Got a DIY concrete project? Here’s why you need a concrete calculator.

Do you have a large DIY concrete project on the horizon? A patio for your fall BBQs? A giant dinosaur-shaped bird feeder? Before you jump in and start your groundwork, there’s one step you don’t want to skip: figuring out how much concrete you need with a concrete calculator.


How the heck do you do that? 

Example

Example of the circular slab or tube calculator.

Luckily, we’ve got a concrete calculator for you. This is an online tool we offer for free to help you calculate how much concrete you’ll need for the different kinds of projects you might be doing. This tool will help you calculate using the three most common types of concrete “shapes” you run into in the DIY world:


  1. Flat surfaces: think patio slabs, foundations, footings or walls

  2. Empty circle: think a hole or footing for columns or other structures

  3. Cylinder: think columns holding up a bridge or a wood deck 



Why is a concrete calculator important? 

While mixing concrete may remind you of a bowl of cake batter, it’s a lot more tricky. Instead of arriving in a bitty cake mix box, concrete comes in a big old truck. And if you don’t have enough ingredients for your cake, it’s easy to dash out to the store to get more. Concrete? Not so much, if you need to call and schedule a concrete truck to come out again. Plus, being left with extra cake batter isn’t a problem, but having extra concrete hanging around can be since it takes up a little more room. That’s why you need to calculate how much concrete you need so that you don’t have too much or too little. 


What’s the worst that could happen if you have too much or too little concrete?

Think about the iconic stairs in that scene in the classic movie Rocky. There were 72 steps that Rocky ran up, symbolizing the rise of the underdog (and making the stairs of the Philadelphia Museum of Art a star). What if one or two steps were missing? That would have been awkward, and totally ruined the moment. 



The same is true for your backyard project. Don’t have an unfinished set of stairs, or a half-built wall lurking on your property as a symbol of your failure to calculate your concrete order correctly. If you under order, you’ll have to order a “cleanup” load that can seriously delay your progress.  You don’t want to be one paver short of a patio, do you? Do the math in advance.



Fine. But how do you use the calculator?

  1. Get out your tape measure and measure the area where you want to build. 

  2. Measure the height and width of what you want to build. Or if your structure requires blueprints, check out the measurements on your plans. 

  3. Write them down. 

  4. Open your calculator tool

  5. And depending on the type of structure you are building  you will plug in:

  • The length, width, and depth

  • The diameter, depth, or height 

  • The outer diameter, inner diameter, length, or height


And then finish it off with the quantity of each thing you want to build. Once you have those numbers in, hit the “calculate” button. It will then give you the number of cubic yards you need. 


How do you order ready-mixed concrete?

Now that you’re armed with the knowledge of how much concrete you need, you can move on to the fun part of ordering ready-mixed concrete. Give us a call! Once you talk to your local concrete producer, they will ask you some questions about your mix. This company will help create the right concrete mix for your project and deliver it. You will provide basic information, and they will be able to help you decide some of the characteristics like:


  • Strength Requirement

  • Size of coarse aggregate

  • Slump

  • Entrained Air

  • Quality Level Required


Once you cover that, you will schedule delivery. Remember, concrete is perishable and should be ready for placement right when it arrives. So make sure your site is prepped first! And don’t forget to check the local forecast since it’s important to have the right weather to pour concrete. 


Before you DIY, check out these concrete safety tips, ok?


  • Concrete can cause severe chemical burns, so keep it away from your eyes and skin

  • Always wear appropriate work clothes that include rubber work boots, protective eyewear, gloves, and kneeboards

  • Don’t let the concrete come into contact with your clothing 

  • If you do get concrete in your eyes or on your skin, flush with water and consult a doctor immediately 

  • Keep children and pets away from dry cement powder and freshly mixed concrete


...and don’t forget to take a picture of your masterpiece before and after to document your DIY prowess!


Now that you’ve learned about our handy concrete calculator, you can use it with confidence. Got questions? Need ReadyMix concrete? Contact us here for assistance.

Aaron Bacon