In Stock

3/8" Concrete Mix

Name: 3/8" Concrete Mix
SKU: 38-concrete-mix
Availability: InStock

90 sqft per ton @ 2″ Depth

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Hours:

Mon-Sat: 6:30 AM - 4:00 PM

Sunday: Closed

Call Now: 559-233-6603 Get Directions Get a Quote

Why 3/8" Concrete Mix? Use Cases and Performance

3/8" concrete mix is a pre-blended aggregate of small crushed rock and sand, sized and proportioned to go into a mixer for site-mixed concrete. It is not a decorative rock and it is not a base material. It is a batching product, built so a contractor or a homeowner pouring a small slab does not have to buy sand and 3/8" rock separately and blend them by eye. The name describes the top size of the coarse aggregate in the blend, three eighths of an inch, which is the fraction typically used for thinner pours, tight forms, and anywhere a smooth finished surface matters as much as raw strength.

The reason a 3/8" blend exists alongside coarser aggregate blends comes down to how concrete finishes. Coarse rock adds compressive strength and stretches cement further per yard, but it also makes the surface harder to trowel smooth and harder to work into tight forms, edges, and thin sections. A 3/8" blend trades some of that bulk strength for a mix that flows into detail work, finishes smoother, and hand-places more easily through narrow forms. For most flatwork around a house, garage, or small commercial pad, that trade is the right one.

Where 3/8" concrete mix is the right call

Sidewalks, walkways, and thin decorative slabs where a smooth, finishable surface matters more than maximum load rating.
Steps, curbs, and small architectural pours where the mix needs to move into detail and hold a crisp edge.
Fence post footings and small footings where a narrow form makes coarse rock more likely to bridge and jam.
Patching and repair work on existing slabs, steps, and curbs, where a finer aggregate blends into the existing surface texture.
Mow strips, small patio slabs, and DIY pours where a homeowner is hand-mixing or using a rented mixer rather than ordering a full truck of ready mix.
Any pour under roughly 4 inches thick, where a larger aggregate does not have enough cover and tends to show at the surface.

Where it is not the right call

Two situations call for a different approach. The first is any large structural pour, a driveway slab, a foundation, or a heavy footing, where the job calls for a full ready-mix truck with an engineered mix design and, often, rebar or wire mesh. A yard aggregate blend that you hand-mix on site is not a substitute for an engineered structural pour, and we will say so directly if you describe a job that size. The second is any application that actually wants loose, compacted aggregate for base or drainage rather than a cement binder, in which case you want 3/4" Blue Base Rock or plain crushed rock, not a concrete mix at all. If your project is a compacted base under pavers or a driveway section, this material is the wrong one entirely.

Not sure how much you need?

Run your square footage and slab thickness through our material coverage calculators before you order. Concrete volume is unforgiving of guesswork, and running short mid-pour on a slab you have already screeded is a real problem, not just an inconvenience.

Buying it in Fresno

We sell 3/8" concrete mix by the ton out of our yard at 3562 South Elm Avenue in Fresno. You can load it yourself, we can load your truck or trailer, we can rent you a dump trailer to self-haul, or we can deliver and dump it where you want it. Call 559-233-6603 to confirm current pricing and availability. This is a bulk sand and aggregate blend you combine with cement and water on site, not a pre-mixed or bagged concrete product, so plan your cement purchase and mixing method before the load arrives.

3/8" Concrete Mix: Guidance for Your Situation

Pick the description that fits you best. Specs, steps, and pricing questions differ for a weekend project versus a bid or a compliance inspection.

For homeowners doing a small pour themselves

Mixing and Pouring 3/8" Concrete Mix Yourself

Most homeowners who buy this product are pouring something small: a walkway section, a set of steps, a mow strip, a mailbox footing, or a patch in an existing slab. The material itself is forgiving. What separates a pour that lasts from one that cracks or crumbles is almost always the mix ratio, the water, and the curing, not the aggregate.

