Cardinalis concrete
Concrete for Driveways
Ready mixed concrete is one of the best surfaces you can lay for a driveway. It is tough, long-lasting, and needs very little upkeep once it has cured. But getting the grade, thickness, and preparation right from the start is what separates a driveway that lasts 30 years from one that cracks within two winters.
Get a quote today
State of the art
We use state of the art volumetric mixers.
5-star customer service
Expert help choosing the right mix.
24 hours a day
Flexible delivery to suit your schedule.
Our clients
Cardinalis Concrete
What Grade of Concrete Do You Need for a Driveway?
Not all concrete is the same. The grade tells you how strong the mix is, and driveways need a grade strong enough to handle the weight of cars, vans, and the freeze-thaw cycles that come with UK winters.
For most domestic driveways, C25 concrete is the standard choice. It offers the right balance of strength, workability, and durability for regular car and light van traffic. If your driveway will take heavier loads, such as a large commercial vehicle or a removal lorry, stepping up to C30/C35 concrete gives you extra strength and longer-term resilience.
Some suppliers recommend GEN 3 concrete for driveways, which sits at a similar strength level to C25 and works well for standard residential use.
A good rule of thumb: if in doubt, go stronger rather than weaker. The difference in cost between grades is small compared to the cost of resurfacing a failed driveway a few years later.
Calculation Tools
How Thick Should a Concrete Driveway Be?
Thickness is just as important as grade. A thinner slab will crack under load, even if you have used the right mix.
For a standard residential driveway used by cars and small vans, 100mm (4 inches) is the minimum recommended depth. This is enough to handle normal domestic traffic without issues.
If your driveway will regularly take heavier vehicles, such as a van, a skip lorry, or a concrete mixer truck, you should increase the depth to 125–150mm (5–6 inches). Thickening the edges of the slab by an extra 25–50mm also adds structural support where the load is highest.
Skimping on depth is one of the most common reasons driveways fail. The sub-base below the concrete also needs to be correctly prepared, otherwise the slab will move and crack regardless of its thickness.
Request a callback
Cardinalis Concrete
Why Ready Mixed Concrete Is the Right Choice for Driveways
You can buy bags of dry concrete mix and mix it yourself on site, but for a driveway, this approach has serious drawbacks.
Mixing by hand in small batches means the strength and consistency of the concrete will vary from one batch to the next. Those differences in strength show up later as patches of weakness, which is where cracking starts.
Ready mixed concrete is batched to a precise specification at the point of mixing. Every cubic metre has the same water-to-cement ratio, the same aggregate content, and the same compressive strength. You get a consistent slab from one end to the other.
At Cardinalis Concrete, we use volumetric mixers. This means your concrete is mixed fresh on site, to your exact order. You only pay for what is poured, with no leftover concrete to dispose of and no wasted cost. For driveways, where volumes can vary depending on the exact dimensions of the slab, this is a significant advantage over traditional drum-mixed deliveries.
Cardinalis Concrete
Preparing Your Site Before the Pour
Good concrete on a poor sub-base is a recipe for failure. The ground beneath your driveway needs to be stable, level, and properly compacted before any concrete goes down.
Steps your groundworker should follow:
- Remove any topsoil, organic material, or soft ground from the dug-out area. These materials compress over time and will cause the slab to sink and crack.
- Lay a compacted sub-base of hardcore or crushed stone to a depth of at least 100mm. For areas with soft ground, 150mm or more may be needed.
- Dampen the sub-base lightly before the pour. A bone-dry sub-base will draw moisture out of the fresh concrete too quickly, weakening the surface.
- Set up formwork (shuttering) around the edges of the driveway to hold the concrete in shape while it sets. Make sure it is level and properly secured.
- Slope the surface slightly (a minimum of 1 in 80) to allow rainwater to drain away from the house and off the driveway.
If steel mesh reinforcement is being used, it should be placed in the middle of the slab depth and supported on small blocks so it sits centrally within the concrete.
ready mixed concrete
Do You Need Reinforcement?
For most standard domestic driveways on stable ground, steel mesh reinforcement is not strictly necessary, but it does add extra durability and helps hold any cracks together if they do appear.
Use reinforcement if:
- The ground is known to be soft, made-up, or prone to movement
- The driveway will regularly take heavy vehicles
- The slab is thinner than 125mm and will be heavily loaded
Synthetic fibres can be added to the concrete mix as an alternative to mesh. They help reduce surface cracking without the need to install physical reinforcement in the slab.
Our team can advise on whether reinforcement is recommended for your specific ground conditions. Just let us know when you get in touch.
Ready Mixed Concrete
Do You Need Planning Permission for a Concrete Driveway?
This is one of the most common questions homeowners ask, and the answer depends on the size of the driveway and where the drainage goes.
According to guidance from the Planning Portal, you will not need planning permission if your driveway uses a permeable surface that allows water to drain through naturally. However, if the driveway is more than five square metres and uses a traditional impermeable material such as concrete, and rainwater runs off into the public drain rather than back onto your own land, you will need to apply for planning permission.
In practice, this means:
- Under 5m2: No planning permission needed for a concrete driveway
- Over 5m2 with drainage to your own land (lawn, border, or soakaway): Generally no planning permission needed
- Over 5m2 with no drainage provision: Planning permission required
If your property is a listed building or sits in a conservation area, stricter rules apply regardless of the size.
Rear driveways and parking areas off the back of a property are generally not subject to the same rules, but it is always worth checking with your local planning authority before starting work.
Cardinalis Concrete
How Long Does a Concrete Driveway Take to Cure?
Concrete does not dry instantly. It undergoes a chemical process called curing that takes time, and it is important not to rush it.
- 24–48 hours: The surface will be firm enough to walk on lightly
- 7 days: Safe to park a standard car on the driveway
- 28 days: Full compressive strength achieved
During the first 28 days, avoid parking heavy vehicles on the slab. In hot weather, keep the surface lightly dampened for the first week to prevent it from drying out too fast, which can cause surface cracking and scaling.
Do not apply deicing salt during the first winter. Salt can attack the surface of fresh concrete before it has fully hardened. Use sharp sand for grip instead.
ready mixed concrete
What Makes Cardinalis Concrete the Right Choice for Your Driveway?
Based in Longstanton, Cambridge, Cardinalis Concrete has been supplying ready mixed concrete to homeowners and contractors across Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire, Essex, Suffolk, and Norfolk for over a decade.
Our volumetric mixers produce fresh concrete on site, mixed to your exact specification. You only pay for the volume you actually use. There is no guesswork, no waste, and no compromise on quality.
We supply C25 and C30/C35 concrete suitable for all types of domestic driveway, and our advisers can help you choose the right grade and volume for your project. Whether you are laying a small parking area or a wide double driveway, we can deliver a mix that suits the job.
We also offer concrete pumping services for driveways where access is difficult, such as properties set back from the road or jobs where wheelbarrow access is not practical.
To see all the areas we cover, visit our areas we cover page.
Get in touch
Let's Chat About Your Project
Office hours
- Monday-Friday: 7:00am - 5:00pm
- Saturday: 7:00am - 12:00pm
- Sunday: By prior arrangement (we know deadlines don't always respect weekends!)
Or fill in our quick enquiry form here, and we’ll get back to you before you can say “concrete”!