primitives discuss measuring concrete

[franksolich]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=287x9085

Oh my.

trof  (1000+ posts)        Sat Feb-26-11 01:56 PM
Original message
 
Calculating cubic yards for concrete pad.

I am absolutely astounded by how much WRONG information is on the web about this.

Many sites discuss calculating SQUARE yards.

Ready-mix trucks don't carry SQUARE yards, they carry CUBIC ones.

Here's how you do it.

Measure length times width of pad to be poured, in feet.

If irregular shaped (as mine will be), sketch it out and divide it into measurable sections.

It ain't that hard.

For a 4" slab, multiply your total sq. ft. total by 0.33.4" = 1/3 foot.

Now you have the total cubic FEET.

Take that number and divide it by 27.

There are 27 cubic feet in a cubic yard.

Now you have the total cubic yards needed.

BTW, concrete suppliers usually talk 'yards'.

The 'cubic' is understood.

Yeah, franksolich learned all that stuff when he and a scholar were trying to figure out the cubic weightage or cubic yardage of the William Rivers Pitt some years ago.

txlibdem  (1000+ posts)        Sat Feb-26-11 06:32 PM
Response to Original message
 
1. Right you are

Also, don't forget to over-estimate a bit. It's easy to break apart excess concrete later on but sooo difficult to make do with less than you need. If you're pouring a foundation it would be a good idea to also build forms for the sidewalk or patio, in sections, then if there is any excess concrete you an use it for that.

trof  (1000+ posts)        Sat Feb-26-11 07:11 PM
Response to Reply #1
 
2. I'm pretty close to a full truck load for the project.

8.5 yards here.

Ripping out an old ground-level wood deck I built in 1994 and replacing it with a much larger concrete deck.

The old wood deck looks pretty shabby and has a family of armadillos tunneled under it.

If I'm a l-e-e-t-l-e under I'll finish up with sackrete.

Wash. state Desk Jet  (1000+ posts)      Sat Feb-26-11 11:14 PM
Response to Reply #2
 
4. that's funny !

Here's another way ,take a bag of 60 or 80 lb. sackrete. The bag says what it is in cubic. the length and width of the bag is equal to itself as is for a 4 '" slab. OK,so now you take the measurement of that bag plus depth as is and measure away . Just imagine placing one bag in front of another until you full the the area with bags of sackrite -that will all add up to a 4"slab! You can do that with one bag of sackrite and yer tape measure.Or you can measure the bag at the store! Area plus depth !As many bags as it adds up to is yer cubic measurement !
Again the cubic measurement is on the bag !

For about 25 bucks you can buy a contractor calculator that does conversions ! Since you like to build, you should have one of those !Slip yer area measurement in there plus depth than flip the slider button over to concrete ! Bingo yer there !

I don't remember if formulas came before or after blueprint reading ! Somewhere in there in trade math !

[JohnnyReb]

1 cu. yd. of concrete will do 81 sq. ft. of a 4" slab.

1 cu. yd. of concrete will do 54 sq. ft of a 6" slab.

A DUmmie will do no sq. ft. of concrete because it's hard work.

[LC EFA]

1 cu. yd. of concrete will do 81 sq. ft. of a 4" slab.

1 cu. yd. of concrete will do 54 sq. ft of a 6" slab.

A DUmmie will do no sq. ft. of concrete because it's hard work.

This is why I prefer the metric system 

[Chris_]

This is why I prefer the metric system 

Canadian.

[diesel driver]

Canadian.

Aussie

[Chris_]

That was meant as a pejorative.

[GOBUCKS]

Aussie

Australians are Canadians who drive on the left.

[FreeBorn]

Wow. Seems any time these croc shod guys with the manicures have to leave their world of theory and conjecture behind and go forth into practical reality on wobbly legs they really don't have the first clue.

The 18 year old in the "May I help you"? vest down at the Home Depot could have this guy squared away in about three minutes with the correct mix selected in the appropriate amount. Another big plus is the bilingual instructions on the bags so his day labor won't have any problems installing his patio while he sips lemonade and watches.

[LC EFA]

Canadian.

Oh that's rich coming from a damn Kiwi.

[Chris_]

At least my girlfriend hasn't got wool all over her back.

[LC EFA]

At least my girlfriend hasn't got wool all over her back.

Speaking of which; you still got my Velcro gloves ?. Got a hot dinner date.

 

[Chris_]

You finally gonna splurge on that meat-and-three?  Big spender.

[PatriotGame]

1 cu. yd. of concrete will do 81 sq. ft. of a 4" slab.

1 cu. yd. of concrete will do 54 sq. ft of a 6" slab.

A DUmmie will do no sq. ft. of concrete because it's hard work.

You're missing the big picture here:

Which best represents the density of a DUmmy's head?

1 cu. yd. of a 4" slab of concrete OR

1 cu. yd. of a 6" slab of concrete?

[LC EFA]

You're missing the big picture here:

Which best represents the density of a DUmmy's head?

1 cu. yd. of a 4" slab of concrete OR

1 cu. yd. of a 6" slab of concrete?

Neither. Density of a Dummies head is measured in cubic miles of Ununoctium per cubic inch.

[diesel driver]

Australians are Canadians who drive on the left.

I drive on the right hand side of the car, so I'm half-way there.   

[diesel driver]

You're missing the big picture here:

Which best represents the density of a DUmmy's head?

1 cu. yd. of a 4" slab of concrete OR

1 cu. yd. of a 6" slab of concrete?

Depends if it's a 3 bag mix, or a 6 bag mix.

Knowing DUmmies, they would leave the concrete out altogether, and just use sand and gravel.

[thundley4]

It seems to me the most important question is:  How many yards of concrete are required to cover the average DUmmie wit a 6" slab of concrete?

[PatriotGame]

It seems to me the most important question is:  How many yards of concrete are required to cover the average DUmmie wit a 6" slab of concrete?

Ah....5th Amendment...

[Randy]

It seems to me the most important question is:  How many acres of concrete are required to cover the average DUmmie wit a 6" slab of concrete?

Fixted 

[JohnnyReb]

Y'all just ain't good tightwad republicans....the question should be "how much concrete does it take to sink a DUmmie?".

[AllosaursRus]

Depends if it's a 3 bag mix, or a 6 bag mix.

Knowing DUmmies, they would leave the concrete out altogether, and just use sand and gravel.

Ya don't want to pour anything outside with less than a 5½ sack mix with a shot of air.

The air makes bubbles in the concrete so it is more waterproof. It it freezes, the bubbles protect the concrete from freezing any further than the top layer.

Just like in body work, if ya want a stress crack from going any further, ya drill a hole at the end of the crack. It will stop it every time!

Works with wood too, to a point. As long as you drill circular holes in wood, it will not effect the structural strength unless the diameter is greater than a third of the total width or thickness.

[Randy]

Just like in body work, if ya want a stress crack from going any further, ya drill a hole at the end of the crack. It will stop it every time!

Works with wood too, to a point. As long as you drill circular holes in wood, it will not effect the structural strength unless the diameter is greater than a third of the total width or thickness.

Works on window glass too. If you have a windshield that's stress cracked you can stop it's progress by carefully drilling a hole in front of it.