Concrete Tear-Out Cost in Tennessee: 2026 Pricing Guide

TL;DR: Concrete tear-out in East Tennessee runs about $1.50 to $3.50 per square foot for break-up at market rates. Hauling depends on truck size and distance, and we quote it per job rather than post a rate card. Tipping fees at the landfill add ~$60/ton. At SMSG's Maryville yard, clean concrete drops off free. Use the tear-out calculator to send us your specs.

Tear-out pricing is one of the fastest ways to lose money on a demo bid. Most contractors underquote it because they price the break-up but forget how many trips the debris takes, how much fuel that burns, and what the tipping fee does to margin. This guide breaks down the real 2026 numbers in East Tennessee, based on what we see roll through the gate every day at our Maryville yard.

If you just want a number for a specific slab, skip to the concrete tear-out calculator and enter your dimensions. It handles the weight math and the break-bulk factor automatically, and sends us your specs for a haul quote.

The two costs no one separates

When someone asks "how much to tear out my driveway," they're really asking about two costs stapled together:

1. Break-up and load-out, which is labor plus equipment (jackhammer, mini-ex, skid steer, saw) plus dumpster staging on the site.
2. Hauling and disposal, which is a truck, a driver, fuel, and a tipping fee at the receiving end.

The break-up cost is what most people think of. The hauling cost is what most people underquote. Both matter, and on a small residential job the hauling side can easily be half the total.

Break-up cost by job type

These are the ranges we see quoted by Maryville, Alcoa, and Knoxville contractors in 2026. Nothing fancy, just averages from real bids that came across our gate this year.

Job	Range	Notes
Residential 4" driveway (unreinforced)	$1.50 to $2.50 / sq ft	Simple slab, easy access, standard tools
Residential 4" driveway (with wire mesh)	$2.00 to $3.00 / sq ft	Mesh slows load-out, doesn't slow break-up much
Residential sidewalk / patio	$1.75 to $2.75 / sq ft	Smaller pieces, more trim work
Commercial 6" slab (unreinforced)	$2.50 to $4.00 / sq ft	Thicker means slower, bigger equipment
Commercial 6" slab (rebar)	$3.50 to $6.00 / sq ft	Rebar cutting is the big variable
Foundation wall / footing	$4.00 to $10.00 / sq ft	Depends on thickness, access, wall height
Post-tensioned slab	Get a specialty quote	Do not DIY. Cables can whip.

That's just the break-up and load side. Now add the trucks.

Hauling cost by truck size and county

Hauling rates depend on three things: distance from our Maryville yard, equipment size (dump trailer, roll-off container, dump truck), and how many loads the job runs. Rather than post a fixed rate card that never matches the actual specs, we quote each haul per job. Send the numbers through the tear-out calculator or call (865) 999-0857 and we'll have a written quote back same day.

Drive time drives hauling cost. Blount County covers Maryville, Alcoa, Rockford, Louisville, Friendsville, all within about 20 minutes of Brookdale Rd. Knox County pulls in Knoxville, Farragut, Karns, and West Knox jobs, roughly 20 to 40 minutes each way. Sevier County (Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg) is a full 45 to 60 minutes off US-411 or the Foothills Parkway. Bigger projects get a project quote.

The tipping fee wildcard

This is where the math goes sideways for most contractors.

Blount County Landfill accepts clean concrete at about $60 per ton. Other landfills in the region charge by the ton too; call them for current rates. That fee compounds fast.

A 20-yard roll-off holds around 12 to 14 tons of broken concrete. At $60/ton that's $720 to $840 in tipping fees on top of the container rental.

At our Maryville yard, clean concrete and asphalt drop off free. Zero tipping fee, no scale, no appointment, for any clean load, contractor or homeowner, pickup through tri-axle. Mixed loads: call (865) 999-0857 before you haul. That savings alone often pays for any extra drive time versus the landfill.

Full example: 1,000 sq ft residential driveway

Let's price a common job: a 1,000 sq ft, 4-inch unreinforced concrete driveway in Alcoa. Homeowner-adjacent, decent access, no gate to fight with.

Step 1: Break-up cost 1,000 sq ft x $2.00/sq ft (mid-range East TN market rate for a straightforward residential slab) = $2,000

Step 2: Weight math 1,000 sq ft x 4/12 ft thick = 333 cubic feet 333 cu ft x 150 lbs/cu ft = 50,000 lbs = 25 tons

Volume once broken up, with 20% break-bulk: 333 cu ft x 1.20 = 400 cu ft = 14.8 cubic yards

Step 3: Hauling That's tight on a single 20-yard roll-off (they max at ~14 tons of concrete before axle limits). Options include splitting into dump-trailer trips, running one 10-yard container plus a trailer, or using two 10-yard containers. Hauling cost depends on the equipment mix and the number of trips. Send the job through the tear-out calculator and we'll quote the hauling side per your specs.

