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Some cracking in brand new concrete is normal and expected: concrete shrinks as it cures, and hairline shrinkage cracks in the first weeks, especially ones that follow the control joints, are the slab behaving as designed. What is not normal on a new pour is cracks wider than about a quarter inch, cracks where one side sits higher than the other, or random cracking away from the joints in the first season. Those point to base, mix, or curing problems and are worth raising with the installer while the work is fresh.
Updated Aug 18, 2026 · Winston-Salem Concrete Co, Winston-Salem, NC
Control joints exist to give shrinkage a place to crack invisibly, at the bottom of the groove. A crack running along or inside a joint is the system working. A crack wandering across the middle of a panel means shrinkage beat the joints, usually because joints were cut too late, too shallow, or too far apart. Displacement, one side higher than the other, on a new slab is the red flag that the base was not compacted right, and it will not improve on its own.
A serious contractor stands behind a new pour. Ask what the joint plan was, when joints were cut, and what the base prep involved. Photograph the cracks with something for scale and date them, so growth is measurable rather than argued about. Most reputable installers will look at a first-season crack without drama, and how they respond tells you plenty.
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