What you actually need to buy

Call 559-233-6603 if you want to talk through how much cement to buy for your tonnage of mix. We can discuss ratios, but we cannot certify a mix design for structural work.
Item	Notes
3/8" concrete mix	Sold by the ton at our yard, this is the sand and aggregate, not the cement.
Portland cement	Sold separately in bags. A common starting ratio is roughly 1 part cement to 5 or 6 parts of this aggregate blend by volume, adjusted for the strength your project needs.
Water	Added at the mixer gradually, not dumped in all at once. Too much water is the single biggest cause of weak, cracking concrete.
Reinforcement	Wire mesh or rebar for anything that will see vehicle weight or that spans more than a few feet unsupported.
Forms	Lumber, stakes, and release oil or form spray if you are building your own forms rather than using an existing edge.

Step-by-step: a small DIY pour

Prep the base. Excavate to firm subgrade, remove organics, and compact. For walkways and small slabs, 2 to 4 inches of compacted 3/4" Blue Base Rock under the slab reduces cracking from soil movement, which matters on Fresno's clay-heavy soils.
Build and brace your forms. Set them to the finished height and slope the surface slightly away from structures so water sheds instead of pooling.
Place reinforcement if the pour calls for it. Wire mesh sits on chairs so it ends up in the middle of the slab thickness, not on the bottom.
Mix in small batches you can place and finish before the concrete starts to set. In Fresno summer heat that window is shorter than the bag directions assume, so plan on smaller batches than you think you need.
Place the concrete and work it into the corners and edges of the form with a shovel or rod to remove air pockets.
Screed the surface level using a straight board dragged across the top of the forms.
Float, then finish. A wood or magnesium float smooths the surface, and a steel trowel gives a harder, smoother finish for walkways. Do not over-trowel or you draw too much water and fines to the surface.
Cut control joints at regular intervals, roughly every 4 to 6 feet for a typical walkway width, so cracking happens at a joint you planned rather than randomly across the slab.
Cure it properly. Keep the surface damp for several days with regular light watering, wet burlap, or a curing compound. Skipping this step in Fresno's dry heat is the most common reason a DIY slab ends up weak and dusty on top.

Working around Fresno heat

Concrete cures through a chemical reaction, not simple drying, and that reaction runs too fast in 100 degree heat if you let it. Pour early in the morning when you can, keep your mix cooler by shading the mixer and using cool water, and have your curing plan ready before you finish the surface, not after. A slab that dries out on the surface while the interior is still curing ends up with surface cracking and a chalky, weak top layer, and that damage cannot be undone after the fact.

What DIY pours typically involve for cost

Aggregate is priced by the ton and moves with market conditions, so call 559-233-6603 for a current number. Beyond the mix itself, budget for cement, form lumber, a mixer rental if you do not own one, and either a delivery fee or a trailer rental for hauling the aggregate. For most homeowner-sized jobs, one trip in a rented dump trailer covers it. For anything approaching the size of a driveway, ordering ready mix from a concrete supplier is a better path than hand-mixing this product on site.

The most common DIY mistake

Adding too much water to make the mix easier to pour. Extra water weakens the finished concrete significantly and is the leading cause of surface dusting, scaling, and early cracking. Mix it stiffer than feels comfortable and work it into place with tools rather than thinning it out.

Maintenance after the pour

Sealing a finished walkway or patio every couple of years helps resist staining and surface wear, particularly near planting beds where irrigation and fertilizer overspray hit the concrete.
Hairline cracks in a properly jointed slab are cosmetic, not structural, and can be left alone or filled with a concrete crack sealant.
Efflorescence, a white powdery residue, comes from moisture moving salts to the surface and is common on new concrete. It generally fades on its own within a season.
Avoid deicing salts on any finished concrete; they are rarely needed in Fresno winters but can pit and scale a surface if used.

