Exposed Aggregate Concrete Break-Even: $51K Monthly Revenue Target

Fixed costs $7.7K/mo Core overhead

Contribution margin 71% After variable costs

Break-even revenue $10.8K/mo Monthly target

Break-even timing Month 4 Launch ramp

Break-even calculator

Test monthly revenue, direct job costs, and fixed overhead for an exposed aggregate concrete service.

Lean Base Full

Monthly revenue Revenue is the pool that covers direct costs and fixed overhead. $ Slow month Busy month Variable expenses Direct costs like aggregate, mix, sealants, fuel, and waste rise with jobs. $ Tight cost High cost

Money available to cover fixed costs $89,633 $133,833 revenue - $44,200 variable expenses

Margin ratio

67%

Covers fixed costs

Yes

Fixed monthly costs Monthly overhead and staffing the margin has to cover. $ Lean setup Scaled setup

Break-even chart Revenue Total costs

Which exposed aggregate service expenses are fixed, and which move with sales?

Cost classification

Break-even is reliable only when materials follow job volume and overhead stays in the monthly base. Here, the model reaches break-even in Month 4, so misclassifying even one large crew or yard expense can distort the target.

Expense	Cost	Break-Even Treatment	Common Mistake
Specialty Aggregate and Ready Mix	Variable	Model at 18.0% of revenue in the first year.	Burying core materials in overhead.
Chemical Retardants and Sealants	Variable	Model at 4.5% of revenue in the first year.	Not tracking usage by finish type.
Fuel and Equipment Consumables	Variable	Model at 4.0% of revenue in the first year.	Ignoring route distance changes.
Site Disposal and Waste Fees	Variable	Model at 2.5% of revenue in the first year.	Leaving out demo-heavy jobs.
Equipment Storage Yard Rent	Fixed	Carry $3,200 per month from Month 1 through Month 60.	Allocating it only to booked jobs.
General Liability Insurance	Fixed	Carry $1,100 per month, even in slow months.	Dropping it when sales dip.
Fleet Insurance and Maintenance	Semi-fixed	Use a $1,500 monthly baseline, then step up when fleet capacity expands.	Treating every dollar as job-level usage.
Crew Salaries	Semi-fixed	Start at about $27,300 per month in the first year, based on $328,000 annual payroll.	Adding staff after revenue has already caught up.

How does break-even change from a lean launch to a full schedule for this exposed aggregate concrete service?

Scenario table

Break-even changes fast because fixed costs stay near $363k a month while variable costs move with revenue. At lean volume, the business is still $135k short; at base, it barely clears overhead; at full schedule, the cushion is much stronger.

Planning assumptions only; actual results can move with job mix, weather, and crew use.

Scenario	Monthly Revenue	Variable Costs	Fixed Costs	CM Ratio	Operating Profit	Break-Even Signal
Lean launch	$321k	$93k	$363k	71%	($135k)	Still below break-even, so launch risk stays high.
Base run rate	$562k	$163k	$363k	71%	$36k	Just above break-even, so overhead coverage is tight.
Full schedule	$1,338k	$388k	$363k	71%	$587k	Strong cushion, so crew use and schedule density support profit.

What pushes this exposed aggregate concrete plan past break-even?

Stress test

The base plan clears break-even, but it gets tight fast if booked work drops, materials or sealants rise, or overhead grows. Break-even moves from $511k to $550k-$581k under normal stress.

Stress Case	Changed Assumption	Break-Even Revenue	Revenue Gap	Risk Signal
Current plan	No change.	$511k	$1.095M cushion	Year 1 revenue stays well above break-even.
Revenue shortfall	Booked revenue drops to $40k.	$511k	$79k gap	Lower booked jobs quickly erode the cushion.
Fixed-cost pressure	Fixed overhead rises to $413k.	$581k	$70k gap	Higher overhead makes every slow month harder.
Margin pressure	Variable expenses rise from 29% to 34%.	$550k	$39k gap	Material, sealant, fuel, and waste costs squeeze margin.
Combined pressure	Booked revenue drops to $40k, variable expenses rise to 34%, and fixed overhead reaches $413k.	$626k	$149k gap	Low volume and higher costs can break the plan fast.

What should you verify before you lock in the first big spend for this exposed aggregate concrete service?

Founder checklist

Before you sign a lease, hire the crew, or buy the truck, confirm you can still clear about $511K a month in revenue at Year 1 rates of $185, $210, and $120 per hour. Also make sure the Month 2 cash trough of $771K is covered, because break-even only works if the launch spend and payroll ramp are funded.

1Break-even Demand$511K/mo

Verify booked driveway, patio, and resealing work can still reach this revenue level at Year 1 pricing before you commit to fixed capacity.

2Fixed Load$363K/mo

Check that rent, insurance, fleet, software, office, and launch marketing stay near this load, or the Month 4 break-even target moves out.

3Contribution Margin71% CM

Confirm the mix still leaves about 71% after aggregate, ready mix, retardants, sealants, fuel, and disposal, since that pays payroll and overhead.

4Crew Capacity60/40 hrs

Verify the starting crew can handle 60 driveway hours and 40 patio hours per job line without slipping on finish quality or cash timing.

5Cash Cushion$771K

Hold this Month 2 reserve before launch, because the $65K truck, $12K trailer, $45K skid steer, and $10K launch spend hit before revenue catches up.

6Launch PipelineMonth 4

Line up supplier coverage, insurance, permits, backlog, seasonality, and the sales pipeline before adding payroll, or break-even will slide past Month 4.