Liberty Read Mix FAQs

Ready-mixed concrete is sold by volume measured in cubic yards.

For one cubic yard of concrete (27 cubic feet):

4-inches thick – covers 81 square feet
5-inches thick – covers 65 square feet
6-inches thick – covers 54 square feet

Scaling is the peeling or flaking off of a concrete surface due to multiple cycles of freezing and thawing. Scaling will be visible first as small, localized patches, but can eventually merge and cover large areas of the concrete surface. Scaling can be light, moderate, or severe based on the amount of exposed aggregate.

There are many different factors both before and during the concrete mixing and placement that can attribute to scaling. Cold weather placement of concrete that does not have warm enough temperatures to properly cure the concrete surface will possibly scale. The use of cold weather blankets to cover the surface of the concrete helps hold temperatures and minimize concrete scaling. Insufficient curing and finishing can result in a weak concrete surface. Using excessive deicing chemicals can saturate the concrete and make it weak. Avoid improper mixing of concrete or using the wrong proportions of ingredients (excessive water being added to the mix) because it can make the concrete weaker when it comes to withstanding the types of weather and conditions it needs to. Using non-air entrained exterior concrete can also result in scaling.

One yard of concrete weighs around 4,050 pounds, and one cubic yard of concrete equals 27 cubic feet.

4050 lbs / 27 cubic feet = 150 pounds per cubic foot

To determine the amount of concrete that is needed for your job, use our concrete calculator tool.

A five-inch thick cubic yard of concrete covers 65 square feet.

If, for example, a driveway that is 2,000 square feet needs concrete, then you will need 30.77 cubic yards of concrete.

2,000 square feet/65 square feet=30.77 cubic yards

To get a quote on pricing for your job, please call us at (515) 278-4807.

Popouts are blemishes in the concrete surface which occur as early as one to two days, and as late as years after the concrete is placed. Local deposits of sand and rock in Central Iowa contain small percentages of deleterious materials, including certain shales, iron oxide particles, unsound certs, and other soft particles. These materials have a high rate of absorption and when particles expand, popouts occur. During freeze and thaw cycles, the particles contract and swell and this causes internal pressures sufficient to scale or pop the concrete surface.

Admixtures are the substances which are added to the concrete in addition to its normal ingredients to enhance its performance. These substances can be either natural or manufactured and are added to the concrete before or during mixing. The most often used admixtures are for air-entrainment, water reducers, retarders, and accelerators.

Admixtures are added to the concrete to enhance its performance. Admixtures can be used to increase the durability of the concrete, to improve workability, to increase strength, to accelerate or retard the setting and hardening, to decrease permeability, and to impact other desired properties.

Crushed concrete is available for purchase at Liberty Ready Mix’s Dixon Recycle Yard located at 3230 Dixon St. Des Moines, IA 50315.

Recycled aggregate materials for sale include:

Recycled concrete fines
Recycled special backfill
Recycled 1″ clean

Material pickup FOB at the Dixon Yard.

We offer material delivery and can provide tandem dump trucks, side dumps, and belly dumps for hauling material to projects of various sizes. If you are interested in purchasing FOB or need a delivery of recycled concrete aggregate materials at competitive prices, please contact us at (515) 202-4823 for more information.

If you have clean concrete rubble from a demolition project, bring it to our Dixon recycling site during our extended business hours and we will take it off your hands for free. This helps you save the expense of a landfill and the environment at the expense of the rubble. Liberty’s powerful industrial-scale equipment will crush and separate it into reusable material.

Our experienced crushing operators and quality control personnel turn the rubble into aggregates of various sizes that are then used as substitutes for more expensive limestone and gravel. These crushed concrete aggregates (CCA) are commonly used for compaction and fill purposes.