For flatwork contractors, builders, and remodelers

Specs, Bulk Ordering, and Job-Site Logistics

Contractors buy 3/8" concrete mix for the same reasons a homeowner does, just at a larger scale: sidewalks, flatwork repair, small footings, curb and gutter patching, and any pour where a finer aggregate speeds up finishing and reduces surface rock exposure. Monday through Saturday, 6:30 AM to 4:00 PM, first load out the gate early. Call 559-233-6603 the day before on anything over a couple of tons and we will have it staged.

Working specs

Gradation varies slightly by supplier run. If a spec or submittal requires certified gradation data, call us and we will pull current supplier data rather than quote a number from memory.
Property	Working value / behavior
Nominal aggregate size	3/8" coarse aggregate, blended with sand
Sold by	The ton, loaded at our Fresno yard or delivered
Typical use	Sidewalks, steps, curbs, small footings, patching, thin decorative slabs
Cement	Sold and mixed separately; this product is the aggregate and sand component only
Finish behavior	Finer aggregate finishes smoother and works into tight forms more readily than coarser blends
Structural pours	Not a substitute for engineered ready mix on driveways, foundations, or load-bearing slabs
Coverage	Figured by tonnage against your slab volume, see our calculators for takeoffs

Batching and placement notes

Confirm your mix ratio before the load arrives. Crews sizing cement to tonnage rather than the other way around waste less material and avoid a mid-pour cement run.
Stage aggregate close to the mixer or pump. Double-handling a ton of wet aggregate across a job site costs more labor than the material itself.
Batch consistently. Variation in water and cement ratio between batches on the same pour shows up as visible color and texture differences once the slab cures.
Sequence pours around Fresno heat. On summer jobs, an early start avoids flash-set problems and gives the crew a full working window before the surface skins over.
Cure per spec. Whatever curing method the job calls for, wet cure, curing compound, or membrane, apply it immediately after finishing, not at the end of the day.

Job-site logistics and hauling

Yard pickup: we load trucks and trailers on site at 3562 South Elm Avenue, Fresno, Monday through Saturday 6:30 AM–4:00 PM.
Delivery: dump truck delivery for bulk quantities, including staged multi-load deliveries on larger flatwork jobs.
Self-haul: dump trailer and truck rentals when your own equipment is committed on another site.
Multi-material orders: concrete mix plus base rock plus plaster sand on the same delivery run is common on remodel and repair jobs. Bundle it and we will sequence the loads to match your placement order.
Access: tell us about tight residential access, low lines, or gated entries when you order, not when the truck arrives.

Bulk and account pricing

We quote bulk and repeat-account pricing directly rather than publishing rates, because aggregate cost moves with fuel and supplier pricing and because volume and haul distance both change the number. Call 559-233-6603 or send us the job details and we will price the material and the freight together. If you run recurring flatwork, patch, or repair work, ask about standing pricing so you are not re-quoting on every job.

When to switch to ready mix

There is a real crossover point where site-mixing this product stops making sense and calling a ready-mix supplier starts. Once a pour gets into the range of a full driveway, a garage slab, or anything requiring an engineered strength specification, the labor of hand or mixer batching, the difficulty of maintaining a consistent water-cement ratio across dozens of batches, and the risk of cold joints from a slow pour all argue for a truck. For sidewalks, small footings, steps, and patch work, this bulk aggregate remains the more economical and more practical choice.

Contractor accounts

If you buy from us regularly, see our contractor page for how accounts, staged loads, and repeat pricing work.

For property managers and HOA maintenance teams

Repair and Maintenance Programs Using 3/8" Concrete Mix

For HOAs and property managers, this product mostly shows up in the repair and maintenance column rather than new construction. Cracked and settled sidewalk panels, spalled step edges, deteriorated curb sections, and small utility pad patches are the recurring line items, and a 3/8" mix is well suited to all of them because it finishes into an existing surface without leaving an obviously different texture.

