Dry Mix or Wet Mix Concrete? How to Choose the Right Concrete Batch Plant

Dr Toyah Warnock∙Business Tips∙Jun 16, 2025

Drymix concrete plant by frumecar filling up a ready mix truck

If you're thinking about making your own concrete on-site, one of the first questions you'll run into is whether to go with a dry mix or a wet mix batch plant.

This guide breaks down the difference between the two, what each one is best suited for, and how to figure out which setup is right for your business.

What Is a Dry Mix Concrete Plant?

A dry mix concrete plant (also called a transit mix plant) combines all the dry ingredients needed to make your desired concrete mix; cement, sand, aggregates and loads them into a truck. Water is added later, either at the job site or in the mixing truck on the way there.

Frumecar Dry 2000L - Dix Mix Concrete Batch Plant on site in america — Frumecar Dry 2000L - Dix Mix Concrete Batch Plant

Why choose a dry mix plant?

Lower cost and simpler setup: Fewer parts, smaller footprint
Better for remote or spread-out job sites: Water doesn’t need to be stored at the plant
More control over slump on-site: Drivers can adjust the water to match job conditions

Dry Mix Plants are best for:

Contractors working in rural or mobile environments
Smaller concrete volumes or less frequent pours
Jobs where flexibility in mix consistency is needed

Frumecar dry 2000 concrete batch plant filling up a ready mix truck for concrete delivery — Ready mix trucks can be filled directly from the concrete batch plant. Water is added later to the mix

Dry Mix Plants to consider:

Frumecar Dry Mix series (compact, semi-mobile, efficient)

What Is a Wet Mix Concrete Plant?

A wet mix concrete plant blends all ingredients, including water, at the plant. The concrete is ready to pour when it leaves the gate. These systems offer tighter control over mix quality and higher throughput.

Why choose a wet mix plant?

High-quality, consistent batches: Better mix accuracy
Faster production rate: More cubic yards per hour
Meets tight spec jobs: DOT, commercial, and structural work
Legal requirements: Not all states and counties allow you to mix dry concrete due to dust and particular restrictions.

Wet Mix Plants are best for:

High-volume jobs with strict concrete specs
Paving contractors, ready-mix producers, precast work
Urban jobs where quick pour time is critical

Wet Mix Plants to consider:

Carmix 3500 TC - compact wet mix with 4x4 action for pouring concrete at even the most remote sites.
Frumecar Wet Mix range - large high-output wet mix

Key Differences: Dry vs Wet Mix Plants

table showing the features of wet vs dry mix — Features of wet vs dry mix

What Should You Consider Before You Decide on a Wet or Dry Mix Plant?

1. Job Type Are you working smaller pours, slabs, and sidewalks? Or are you paving highways and commercial pads? Wet mix makes sense for high-volume specs. Dry mix works for flexibility and access.

Carmix 3500tc pouring concrete at a customers site — The Carmix range is great for flexability on remote job sites

2. Site Conditions If your job sites don’t have reliable water or space for a larger plant, dry mix is easier to set up and move. You will however need to consider when, when and how water will be added to your mix. Wet mix setups require more infrastructure and often permanent placement.

3. Speed and Consistency Need to pump out 100+ yards per hour with tight quality specs? Wet mix is your answer. If your pace is moderate and you need mix flexibility, dry can get the job done.

large Frumecar concrete batch plant — Think about how much concrete you need to produce

4. Permitting in the US Wet and dry mix plants often trigger more regulatory oversight: water discharge, dust suppression, and run-off handling. Dry mix setups typically face fewer hurdles but it is always recommended that you contact your local government bodies to make sure that you meet all regulatory and permitting requirements.

5. Total Cost per Yard Wet mix has higher upfront costs but lower cost per yard when running full capacity. Dry mix is cheaper to set up and run small batches.

Example: Wet Mix ROI Snapshot

Using the EBA 1000, producing 17,000 yards:

Cost to produce: $81.46 per yard
Savings vs ready mix: $825,000
Break-even point: 6,000 yards

This plant can pay for itself in under a year on a medium-sized job.

Frumecar EBA 1000 Dry Concrete plant filling up a ready mix truck with dry mix concrete — Frumecar EBA 1000 Dry Concrete plant

Need Help Choosing the Right Concrete Plant?

Still not sure what setup is right for your operation? Talk to our team. We’ll walk you through your options based on your job types, production goals, and budget. Contact us today; 888-297-0623 for an expert opinion and custom ROI report on your next concrete batch plant.

Explore all our wet and dry mix plants at MachineryPartner.com or give us a call to get started.