Concrete Basketball Court Calculator
Estimate concrete for a full court, half court, or custom basketball slab.
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Short answer
A half-court slab (47×50 ft) at 4 inches thick needs roughly 29 cubic yards of ready-mix concrete. A full court (94×50 ft) needs about 58 cubic yards. Backyard hoop pads are small enough to pour with bagged concrete, but anything half-court size or larger should be ordered as ready-mix and trucked in.
Standard court dimensions
| Court type | Dimensions | Typical thickness |
|---|---|---|
| Driveway / hoop pad | 25 × 28 ft or smaller | 4 in |
| Half court | 47 × 50 ft | 4 in |
| High school full court | 84 × 50 ft | 4 in |
| NBA / standard full court | 94 × 50 ft | 4–5 in |
How to plan a concrete basketball court
- Confirm your available space and pick a standard size, or measure a custom slab.
- Grade and compact the subgrade, then add 4–6 inches of compacted gravel base for drainage.
- Slope the slab slightly (about 1% or 1/8 inch per foot) so water drains to one side instead of pooling.
- Use control joints every 8–10 feet to control cracking as the slab cures and moves seasonally.
- Order ready-mix concrete for anything larger than a small pad — hand-mixing bags for a full court isn’t practical.
- Finish with a broom finish for traction, and cure for at least a week before light use, 28 days before heavy use.
Worked example
- Court
- Half court, 47 ft × 50 ft, 4 in thick
- Volume
- 47 × 50 × 4/12 = 783.3 ft³, plus 10% waste = 861.7 ft³
- Cubic yards
- 861.7 / 27 = 31.9 yd³
Common mistakes
- Skipping control joints, which leads to random, unsightly cracking as the slab settles and expands.
- Pouring perfectly flat with no drainage slope, leaving standing water and ice hazards after rain.
- Underestimating volume for a full-size court and ordering bagged concrete instead of ready-mix.
- Not compacting the subgrade, which causes settling and cracking under the weight of players and equipment.
Assumptions
- Standard concrete at roughly 150 lb per cubic foot.
- Bag yields: 80 lb bag = 0.60 ft³ — shown as a reference only; ready-mix is recommended above small pads.
- Waste percentage accounts for subgrade irregularity, spillage, and minor overpour.
- Does not include gravel base, forms, rebar/mesh, court painting, or hoop hardware.
Frequently asked questions
How thick should a basketball court slab be?
4 inches is standard for recreational courts. Full-size courts that may see heavier foot traffic or occasional vehicle access are sometimes poured 5 inches thick.
Should a basketball court slab have a slope?
Yes. A slight slope of about 1% (roughly 1/8 inch per foot) across the width keeps water from pooling on the surface after rain.
Can I use bagged concrete for a full court?
Technically yes, but a full court needs around 58 cubic yards, which is over 1,500 bags of premix. For anything larger than a small pad, ordering ready-mix concrete is far more practical and cost-effective.