How to Calculate Concrete For Your Construction Project?

How to calculate concrete for your construction project in an easy way? This question usually arises in your mind when you are starting any construction project, no matter who you are, a homeowner or a contractor.  Today, our lives have become easy and simple with some tools and probably yes there are also tools that can help you calculate the construction material easily.  For calculating concrete, we have concrete calculators that help you calculate the amount of concrete you need for your construction work. 

Concrete Volume Calculator

A Concrete calculator is an online tool. It works with internet access and provides an estimate on the volume of concrete you can use in the construction of your house, area, etc.  It is just like a mobile app and is simple and easy to use. Anyone using this has to enter the dimensions of the area they are working on, it will give the answer, guiding you to the volume of concrete needed for the specific project.

How to Calculate Concrete Manually?

Contractors working in the construction field usually have an idea of the amount of concrete they will need for the specific construction. However, there are also some contractors who provide an estimate after calculating manually.  There are formulas and rules defined to do the calculation process. One simple formula is “ length x width x height.  This formula is not applicable to every surface. It is used while measuring the flat surfaces like walls, slabs, and foundations.

• Length means how long the surface is from one end to the other.
• Width is the distance across the surface from side to side.
• Height is the thickness, in the case of slabs and floors. It shows how deep or tall the surface should be.

When you are calculating manually, apply the above formula and take out the answer.  If we take a short example of the three dimensions, it could be like this. 

• The slab is 10 feet long, so the length = 10 feet 
• It is 8 feet wide, so the width = 8 feet
• Its thickness required after construction is 6 inches and in feet, it is 0.6. So the height = 0.6 feet. 

Now, to find out the concrete volume for this area, we will apply the formula and calculate it. 10 x 8 x 0.5 = 40  The answer is 40 cubic feet. You will need 40 cubic feet of concrete to lay the concrete on the area.  Now, here people usually face one issue, and that is with the unit. When you multiply the three dimensions in feet, the answer you will get will be in cubic feet, and when you go to buy concrete, the supplier requires the volume to be in cubic yards. This thing confuses most people because they are unaware of converting cubic feet to cubic yards, and they think they have miscalculated the area.  However, the fact is that there is nothing to worry about. Cubic feet can be converted to cubic yards. If you need the volume in cubic yards it can be done with just one more step. Divide the answer by 27 to get the volume in yards. Want to know why 27?  The answer is simple and you must know that 1 cubic yard is 27 cubic feet. Now, to convert 40 cubic feet into cubic yards, we will follow the formula.  40 ÷ 27 = 1.48  You will need about 1.48 cubic yards of concrete to fill the area.

Calculating Round Surfaces 

For calculating the concrete volume for round surfaces, the same formula doesn’t apply. It is different.  π × r² × h “ π ”  means pi, which stands for the value of 3.1416 “ r ” means radius, which is half of the diameter of the circle “ h ” is the height or thickness highlighting how tall and deep the column/footing is. Suppose you want to calculate concrete for a round column with 1 foot diameter, 0.5 feet radius, and 10 feet high. It will be calculated this way.

• Diameter = 1 foot
• Radius = 0.5 feet
• Height = 10 feet

When we apply the formula: π × r² × h 3.1416 × (0.5 × 0.5) × 10 = 3.1416 × 0.25 × 10 = 7.85 cubic feet Convert cubic feet to cubic yards 7.85 ÷ 27 = 0.29 cubic yards So, you need about 0.3 cubic yards of concrete for that column. These are two formulas that are mostly used to calculate the concrete volume manually without any tools. If you prefer to calculate the concrete volume for your project, you can get an estimate by using this.  However, if you are using a calculator to calculate, that is somehow different. So let us guide you on that, too. 

How to Calculate Concrete Using an Online Concrete Volume Calculator?

As we have mentioned above, there are online calculators you can use to calculate the concrete volume for your construction project. Online calculators are much easier to use and give instant results.  When you open the concrete calculator page, you will see different options for different types of surfaces. Moreover, calculators help you get the volume of more areas than only plain or circular ones. By using the calculating tool, you can calculate concrete for cylindrical-shaped areas, circular slabs, tubes, plain surfaces, square footings, stairs, and more.  The calculator gives a comprehensive result, highlighting everything, including the result in cubic yards, cubic feet, and meters, the number of bags needed, and the cost of the concrete.

How to Calculate? 

To calculate you need to select the section that describes that specific surface. There will be different options available on the calcultor page and you will have to select one from the bar.  If you have selected square footings, slabs, and walls, add the dimensions of the area you are calculating for. This section requires length, width, and height. It also asks to enter the quanity of the slab. Once you enter the details and calculate, the calculator give you the answer in just a moment. For calculating hole, column and round footing, you will have to enter the diameter, depth and quantity and then click on the calculate button.  In this, diameter will be the area of the round object or hole and height will be its depth. Once you enter these details to calculate you will get the estimated volume of concrete you will need to complete filling the area.  Similarly, for circular slabs or tube like structures, you will have to enter outer diameter, inner diameter and height or length and calculate to get the answer.  For curb and gutter barriers concrete volume calculator, the dimensions are different. Here the contractor will have to enter curb depth, curb height, gutter width, flag of thickness, length and quantity to calculate the concrete volume.  If we talk about stairs concrete volume calculation, there is a separate section to calculate that. The dimensions required for this are “run, rise, width, platform depth and the steps number”. Measure all the dimensions carefully and enter in the calculator to calculate.  Once you move forward to calculate the concrete volume, the answer will provide a thorough estimate of the volume in cubic yards, meters and cubic feet. Other than this, it will also highlight the ratio of premixed bags, the number of bags needed and the cost you will have to pay for buying such an amount. 

How to Calculate Concrete for Irregular Shapes?

Irregular shapes are areas that do not have a standard geometric form and have uneven sides. These irregular areas cannot be measured with one formula.  The easiest way to measure such an area is to break it into smaller regular shapes, or divide the section like contractors do for L-shaped areas. Then calculate each separately, and add them together to understand the estimate of concrete volume.  The same goes for curved and complex designs. It is better to divide the area into triangles, rectangles, and circles. Calculate each part with its respective formula, then sum them up. So, these are the methods to calculate concrete volume. Manual calculation takes time and effort and thus it is best to use an online calculator for finding out the volume easily and with no hassle. It gives accurate results so you can order the material in appropriate quantities. If you are a contractor or a builder and looking for a good calculator, we recommend you to use TogCalculator concrete volume calculator and get concrete volume knowledge, concrete bags and cost estimate for every type of surface. So check now to get the exact result with just a few clicks!

Frequently Asked Questions

What is better, to calculate concrete manually or with an online calculator?

Both are better but if you want fast results and save time and effort then it is better to use an online calculator for fast calculations. 

What to do if I want to calculate concrete volume in meters?

If you want to calculate concrete volume in meters, set the units to meters when you enter the dimensions. The result will automatically appear in meters. If you are using the TogCalculator concrete calculator, then you will get the concrete volume in cubic yards, cubic feet and cubic meters.

How to calculate concrete mix ratio?

Concrete is mixed in ratios like 1:2:4  which is cement:sand:gravel.  

What is the formula for calculating concrete?

The formula for calculating concrete is “ length x width x height”. Measure the length, width and height of the area and apply this formula to calculate the concrete volume in cubic feet.