-peak start date changes their bid.

What local crews earn in Redding

The labor line is built from BLS wage data, one trade at a time. This job draws on 4 trades. We compare each trade's local median with the US median, weight the ratios by how much of the job each trade does, and apply the blend to the national labor cost. For Redding the blend is 1.14.

Cement masons and concrete finishers (47-2051), 50% of the weighting: a median of $29.46 an hour, 7% above the US median of $27.41. The middle half of them earn between $25.30 and $37.62 an hour. About 230 work in the metro. That is 32.1 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 13.3 nationally, which suggests plenty of local crews to bid.

For construction laborers (47-2061, weighted 30%) the local median is $26.82 an hour, which is 18% above the national $22.66. The middle half of them earn between $22.06 and $36.59 an hour. BLS counts 500 of them working in the area, 69.9 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 70.5), so the local bench is about average.

Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073), 10% of the weighting: a median of $37.06 an hour, 29% above the US median of $28.78. The middle half of them earn between $30.18 and $53.30 an hour. About 340 work in the metro. That is 47.5 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 30.7 nationally, which suggests plenty of local crews to bid.

Carpenters (47-2031), 10% of the weighting: a median of $34.50 an hour, 18% above the US median of $29.12. The middle half of them earn between $28.08 and $38.06 an hour. About 310 work in the metro. That is 43.3 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 43.1 nationally, so the supply of crews looks typical.

A quick sensitivity check: moving the lead trade (cement masons and concrete finishers) from the median to the 75th percentile wage adds about $240 to the midpoint estimate; the 25th percentile takes off about $120. That is a swing of roughly 2.9% to 5.7% of the total, which is useful for judging whether a bid reflects wages or something else, such as scope or margin.

Redding has 71,550 jobs in total (BLS, May 2025), ranking 257th by size among the 300 metros on this site.

Concrete slab: what moves the price in Redding

• Small-job minimums

  Many crews have a minimum charge, so a 10x10 pad can cost more per square foot than a 20x20 slab.

• Finish

  A broom finish is the baseline. Stamped, stained, or exposed-aggregate finishes are priced as add-ons on top of the slab.

• Thickness and mix

  A 4-inch slab uses about 1.23 cubic yards of concrete per 100 sq ft; a 6-inch slab uses about 1.85. Stepping up from a 3,000 PSI to a 4,000-4,500 PSI mix adds $10-$40 per cubic yard (Estimators.us).

Related projects, priced for Redding

Jobs that often go together with concrete slab are priced below at their usual sizes, using the same Redding wage and price inputs. Compared with national midpoints, asphalt driveway comes out highest (+18%) and stamped concrete lowest (+9%); the gap comes from the trades each job uses.

Extras that change the Redding total

Add-ons start from national price ranges and are scaled by 1.10 for Redding, which is the average of the area's wage index (1.14) and goods price index (1.05). The estimator above can add them to your total.

Redding against nearby metros and the rest of California

Same job, same size (400 sq ft), priced for the nearest metros. Napa is the priciest of the group at $4,450. Reno is the cheapest at $3,900.

Out of the 300 metros we cover, Redding ranks #38 for the cost of this job (#1 is the most expensive). Statewide, Redding is 3% below the California figure.

Elsewhere in California

Metros of a similar size

Big cities and small ones price differently, so here is Redding against the 4 metros with the closest total employment.

Pick a size, pick a tier: concrete slab pricing in Redding

The cited range is split into basic, standard and premium bands, then scaled to Redding. Bands overlap, because plenty of standard jobs cost as much as a light premium one. Sizes run from 10x10 pad (100 sq ft) to 30x40 foundation (1,200 sq ft).