This is a great question if you normally don’t work with concrete or volume of area, so how much concrete do I need for a job, and how can I calculate how much concrete Is needed?
Here is a simple math equation to find out how much concrete is needed for any job or concrete project.
This is the same method used all over the world and is easy to get the hang of.
How To Calculate How Much Concrete I Need
Here is the mathematical formula to find out how much concrete you will need for any of your concrete jobs or project.
Length x the width x the height. ( LxWxH )
How to calculate concrete needed example:
Example: How Much Concrete Do I Need For A 6x9m garage at 100mm thick, with footings 200mm x 200mm
6×9 = 54 x .100mm thick = 5.4 cube
If you are working with footings or foundations you can do the same measurement to find out how much concrete you need.
NOTE: The footings measurement will only be 100mm high, and not 200mm, as we have already calculated the top 100mm in with the overall floor area measurement.
To make the measurement easier we can add up the outside perimeter first
Footings example: Length = 9 + 9 + width 6 + 6 Total = 30
30m x .200mm x .100mm = .6 cube of concrete
If you exclude the overlap in the corners of the measurement, the measurement would be…
6 + 6 + 8.6 + 8.6 = 29.2 = .58 cube ( Not much difference )
How Much Concrete Do I Need For A Driveway?
Concrete driveways are almost always pored at 100mm thick with a thickening around the edges about 200 x 200.
All driveways should have reinforcement mech included.
To find out how much concrete you need for a driveway you can use the same mathematical equation as mentioned earlier.
Length x Width x Height
How much concrete do I need for a driveway example:
Driveway is 3.6m wide and 27.6m long with footing 200mm wide x 200mm high
3.6m wide x 27.6m long = 99.3m x .100mm = 9.93 cube of concrete + the footings
Footings = 3.6m + 3.6m + 27.6m + 27.6m = 62.4m long
62.4m long x .200mm wide x .100mm high ( Not .200 as we have calculated the first 100mm in overall floor measurement )
Total = 1.24 cube of concrete.
Total for concrete driveway = 9.93 cube + 1.24 cube
= 11.17 cube of concrete.
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How Much Does Concrete Cost?
The cost per cubic meter varies from place to place, but on average you can expect to pay in New Zealand about $250 – $400 per cube.
If you get a full truck load of 5 cubic meters, you enough to pour a foot path or pad 50m long by 1m wide, at 100mm thick.
Colored concrete will cost a little more and if you would like to buy concrete dye you can do so and find out more by clicking here!
How Much Dose Concrete Cost Example
If we take the above driveway example of 11.17 cube and say our concrete is costing us $238 per cube This would be a total of
$238 per cube x 11.17 cube needed = $2,658.46 + gst
Calling Your Local Concrete Dispatch Plant ( Ready Mix )
If you are struggling to calculate the amount of concrete needed for your concrete job, you can call your nearest concrete dispatch and talk to them about it.
If you have the length, width, and height measurement you can give these to them and they can work out how much concrete you need for your concrete project.
What your local concrete dispatch can help you with
How much concrete you need
- How much concrete you need to order ( You will need the measurements )
- Strength of your concrete ( This is measured in MPa )
- Types of concrete finishes
- Decorative concrete
- How much concrete costs
- Might be able to recommend a concrete placer if you are not doing the work yourself.
- Advice on delivery
- Advice on concrete pumps if you need the concrete in hard to get places
- Sealing concrete
- Concrete dye
A quick phone call can sort lots of do’s and don’ts very quickly and in most cases is free.
How Much Concrete Do I Need In Yards?
I live in New Zealand and we work everything out in cubic meters, however, I do know that many of you overseas work in cubic yards.
Here is the easiest way to work out how much concrete I need in Yards…
Concrete Calculator In Yards
One yard is equivalent to 1.3 of a cubic meter.
You can work out the amount of concrete needed in yards by using the same formula in all the above methods, and then by adding 30% to the total amount.
For example:
If we had a concrete patio place, and it was 6 meters by 3 meters at 100mm thick ( 4 inch’s ) the calculation for this would be…
6 x 3 = 18 x .100mm thick
= 1.8 cube of concrete in meters…
To turn this into cubic yards we need to add 30%
30% of 1.8 = .54
Add 1.8 cube + ..54 = 2.34 cubic yards of concrete.
How Much Concrete Do I Need To Order
If you work out the amount of concrete needed by using the methods above, this is normally bang on the money, however many jobs that are sitting on uneven surfaces can be tricky to get the exact amount needed.
As a rule of thumb, if it is a small job, around .8 or .9 or a cube, I would round up to 1 cubic meter.
For larger jobs, but under 5 cube, I would get an extra .2 on top of the amount needed.
Trust me there is nothing more annoying than being a barrow short of completing a job, and having to wait on another truck, or worse, having to hand mix the last of it.
Remember you can always ask your concrete dispatch plant, or call local concrete placers to do these calculations for you, and give advice where needed.
I am always here if you would like to contact me for information, please do so from the home page of this website, or leave a comments or question in the comments section below.