Common HOA and commercial repair jobs

Trip-hazard sidewalk panels that need to be removed and repoured rather than ground down, which is often the safer long-term fix and the one that holds up to liability review.
Curb and gutter sections damaged by vehicle impact or root intrusion from mature street trees.
Small utility pads for irrigation controllers, transformers, or mechanical equipment where a full ready-mix order is not cost-effective for the volume needed.
Step and stair nosing repair on common-area stairs, where a fine aggregate mix rebuilds a crisp edge that matches the original finish.
Mow strip and edging repair between turf and hardscape, an easy source of tripping and mower damage complaints when it deteriorates.

Planning a repair program

Small concrete repairs are easy to defer individually and expensive to defer collectively, because each cracked panel or spalled step is a liability exposure and a maintenance call. Batching several small repairs into one order, one delivery, and one crew day is more efficient than reacting to each complaint separately. We can price and deliver in tonnage sized to a repair list rather than a single job, and stage multiple partial loads across a property if your crew is working several locations in one visit.

Root causes matter as much as the patch. Sidewalk panels lifted by tree roots, or curb sections cracked from expansive clay subgrade movement, will fail again in the same spot unless the underlying cause is addressed, whether that is root barrier installation, subgrade correction, or better surface drainage away from the section. A repair crew that just repours the same panel on the same unaddressed subgrade is signing up for the same call again in a year or two.

Standing pricing for repeat maintenance

If your team handles ongoing common-area repairs, call 559-233-6603 or send us your maintenance schedule to set up standing pricing rather than re-quoting each repair individually.

How 3/8" Concrete Mix Compares to the Alternatives

The comparison most people actually need is not concrete mix versus some unrelated product. It is this blend versus the other aggregate options in the yard that get confused with it, plus the honest comparison to ordering a ready-mix truck.

Material	What it is	Best for	Trade-off vs. 3/8" concrete mix
3/8" Concrete Mix	Pre-blended sand and 3/8" aggregate for site-mixed concrete	Sidewalks, steps, footings, patching, thin decorative slabs	N/A
1" Concrete Mix	Coarser blend with 1 inch top-size aggregate	Thicker structural pours, driveways, larger footings	Stronger per yard, but harder to finish smooth and less workable in tight forms
3/4" Blue Base Rock	Compacted structural base rock, no cement	Base course under slabs, pavers, and driveways	Not a binder at all, this is what goes under the concrete, not instead of it
Plaster Sand	Fine, washed sand with no coarse aggregate	Stucco, mortar, sand-set pavers, playground sand base	No coarse rock at all, cannot be used alone as a structural concrete mix
Ready-mix concrete (truck delivered)	Engineered, batch-plant mixed concrete delivered wet	Driveways, foundations, large or structural slabs	Higher cost per yard for small jobs, and delivered on the plant's schedule rather than yours

3/8" vs. 1" concrete mix, which one do I need?

The top-size number describes the largest aggregate in the blend, and it changes both strength and finish behavior. This is worth getting right before you order, because switching mid-job means starting the batch over.

Short version: 3/8" is for thin, detailed, finish-sensitive work; 1" is for thicker pours where bulk strength matters more than surface finish.
Question	3/8" Concrete Mix	1" Concrete Mix
Thin slabs and walkways?	Yes, this is the standard choice	Coarse aggregate can show through a thin section
Smooth trowel finish?	Easier to finish smooth	Rougher, more effort to achieve a smooth surface
Structural driveway or foundation work?	Not recommended without an engineered design	Better suited, still generally a ready-mix job at that scale
Tight forms, steps, and detail work?	Flows into detail more easily	Can bridge and jam in narrow forms
Cost per ton?	Comparable, confirm with a call for current pricing	Comparable, confirm with a call for current pricing

Site-mixed concrete vs. ready mix

For a small job, sidewalks, footings, patches, and steps, buying this aggregate by the ton and mixing on site is usually cheaper and more flexible than ordering a ready-mix truck, which typically has a minimum load size that does not make sense for a half-yard repair. For a large job, a driveway, a slab-on-grade for a structure, or anything with an engineered strength requirement, a ready-mix truck with a certified mix design is the right tool, and trying to hand-batch that much material consistently is a losing proposition. If you are not sure which side of that line your job falls on, call 559-233-6603 and describe the pour; we would rather point you to a ready-mix supplier for a job that is too big for bulk aggregate than sell you material for a pour that will not perform.

