Foundation Material Estimator
Concrete Footing Calculator
Estimate concrete for continuous wall footings, garage footings, shed footings, and deck beam footings. Enter run length, width, depth, and number of runs to get cubic yards, bags, waste, material cost, and a per-linear-foot quote check. For deck projects, use the routing guide below to decide when the work belongs in continuous footings, round form tubes, or larger drilled pier calculations.
Enter Footing Dimensions
Save this estimate or download a PDF report
The PDF report uses the current calculated result. Save the estimate first when you want to reuse the inputs later.
Results
Live estimateQuick answer
A 40 ft continuous footing that is 16 in wide and 8 in deep needs about 1.45 yd3 with 10% waste, or about 66 80 lb bags. With $165/yd3 ready-mix plus a $125 delivery fee, the concrete material screen is about $9.11 per linear ft; a $2,400 installed quote screens at $60.00 per linear ft before excavation, forms, rebar, inspection, access, and cleanup are checked.
Footing cost search path
Match footing calculator, cost, and size searches to one useful path
Searchers use “concrete footing calculator,” “footing cost calculator,” “concrete calculator for footings,” and “concrete footing size calculator” for related but different jobs. Keep the known-size volume math here, then route cost, deck-footing, and structural design questions to the right next step.
Footing cost per linear foot
Divide material-only cost and installed quote totals by the same footing length. Do not compare a concrete-only number with a contractor-installed number.
Concrete calculator for footings
Use this page for continuous rectangular footing runs. Route round deck tubes, post holes, and large drilled piers to the matching calculator before pricing.
Size and design boundary
A concrete footing size calculator query still needs a boundary: this tool estimates a known size and does not approve soil bearing, frost depth, or reinforcement.
Buying-path check
When bag counts climb, compare pallets, pickup payload, ready-mix minimums, short-load fees, and placement access before committing to bags.
Need a cost page instead of raw footing volume? Use the guide for bid scope, then come back to the calculator if the dimensions change.
Footing quote normalizer
Normalize footing material and installed bids per linear foot
A 40 ft continuous footing at 16 in x 8 in is about 1.45 yd3 and 66 80-lb bags. With the default quote check, ready-mix material screens at $9.11 per linear ft, while a $2,400 installed bid screens at $60.00 per linear ft.
Use the spread to ask for the scope behind the quote: excavation, forms, rebar, inspection, access.
$9.11/ft
$364.25 ready-mix screen
$60.00/ft
$2400.00 / 40 ft
$50.89/ft
Labor, prep, risk, and overhead to explain
| Normalized line | Value | Quote check |
|---|---|---|
| Ready-mix material benchmark | 1.45 yd3 x $165.00 + $125.00 = $364.25 | Use this as the concrete-only benchmark before labor, excavation, forms, reinforcement, permits, cleanup, or margin. |
| Material cost per linear ft | $364.25 / 40 ft = $9.11 per linear ft | This gives the footing material-only number for checking a per-foot bid. |
| Bagged material fallback | 66 bags x $5.00 = $330.00, or $8.25/ft | Bag material can look close, but mixing pace, dry load, and trench placement time still matter. |
| Installed quote normalizer | $2400.00 / 40 ft = $60.00 per linear ft | Compare only against quotes with the same excavation, forms, rebar, inspection, access, cleanup, and exclusions. |
| Scope spread above material | $50.89 per ft above the concrete-only benchmark | A high spread is not automatically wrong; it should be explained by written labor, prep, reinforcement, access, and risk lines. |
Footing inspection scope
Turn footing yards into a quote and inspection checklist
Recent footing calculators answer trench volume. A footing that is ready to buy also needs the next checks: actual trench condition, frost depth, rebar, forms, inspection hold points, and concrete placement access.
Scope status
Structural quote check
53/100 scope-readiness score
Run length
40 ft total
16 in wide x 8 in deep
Buying pressure
Bags versus delivery check
66 bags / 1.4486 yd3
| Scope item | Status | What to verify |
|---|---|---|
| Actual trench dimensions | confirm | Waste is at least 10%, but measure trench width and depth after excavation. |
| Frost depth and bearing surface | ask | Confirm local footing depth, undisturbed bearing material, and inspection requirements before the pour. |
| Rebar, dowels, and laps | ask | Material volume does not design reinforcement; written quotes should separate bar size, chairs, dowels, and laps. |
| Forms and excavation scope | ask | Clarify who handles excavation, bottom cleanup, forms, bracing, spoils, and backfill readiness. |
| Truck, chute, pump, or buggy access | ask | Footings often sit away from the truck; ask whether chute reach, pump, buggy, wheelbarrow, or wait-time fees apply. |
| Inspection and pour hold point | ask | Confirm whether the trench and rebar need approval before concrete arrives, and who pays if the pour is delayed. |
Deck footing calculator path
Match deck footings to the right concrete calculator
Deck footing searches can mean three different jobs: a continuous rectangular beam footing, several round deck piers in form tubes, or larger drilled piers with a structural detail. Use the table below before comparing cost, because the shape controls cubic yards, bags, and the quote questions you should ask.
