Concrete mixer truck explained: drum volume 7 to 12 m³, axle count and payload, conveyor belt and pump mixer, drum wear, manufacturers and used-truck checks.
A concrete mixer truck gets concrete to where it's needed – and keeps it moving en route so it doesn't set. The rotating drum on the truck chassis is the link between the concrete plant and the construction site, with 7 to 10 m³ capacity and a working window of around 90 minutes. Which body types and drum sizes exist, how much payload remains, what the concrete pump has to do with it, who builds them, and what matters when buying and selling used concrete mixer trucks.
A concrete mixer truck (also called a transit mixer, ready-mix truck, or mixer truck) is a truck with an obliquely mounted, rotating mixing drum. It is filled with fresh concrete at the concrete plant and keeps turning slowly during transport – two to six revolutions per minute – so the mix doesn't segregate or start to set. At the construction site the direction of rotation is reversed: the internal auger screw pushes the concrete upward to the discharge chute, which can be swiveled and extended.
The drum is driven via a power take-off on the vehicle engine or, on newer vehicles, via its own hydraulic circuit with a diesel engine. The body also includes a water tank of 300 to 500 l for rinsing the drum and chute, a ladder with a platform, and increasingly a remote control that lets the driver operate the discharge from below.
Important in practice: fresh concrete is a perishable good. The workability time is usually around 90 minutes from the addition of water, less in hot weather. Concrete mixer trucks therefore run in tight cycles, typically within 30 to 50 km of the concrete plant – unlike semi-trailers in long-haul transport, they rack up many operating hours over comparatively few kilometers.
Rule of thumb for weight: fresh concrete weighs around 2.4 t per cubic meter. A 9 m³ drum therefore means a good 21 t of load – which is why concrete mixer trucks are almost always four- or five-axle vehicles, and why the drum is rarely run completely full in everyday use. The permitted payload is stated in the vehicle registration certificate part I (Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I, field F.1 minus field G); the drum's nominal volume is always greater than the stated usable volume.
A swiveling belt 8 to 16 m long at the rear carries the concrete over obstacles and trenches without needing a pump on site. Popular for foundations, floor slabs and civil engineering.
Drum and concrete pump with a placing boom on one vehicle, boom lengths of 20 to 28 m. One vehicle instead of two – attractive for smaller sites where a separate trip by heavy equipment would not pay off. Downside: less drum volume, higher tare weight, more expensive to buy and maintain.
Not a concrete mixer truck but its counterpart: a truck with a placing boom of 24 to over 60 m that pumps the concrete from the delivering mixers to the point of placement. On large construction sites, both work in tandem.
For travel off paved roads there are mixers on all-wheel-drive chassis and articulated carriers. Anyone hauling bulk material rather than concrete, however, needs a tipper.
A handful of suppliers share the European market for the bodies: Liebherr (market leader, HTM series), Schwing Stetter (AM series), Putzmeister with Intermix, Cifa (Italy), Karrena, Baryval and Frumecar. The chassis come from Mercedes-Benz (Arocs, formerly Actros), MAN (TGS), Iveco (Trakker, X-Way), Volvo (FMX), Scania (P, G, XT), DAF (CF) and Renault (C, K) – predominantly as 8x4 with leaf-spring suspension and all-wheel drive. Putzmeister, Schwing and Cifa dominate concrete pumps. Second-hand, Liebherr and Stetter drums on Arocs and TGS chassis are most in demand, because spare parts and service are available across Europe.
The drum is the most expensive wear part and determines the vehicle's value. Fresh concrete acts like sandpaper: the mixing blades and drum wall wear down, typically noticeably after 4,000 to 8,000 drum hours. Signs include thin blade edges, uneven running, longer discharge times, and residual concrete that no longer empties out cleanly. Refurbishing or replacing the drum costs a five-figure sum – anyone buying a used concrete mixer truck factors this in or has it reflected in the price.
Equally important: build-up. If the drum is not rinsed out after every shift, a layer of concrete grows inside that costs volume and adds weight – several hundred kilograms is not unusual. The condition of the drum's interior is therefore the first thing to check at any viewing.
Concrete mixer trucks are specialist vehicles with a smaller but very steady pool of buyers: ready-mix concrete plants, construction companies with their own concrete production, and exporters. Value is determined by drum condition and drum hours, drum volume, axle count and drive (8x4 over 6x4), chassis manufacturer, emissions standard, mileage and inspection status; extra equipment such as a conveyor belt, remote control or weighing system raises the price. In exports to Eastern Europe, North Africa, West Africa and the Middle East, mixers 12 to 18 years old are also sought after, provided the drum still has substance – which age limits and emissions standards the target countries prescribe is covered in the guide exporting used trucks. A concrete figure for your vehicle comes from the free valuation based on real sales; verified dealers from more than 34 countries then bid on it with binding offers – sell your concrete mixer truck with truckoo.
Typically 7 to 8 m³ on a three-axle truck, 9 to 10 m³ on a four-axle truck, and 10 to 12 m³ on a five-axle truck; semi-trailer mixers hold up to 15 m³. The drum's nominal volume is always above the usable volume.
Around 2.4 t. A 9 m³ load therefore weighs a good 21 t – the reason concrete mixer trucks are usually built as four-axle vehicles with a 32 t permitted gross weight.
So the fresh concrete doesn't segregate or stiffen prematurely. To unload, the direction of rotation is reversed, and the internal auger then feeds the concrete to the discharge chute.
Usually around 90 minutes from the addition of water, considerably less at high temperatures. That's why operating radii are usually 30 to 50 km around the concrete plant.
The concrete mixer truck transports the concrete from the plant to the construction site. The truck-mounted concrete pump then feeds it via a placing boom to the point of placement on site. A pump mixer combines both in one vehicle, with a smaller drum and a shorter boom.
Category C, or CE with a trailer or as a semi-trailer mixer. Commercial use additionally requires Code 95 (Schlüsselzahl 95).
Gabriel Böhm is Managing Director of truckoo GmbH, the digital platform that is redefining commercial vehicle trade in Europe. With a passion for innovation and efficiency, he shapes the strategic direction and drives operational excellence to connect sellers and buyers smarter, faster and more transparently.
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