Concrete / Wall quantity & cost
Poured Concrete Wall Calculator
Calculate poured-concrete wall volume in cubic metres or cubic yards. Combine different wall sizes, repeat identical walls, deduct doors and windows, and keep net quantity separate from your ordering allowance.
How much concrete does a wall need? Multiply its length by height by concrete thickness, then subtract full-depth opening volumes. Calculate each different wall group separately and add the net volumes before applying an optional ordering allowance.
Estimate poured-wall concrete
Add wall groups, repeat identical walls, and deduct rectangular openings before applying an optional ordering allowance.
Allowance, bags and cost — optional
Blank means 0%. Choose an allowance for the job; no percentage is prescribed.
Use the cured-volume yield printed on the exact product label.
Enter a ready-mix rate or price per bag; leave blank for quantities only.
The currency label does not fetch prices or convert exchange rates.
Wall and opening areas
- Total walls
- 1 walls
- Gross wall face
- 15 m²
- Opening deductions
- 0 m²
- Net wall face
- 15 m²
Concrete quantities
- Gross concrete volume
- 3 m³
- Opening displacement
- 0 m³
- Net concrete volume
- 3 m³
- Net concrete in yards
- 3.923851858 yd³
- Allowance volume
- 0 m³
- Estimated ordering volume
- 3 m³
- Estimated order in yards
- 3.923851858 yd³
Optional procurement
- Whole bags required
- —
- Bag surplus
- —
- Concrete material cost
- —
View copyable summary
ConstructGauge — Poured Concrete Wall Calculator Wall groups: 1; total identical walls: 1 Gross wall face: 15 m² Opening deductions: 0 m² Net concrete: 3 m³ / 3.923851858 yd³ Allowance (0%): 0 m³ Estimated order: 3 m³ / 3.923851858 yd³ Quantity estimate only. Does not determine wall dimensions, reinforcement, bearing capacity, retaining-wall stability, structural adequacy, or code compliance.
Input guidance
Which wall measurements should you enter?
Use the dimensions of the concrete itself from project drawings or verified measurements. Leave finishes, insulation, and removable forms outside the concrete thickness. This calculator uses constant-thickness rectangular sections.
| Input | What to enter | Check before calculating |
|---|---|---|
| Length and height | The concrete section in metres or feet | Keep a footing, cap, or other separately measured concrete outside this section. |
| Thickness | Concrete thickness in millimetres or inches | 200 mm means 0.2 m. Use a separate group where thickness changes. |
| Identical walls | A whole count of walls with the same geometry and openings | Add a different group if any dimension or opening schedule changes. |
| Openings per wall | Each rectangular opening size and its count in one wall | The calculator repeats that count for every wall in the group. Confirm the openings fit and do not overlap. |
| Allowance | Your chosen percentage, or zero | The added volume is separate from net concrete. No universal percentage is prescribed. |
| Bag yield and price | The exact product yield and your supplier rate, if needed | Select the correct price basis. These fields are optional. |
Method
How to calculate concrete for a wall
Use the finished concrete dimensions shown on the project drawings. For each wall group, multiply length by height to find gross face area, subtract the face area of rectangular openings, and multiply the remaining area by wall thickness. The opening schedule repeats for every identical wall in that group.
- Gross face area = wall length × wall height × wall count
- Opening area = Σ(opening width × opening height × openings per wall) × wall count
- Net wall face = gross face area − opening area
- Net concrete volume = net wall face × wall thickness
- Allowance volume = net volume × allowance percentage ÷ 100
- Estimated ordering volume = net volume + allowance volume
The calculator converts lengths to metres internally. One cubic yard equals 0.764554857984 cubic metres. Results shown on screen are rounded; the calculation retains the underlying values.
Worked example
A 6 m × 2.5 m wall, 200 mm thick
The gross face area is 15 m² and the gross volume is 3 m³. Deduct one 1 m × 2 m door and one 1.2 m × 1 m window: their combined face area is 3.2 m² and their displaced volume is 0.64 m³.