Quick deck example
Six 12 in diameter tubes filled 48 in deep need about 0.77 yd3 with 10% waste, or 35 common 80-lb bags.
| Deck footing case | Example input | Planning result | Use it when | Next calculator |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continuous beam footing | 24 ft run x 16 in wide x 8 in deep | 0.87 yd3 / 40 80-lb bags | A beam, wall, stair landing, or small retaining edge sits on one rectangular trench. | Use this page, then review per-linear-foot quote scope. |
| Round deck piers and tubes | 6 tubes x 12 in diameter x 48 in deep | 0.77 yd3 / 35 80-lb bags | Posts or beams sit on separate round deck piers, cardboard form tubes, or poured round holes. | Use the form tube calculator for diameter-sensitive tube math. |
| Large drilled piers or bells | Drilled shafts, caissons, or approved belled bases | Separate shaft and bell volume | The foundation detail has a larger drilled shaft, casing, groundwater, or a belled base. | Use the pier and caisson calculator so geometry stays separate. |
Confirm frost depth, bearing soil, uplift anchors, post bases, rebar, and permit inspections from approved local guidance before treating any calculator result as design.
Measure the real excavated diameter or trench width after digging; overbreak, loose sidewalls, bell-outs, and uneven bottoms can add concrete.
Compare the bag count with ready-mix, mini-mix, or volumetric delivery when grouped deck footings cross the practical hand-mixing limit.
Ask whether layout, digging, tube forms, bracing, anchors, inspection waits, spoils, access, washout, and cleanup are included or excluded.
When a deck quote mixes concrete, digging, tubes, anchors, and access into one number, send the result into quote review before approving the bid.
Review deck footing quoteFormula
One footing run
Volume per run = length x width x depthVolume per run = 40 x 1.333 x 0.667All runs
Raw volume = volume per run x runsRaw volume = 35.5556 before wasteWaste and bags
Final volume = 35.5556 x (1 + 10%/100)Bags = ceil(final volume / 0.6)Example Footing Estimates
Footing Size Notes
| Topic | Note |
|---|---|
| Footing width | Depends on load, soil bearing capacity, wall thickness, and local code. |
| Footing depth | May need to reach below frost depth or suitable bearing material. |
| Reinforcement | Rebar size and placement are design details, not material volume assumptions. |
| Trench condition | Uneven excavation can increase concrete volume beyond the clean rectangle. |
Before You Pour
- Measure the actual trench dimensions after excavation.
- Calculate different footing sizes separately, then add them.
- For round deck piers in cardboard forms or Sonotube-style tubes, use the concrete form tube calculator before combining bags, ready-mix minimums, and footing quote scope.
- For round drilled piers, caissons, or an approved belled base, use the pier and caisson concrete calculator so shaft and bell volumes stay separate.
- Keep over-excavation, loose sidewalls, and bottom irregularity in mind.
- Confirm inspection, reinforcement, and local code requirements before scheduling concrete.
Footing Buying Guide
Use the calculator for the material quantity, then use the written guide to check the quote details that can change the installed price: actual trench width and depth, rebar, dowels, inspection timing, chute reach, pump or buggy needs, cleanup, permits, and labor.
Open the concrete footing calculator guide before treating the cubic-yard result as a full project budget. For cost-specific searches, open the footing cost calculator guide and the footing cost per linear foot guide before comparing installed bids. If the project is a deck, use the concrete calculator for deck footings to route tubes, post holes, continuous footings, and large piers first. For worked examples, compare the concrete footing calculation examples. If the project uses round holes instead of continuous runs, switch to the concrete post hole calculator.
Footing planning pages
Next pages for footing and foundation work
Use these pages when the footing estimate turns into drilled holes, wall concrete, ready-mix, or bid review.
Concrete Foundation Cost Calculator
Carry a footing quantity into a wider foundation cost and quote-scope worksheet.
Open pageConcrete Form Tube Calculator
Use round tube math for deck piers, porch posts, and Sonotube-style forms.
Open pagePier & Caisson Concrete Calculator
Switch to round shafts, belled bases, and drilled foundation holes.
Open pageConcrete Post Hole Calculator
Estimate isolated holes for posts, rails, deck supports, and small anchors.
Open pageFooting Cost Calculator Guide
Use the support guide when a footing-cost search needs bid lines, scope gaps, and budget checks beyond volume.
Open pageConcrete Footing Cost per Linear Foot
Separate concrete-only $/ft from installed $/ft before comparing contractor bids.
Open pageConcrete Calculator for Deck Footings
Route deck footings by shape before choosing bags, ready-mix, or quote review.
Open pageConcrete Wall Calculator
Keep wall-body concrete separate from footing volume and quote scope.
Open pageReady-Mix vs Bags Calculator
Compare footing bag count against truck minimums and placement timing.
Open pageConcrete Quote Reviewer
Audit excavation, rebar, inspection, access, and cleanup before signing.
Open pageFrequently Asked Questions
Disclaimer: This calculator estimates concrete material volume only. It does not design footing size, bearing capacity, reinforcement, frost protection, drainage, or code compliance. Consult a qualified contractor, engineer, or local building department for structural footing requirements.