Concrete is almost used everywhere, such as on roads, sidewalks, buildings, houses, bridges, canals, dams and so many other things. The best thing about concrete is that it can be molded into any shape, and it is friendly to environment as well because it can be recycled. Concrete is constantly being used in construction, and a frequently asked question is: “How much concrete do I need for …” But first you should know how to make concrete at home. In order to make a high strength concrete you need to mix the following things:
- Cement = 1 part
- Sand = 2 parts
- Stone or gravel = 3 parts
This combination will definitely give you a high strength concrete which you can use for structural uses such as building slabs and concrete panels. There are also pre-mix concrete bags available on the market; you can get those as well instead of making the mixture at home as this is a much easier and more convenient method of obtaining concrete.
Now we will move on the question that, “How much concrete do I need” in various contexts:
How much concrete do I need for a slab?
Concrete is usually a compounded ratio of mixed cement, sand and aggregates, usually gravel. If you are planning to pour the slab yourself at home, you will first need to determine how much poured concrete you’re going to need to make up that slab, so you know how much mix you’ll need to get from your chosen supplier. A supplier may calculate this information himself but it is better to know the calculations yourself using your dimensions.
Concrete is usually sold in cubic yards. A yard of concrete will fill an area of 3 x 3 x 3 feet. But for a small home project you may want to measure cubic footage instead. Usually bags of concrete contain the information of cubic footage measurements.
For a footing or a rectangular slab all you need to do is to multiply the width in feet x length in feet x thickness in inches. Now if you divide the result into 12, you will get the result in cubic feet and dividing that number by 27 will let you know about the cubic yards. For example, if you have a slab that measures 30 feet x 20 feet x 3.5inches, and then you can calculate as:
30x20x3.5= 2,100
2,100/12=175 cubic feet
175/27=6.48yards
You should include about 10 percent of the waste and should order a little more than 7 yards. A 60 pound sack of dry-mix concrete will make around ½ cubic foot, which means that you will be required to mix 52 bags for making 1 yard of concrete.
In order to know how much concrete you will need for desired construction purposes, you need to have the dimensions i.e. the length, width and depth of the project you’re creating with concrete. There is also a concrete calculator which will help you easily calculate the concrete in yards as well as how many pre-mix bags you require, for more details, you can visit the site: http://www.concretenetwork.com/concrete/howmuch/calculator.htm
How much concrete do I need for a sidewalk?
Determining how much concrete you need for a sidewalk is the same process as you will calculate how much concrete you require for a slab. All you need to do is to know the length, width and thickness of the sidewalk and then you can calculate the rest of the things as you calculated for the slab. For example, if the sidewalk is 10 feet long, 4 feet wide and you need 6 inches depth, then you will simply multiply the three figures and then covert into cubic yards and then divide the result by 27; this will let you know how much concrete you require in cubic yards.
How much concrete do I need for a patio?
The concrete needed for a patio would be same at that required for a slab or a sidewalk and you will be required to make the same calculations as you made for patio and sidewalk. You will be required to know the length, width and depth you need and then you can calculate it.
How much concrete do I need for a deck post?
In order to build the concrete deck post you need to build the pier deck column. If it gets properly installed, it would be the most durable choice for building the deck post. The formula for the volume of a cylinder is pi x [radius (square)] x height. You just need to know the radius and height. The value of pi=3.14, let suppose if diameter is 12”, length of cylinder 42” will take around 2.75 cubic feet of concrete. The result is derived from 3.14 x 6 x 6 x 42/1728.
How much does concrete cost?
Concrete cost is usually dependent on the area and the season however the general rate is around $50 per yard. If you go professionally through a builder, though, it may cost you $80 per linear meter or $75 per cubic yard of concrete. If you want to look for a professional ready to mix supplier than you can contact the concrete network at this site: http://www.concretenetwork.com/concrete-ready-mix.html
Concrete Construction
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Concrete is not only used in sidewalks, patios, and deck posts; it is used in almost all the construction work like houses, buildings, canals and dams. With these above mentioned calculations you can also make calculations of other building sites and things.