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Concrete pouring from a pump hose into a grid of reinforcing steel inside timber formwork

Calculator · Sheet T-207

Concrete volume calculator

Cubic metres for slabs, strip footings, round columns and curb, with a waste allowance and truckloads.

Concrete volume · Sheet T-207Metric
m
m
mm
mm
m
ea
m²
From the curb detail in your standard drawings.
%
m³
Set to your ready-mix supplier’s maximum load.
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Estimates only. Check quantities against the drawings and your supplier before ordering.

STA 0+120How it works

Slab or footing: length × width × thickness. Column: π × (diameter ÷ 2)² × height × count. Curb and gutter: section area × length. Each result includes the waste allowance; trucks = volume ÷ load, rounded up.

STA 0+240Assumptions and sources

Truck mixers are rated by the concrete they can mix or agitate as a share of drum volume, and legal loads depend on axle limits, so load size varies by supplier and truck12. Enter your supplier’s figure. In cold weather, CSA A23.1 requires protection when air temperature may fall below 5 °C within 24 hours of placing3.

Questions people ask

How do I calculate concrete in cubic metres?

Multiply length × width × thickness in metres. A 10 m × 6 m slab at 150 mm is 9.0 m³ before waste.

How much concrete for a sonotube?

Volume = π × (diameter ÷ 2)² × height. A 300 mm tube 1.8 m deep holds about 0.127 m³.

How much extra concrete should I order?

Add a waste allowance for spillage, uneven subgrade and pump priming; the right figure depends on the pour. Round up to your supplier’s load increments.

Sources

  1. NRMCA Quality Control Manual Section 3, Plant Certification Check List (Twelfth Revision, February 2015)National Ready Mixed Concrete Association · 12th revision, Feb 2015
  2. Commercial Vehicle Dimension and Weight Regulation, Alta Reg 315/2002, s. 9 (current as of April 1, 2025)Alberta King's Printer · current as of 2025-04-01
  3. Cold Weather Concreting technical specification (reproduces CSA A23.1:24 with CSA Group permission)Ready Mixed Concrete Association of Ontario (citing CSA A23.1:24) · CSA A23.1:24; RMCAO document Nov/Dec 2024