Concrete Work in Central Valley Conditions

Concrete performance is heavily influenced by climate and soil at the time of the pour, and Fresno's conditions, extreme summer heat, low humidity, clay-heavy subgrade, and a concentrated winter rain season, all affect how a slab cures and how long it lasts. Here is what that means specifically for a 3/8" mix pour.

Summer heat and fast set times

Fresno regularly sees 100 degree days for weeks at a stretch in summer, and heat speeds up the chemical reaction that hardens concrete. A mix that would give a crew 45 minutes to finish in mild weather can start setting up in half that time on a hot afternoon. Plan pours for early morning, keep the aggregate and mix water as cool as practical, mist the surface if it starts to skin over before finishing is complete, and have your curing method ready to apply immediately, not after cleanup.

Clay soil and subgrade movement

Much of the Fresno and Clovis area sits on soil with a significant clay fraction, which expands when wet and contracts when dry. A slab poured directly on unprepared clay subgrade will move with that seasonal swing, and the most common result is cracking along the weakest section of the slab rather than at a planned control joint. A compacted base course under any slab, even a small walkway, reduces this movement significantly, and control joints cut at reasonable intervals give the concrete a planned place to crack instead of an unplanned one.

Winter rain and curing

Fresno's rain arrives concentrated in a handful of winter storms rather than as steady year-round moisture. A pour scheduled just ahead of a storm risks surface damage if rain hits before the concrete has enough initial set, while a pour during a cold snap cures more slowly and needs extra time before forms come off or traffic is allowed. Check the forecast before scheduling any outdoor pour between November and March, and protect a fresh pour with plastic sheeting if rain is a real possibility within the first day.

Tule fog and slow winter cures

Central Valley tule fog brings cold, damp, low-light conditions that slow concrete curing without the dramatic risk of a hard freeze. Slabs poured during foggy winter stretches take longer to reach working strength, so extend your form-stripping and load-bearing timelines accordingly rather than working off summer-pour expectations.

Irrigation, staining, and long-term wear

Sprinkler overspray hitting a finished slab repeatedly leaves mineral staining over time and, in some cases, contributes to surface scaling near the wetted edge. Adjusting irrigation heads so they do not spray directly onto concrete, and sealing exposed walkways and patios every couple of years, keeps a Fresno-area slab looking like new construction well past its first few summers.

Local delivery area

We deliver 3/8" concrete mix throughout Fresno, Clovis, Sanger, Selma, Kingsburg, Madera, and the surrounding Central Valley. Call 559-233-6603 to confirm delivery to your address, or rent a trailer and haul it yourself.

3/8" Concrete Mix: Frequently Asked Questions

Have questions? We've got answers. If you don't see your question below, give us a call at (559) 233-6603.

What is 3/8" concrete mix used for?

It is a pre-blended sand and aggregate product for site-mixed concrete, best suited to sidewalks, steps, curbs, small footings, patching, and thin decorative slabs. The finer aggregate size finishes smoother than coarser mixes and works more easily into tight forms and detail work.

Is 3/8" concrete mix the same thing as ready-mix concrete?

No. This is the aggregate and sand component only, sold by the ton in bulk. You add Portland cement and water and mix it yourself, either by hand or with a rented mixer. Ready-mix concrete is a fully batched, engineered product delivered wet by truck, and is the better choice for larger or structural pours.

How much cement do I add to 3/8" concrete mix?

A common starting ratio is roughly 1 part Portland cement to 5 or 6 parts of this aggregate blend by volume, adjusted depending on the strength your project needs. Call 559-233-6603 if you want to talk through ratios for your specific job, though we cannot certify a mix design for structural or engineered work.

