How to measure for concrete

Step by step

1. Split the pour into parts

   A slab, each footing, each pad or pier: each part on its own line. Identical parts (6 footings of the same size) go on one line with their count.

2. Measure length and width

   Inside the forms, or the area to pour, in feet (or meters).

3. Measure the thickness

   The slab thickness or the footing depth, in inches (or millimeters). Where it varies, measure it in several places and use the average.

4. Add the waste

   Spillage, uneven ground and the forms take extra concrete. The calculator starts at 5% waste, the default of the MesuPro construction template; adjust it to your site.

5. Order

   Volume = length x width x thickness for each part, added up, plus the waste. The result is not rounded: the minimum order and the rounding depend on your supplier, so check with them.

The calculation

Volume = length x width x (thickness in inches / 12) x identical parts / 27, in cubic yards. To order = volume x (1 + waste / 100), 5% waste by default, as in the template. The volume is not rounded: minimum orders and rounding depend on your supplier.

Common mistakes

• Mixing inches and feet: a 4 in slab is 0.33 ft thick, not 4.
• Forgetting footings, pads or thickened edges.
• Measuring the outside of the forms instead of the inside.
• Ordering the exact volume with no waste: running short in the middle of a pour is costly.