Concrete Driveway Thickness: What Is The Right Depth?

Ensuring an even thickness across your concrete is the key to preventing cracks over time. Before starting your driveway project, your contractor will likely ask you a few questions to determine the necessary thickness of the concrete. To calculate this, it will be important for the contractor to note the number of vehicles you expect to have on your driveway, and whether or not you plan on parking heavier, industrial vehicles like RVs on it.

If you plan on simply parking your family’s everyday cars on the driveway, see the following section. If you plan on parking heavy, industrial vehicles on it you can skip ahead to the second section of this article.

Standard Passenger Car Driveways

The typical single-car driveway spans eight to nine feet in width and 15 to 18 feet for double-width. For double-width driveways, the entry can start out at a single-car width and be widened towards the garage, so long as there’s a long enough distance from the street. With lots of space between the street and the house, turn-around areas and extra parking are some other available options.

The thickness for standard passenger car driveways is typically four inches of non-reinforced pavement. This allows for you to park your everyday family cars on it without fear of cracking due to weight. It’s also important to note that you should expect your driveway to be sloped towards the street in order to allow water runoff–something that is especially important for Louisiana driveways that experience lots of flooding. This slope shouldn’t be too drastic, however, and is typically angled at ⅛ inch per foot.

On top of ensuring that your driveway has an even thickness, your contractor will also install joints to prevent cracking. With a standard 4-inch thick driveway, these joints will typically be placed 10 feet apart and take up about one-fourth of the driveway’s total thickness. Port Aggregates has the best quality concrete for standard driveways, and we will deliver it to your home when you need it.

Parking Heavy Industrial Vehicles

If you plan on parking your RV or other industrial vehicle(s) on your driveway, it will need to be thicker than the standard passenger car driveway in order to allow for the extra weight. Typically, these types of driveways require about five inches of thickness.

This extra inch may not sound like much, but it can actually increase the load-carrying capacity of your driveway by almost 50%. In the areas of your driveway that are most likely to support the heavy vehicles, it’s also common for an extra 1-2 inches of thickness to be added for additional structural support. This can help prevent cracking and buckling, which extends the life of your driveway by many years.

Regardless of whether you need a standard passenger car driveway or one that’s fit to hold heavy, industrial vehicles, Port Aggregates has you covered. Contact us today to learn more about our ready-mix concrete!