Can I use 3/8" concrete mix for a driveway?

For a full driveway slab, no, not as a hand-mixed or site-batched product. That scale of pour calls for engineered ready-mix concrete, typically with reinforcement, delivered by truck with a certified mix design. This product is sized for smaller work like walkways, steps, footings, and patches.

What is the difference between 3/8" and 1" concrete mix?

The number describes the top size of the coarse aggregate in the blend. The 3/8" mix is finer, finishes smoother, and works better in thin sections and tight forms. The 1" mix is coarser, carries more bulk strength per yard, and suits thicker structural pours where a smooth finish matters less.

How much water should I add when mixing?

Less than feels comfortable. Adding too much water is the most common mistake in DIY concrete work and significantly weakens the finished product, causing dusting, scaling, and early cracking. Mix to a stiff, workable consistency and use tools to work it into forms and corners rather than thinning the mix to make it pour easier.

How thick should my slab or walkway pour be?

Most residential walkways and small slabs run 3 to 4 inches thick over a compacted base. Thinner sections risk cracking under normal use, and thicker sections generally call for reinforcement and a coarser aggregate mix. If your project carries vehicle weight, call 559-233-6603 to talk through whether this product or a ready-mix pour is the better fit.

Do I need a compacted base under a concrete walkway?

Yes, especially on Fresno's clay-heavy soils, which expand and contract with seasonal moisture changes and move a slab poured directly on unprepared native soil. A few inches of compacted base rock under the slab reduces that movement and significantly lowers the odds of cracking in the first year or two.

How long does it take for a slab to cure?

Concrete reaches most of its working strength within about a week under normal conditions, and continues gaining strength for weeks after that. In Fresno's summer heat, keep the surface damp for several days after finishing since fast surface drying weakens the top layer. In cold, foggy winter conditions, curing slows down and you should allow extra time before loading the slab.

Why did my concrete crack?

The most common causes are too much water in the mix, subgrade movement from unprepared clay soil, missing or poorly spaced control joints, and curing too fast in summer heat. Hairline cracks within a properly jointed slab are typically cosmetic. Wider or through-slab cracks usually point back to subgrade preparation rather than the concrete mix itself.

Can I pick it up myself, or do you deliver?

Both. You can load at our yard at 3562 South Elm Avenue in Fresno, Monday through Saturday, 6:30 AM to 4:00 PM. Bring a truck or trailer and we will load you. We also deliver by dump truck throughout Fresno, Clovis, and the surrounding Valley, and we rent dump trailers if you would rather self-haul but do not have the equipment.

How much does 3/8" concrete mix cost in Fresno?

We price bulk aggregate by the ton and quote it live rather than publishing a rate, because material cost moves with supplier and fuel pricing, and because delivery distance and load size affect the total. Call 559-233-6603 with your quantity and delivery address for a current number, including bulk and repeat-account pricing for contractors.

How much material do I need for my project?

Figure your square footage, multiply by your planned slab thickness to get cubic footage, then convert to cubic yards by dividing by 27. Run those numbers through our [material coverage calculators](/calculators) or call 559-233-6603 with your dimensions and we will help size the order, including a reasonable allowance for waste and spillage.

Can this product be used for patching an existing slab or step?

Yes, this is one of its most common uses. The finer aggregate blends into the texture of existing concrete better than a coarser mix, and it works well for filling spalled step edges, small slab sections, and curb damage. Clean and dampen the existing surface first so the new material bonds rather than sitting as a loose patch on top.

Do I need rebar or wire mesh in a small pour?

For a narrow footing or a short walkway section, often not, though it never hurts. For anything that spans several feet unsupported, sees vehicle weight, or is a structural element like a post footing carrying real load, reinforcement is worth the modest added cost and effort. If you are unsure, call 559-233-6603 and describe the application.