Step 4: Tipping At SMSG for a clean load: $0. At Blount County Landfill: 25 tons x $60/ton = $1,500.

Same trucks, same crew, same distance. The $1,500 in tipping is the piece that swings when you choose where to dump. On a single residential driveway that's real margin, and it compounds across a season.

Full example: 2,500 sq ft commercial parking pad

Now scale it up. A commercial retail pad, 2,500 sq ft, 6-inch reinforced slab in Farragut (Knox County).

Break-up: 2,500 sq ft x $4.50/sq ft (mid-range market rate with rebar) = $11,250

Weight: 2,500 x 0.5 ft thick x 155 lbs/cu ft = 193,750 lbs = 97 tons, roughly 57 cubic yards broken

At this volume you're firmly in project-quote territory on hauling. Rig mix, trip count, and how the tear-out crew stages the load all move the number. Call (865) 999-0857 or send specs through the tear-out calculator and we'll price it.

Tipping at SMSG for a clean load: $0 Tipping at a landfill charging about $60/ton: 97 tons x $60/ton = $5,820

Same job, $5,800+ swing on where you dump.

What drives price up (and what most people forget)

Access. If a truck can't back to within 30 feet of the slab, you're carrying broken concrete in a skid steer or wheelbarrow. That doubles load-out time.

Thickness. A 6-inch slab isn't 50% more expensive than a 4-inch, it's often 80% more. Break-up scales with thickness worse than it scales with area.

Rebar spacing and grade. #4 rebar on 24-inch centers is a nuisance. #5 or #6 on 12-inch centers with hooked ends changes the tool selection. Post-tensioned changes the whole job.

Distance to disposal. Every extra 15 minutes each way is another billable half-hour on a truck. That is fuel plus wages plus wear.

Weekend or after-hours. If you need Saturday drop-off, that's covered under our normal Saturday hours, 8 AM to noon. Sunday or evening is a case-by-case call.

Weather. Wet mud on tires ends up on Brookdale Rd, and TDOT does not appreciate that. We ask contractors to knock off big clods before leaving the yard. In sustained rain, sites get muddy and load times stretch.

Reinforced vs unreinforced: the density trap

Standard concrete weighs about 150 lbs per cubic foot. Reinforced concrete is closer to 155. Broken concrete piles at roughly 135 (there's air between the chunks). Asphalt is 145.

Those numbers matter because your truck's weight limit doesn't care what you tell yourself the yardage is. A 20-yard roll-off can technically hold 20 cubic yards, but if you fill it with reinforced slab you'll blow past legal axle limits before you top the walls. Half-fill it, or split loads.

Rule of thumb: for solid concrete, budget 1.35 to 1.4 tons per cubic yard as broken debris. That's what the calculator uses under the hood.

The break-bulk factor everyone ignores

Solid concrete and broken concrete take up different amounts of space. Cut a 100 sq ft slab into rubble and the pile is bigger than the slab. We use a 20% break-bulk factor: broken debris takes ~1.2x the volume of the original solid form.

This is why a 3-cubic-yard slab often needs a 5-yard container to haul comfortably. If you're pricing by container size instead of weight, you'll under-order every time. The tear-out calculator applies the break-bulk factor automatically so the container recommendation makes sense.

Where the numbers come from

Every figure on this page comes from one of two places:

1. Published rates from Blount County Landfill and neighboring facilities, for tipping fees.
2. Contractor quotes and market data across East Tennessee, for break-up cost per square foot.

None of it is invented. Our own hauling side is quoted per job rather than posted, so if you want a real number for your slab, call (865) 999-0857 or send specs through the tear-out calculator.

Getting a real quote

Two paths:

1. Self-serve: use the tear-out calculator. Enter length, width, thickness, and material type. It returns weight, yards, and a container recommendation, and sends us your specs for a haul quote.
2. Call: (865) 999-0857 during business hours. We'll ask you the same questions the calculator asks, plus any access or timing wrinkles, and give you a firm number.

If you're also pricing new aggregate for the rebuild (base rock, RCA, crusher run), use the gravel calculator to size that side, and see our materials list for what we sell. RCA and delivery pricing: call (865) 999-0857.

Related reading

• How Much Does Concrete Disposal Cost in East Tennessee? (2026): companion piece focused strictly on the disposal side of a tear-out job.
• How to Load a Truck for Concrete Drop-Off: how weight limits change per-truck economics.
• Concrete Disposal Options in Blount County: full breakdown of the landfill fees you'd otherwise pay.
• How to Break Up a Concrete Driveway: the DIY side of tear-out.

Ready to get a number on your job? Request a quote or call (865) 999-0857. Yard is open Mon-Fri 7 AM to 5 PM, Saturday 8 AM to noon at 245 Brookdale Rd, Maryville, TN 37801.