Concrete volume and cement bags for slabs, footings and columns

L T W L H W D H S H D d H D W H F L U R P W t
25 kg cement bags bags
Net concrete volume
Volume incl. 5% safety factor
Assumption: a 1:2:3 cement-sand-aggregate mix needs roughly 13 × 25 kg cement bags per m³, and a 1.05 wet-volume safety factor is applied. Adjust the bag rate to match your actual mix design.

About Concrete Calculator

The concrete calculator answers “how much concrete do I need” for the shapes that come up on real jobs: slabs, footings and beams, round and square columns, circular slabs or tubes, curb-and-gutter runs, and even stairs — either solid stepped or a waist slab with treads. Enter the dimensions and quantity of identical elements, and it returns the volume.

Two volumes are reported: the net geometric volume and the volume including a 5% safety factor, which covers spillage, over-excavation, and uneven subgrade. The tool also converts volume into 25 kg cement bags using an adjustable rate — the default of 13 bags per m³ suits a typical 1:2:3 cement-sand-aggregate mix.

Use it before calling the ready-mix plant or working out how many bags to haul for a DIY pour. Everything computes live in your browser, free. The bag rate is an assumption, not a specification — adjust it to your actual mix design, and remember that quantities are estimates.

How to use Concrete Calculator

  1. Pick the element shape: slab, footing or beam, round or square column, tube, curb and gutter, or stairs.
  2. Enter the dimensions the shape asks for — lengths and heights in meters, slab thickness in centimeters.
  3. Set the quantity if you are pouring several identical elements.
  4. Adjust the cement bags-per-m³ rate to match your mix if needed.
  5. Read the net volume, the volume with the 5% safety factor, and the number of 25 kg cement bags.

Frequently asked questions

Multiply length × width × thickness in consistent units. A 4 × 3 m patio at 10 cm thick needs 4 × 3 × 0.10 = 1.2 m³, or about 1.26 m³ once the 5% safety factor is added.

Around 13 × 25 kg bags per m³ for a 1:2:3 cement-sand-aggregate mix — the calculator’s default. Richer mixes need more; adjust the bag rate to your actual mix design or the pre-mix manufacturer’s coverage figure.

Real pours always lose some concrete to spillage, pump lines, uneven subgrade, and formwork deflection. The tool adds 5% on top of the geometric volume so you do not come up short mid-pour — running out is far costlier than a small surplus.

Enter the run, rise, stair width, number of steps, and platform depth. Solid mode fills the full stepped profile; waist mode computes an inclined slab of your chosen thickness plus the triangular treads on top — the common cast-in-place approach.

They are close estimates based on your measurements and a generic mix assumption. Verify dimensions on site, confirm the mix with your supplier, and follow your drawings and local code for anything structural.

Need help?
Found an issue with this tool? Let our team know.
Report an issue

Add this free tool to your own website — copy and paste the code below.