The net wall face is 11.8 m² and the net concrete quantity is 2.36 m³. A chosen 5% allowance adds 0.118 m³, producing an estimated order of 2.478 m³. The percentage is an example, not a prescribed allowance.
| Step | Calculation | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Gross volume | 6 × 2.5 × 0.2 | 3 m³ |
| Opening displacement | (1 × 2 + 1.2 × 1) × 0.2 | 0.64 m³ |
| Net volume | 3 − 0.64 | 2.36 m³ |
| Example allowance | 2.36 × 0.05 | 0.118 m³ |
| Estimated order | 2.36 + 0.118 | 2.478 m³ |
Imperial example: concrete wall volume in cubic yards
A 20 ft long, 8 ft high wall with an 8 in concrete thickness has one 3 ft × 7 ft opening. Convert thickness to feet before multiplying: 8 ÷ 12 = ⅔ ft.
Net volume = (20 × 8 − 3 × 7) × (8 ÷ 12) = 92.6667 ft³. Divide by 27 to obtain 3.4321 yd³ before any ordering allowance. Enter 8 in the calculator's Imperial thickness field; the conversion is automatic.
Multiple walls and opening deductions
Group walls only when their length, height, thickness, and opening schedule are identical. Use another wall group when any of those inputs change. An opening count belongs to each wall in the group: two identical walls with one door each deduct two doors in total.
Only deduct openings that pass through the concrete thickness. Do not deduct recesses or penetrations as full-depth openings unless the entered geometry represents their actual displaced concrete. If openings overlap, combine or separate them carefully so no area is deducted twice.
At corners and wall intersections, define sections that do not overlap. For example, if two lengths both include the same corner concrete, adjust one section boundary so that shared volume is counted once. The calculator has no position data and cannot detect intersecting walls or openings for you.
Poured concrete walls, foundation walls, and retaining walls
This page can total concrete for a poured foundation wall, stem wall, basement wall, or retaining wall when you already know its finished dimensions. It performs quantity arithmetic only. It does not choose a wall thickness or check earth pressure, overturning, sliding, bearing, drainage, reinforcement, or any other design condition.
For a segmental block landscape wall rather than a poured concrete wall, use the Retaining Wall Block Calculator for blocks, caps, base aggregate, and drainage aggregate.
If the stem wall sits on a separate concrete footing, use the footing and stem-wall concrete guide to keep the two net volumes separate and avoid counting their shared section twice.
For a block, CMU, or cinder-block wall, use the Concrete Block Calculator to estimate units from wall dimensions, block size, joints, and bond details.
Using the result in a BOQ or estimate
Use net concrete volume as the geometric quantity and show any ordering allowance as a separate derived quantity. The opening deduction remains visible so the takeoff can be checked. Supplier rounding, minimum loads, delivery, pumping, reinforcement, formwork, labor, finishes, excavation, taxes, and other costs remain outside the net quantity.
The optional price uses the estimated ordering volume or whole bags, depending on the selected basis. It labels the currency you enter and does not fetch regional prices or exchange rates.
| Result | Meaning | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Net wall face | One elevation of each wall after openings | Check the volume calculation. This is not total formwork contact area. |
| Net concrete volume | Concrete remaining after opening deductions | Record the geometric quantity in the takeoff or BOQ. |
| Allowance volume | Extra volume from the percentage entered | Keep the procurement adjustment visible. |
| Estimated ordering volume | Net concrete plus allowance | Discuss the order with the supplier and confirm delivery rounding separately. |
| Whole bags and surplus | Ordering volume divided by entered yield, rounded up once | Check whole packages and their capacity above the ordering volume. |
| Concrete material cost | Ordering volume × rate, or whole bags × bag price | Budget concrete only. Add other project costs separately. |
Calculate the footing and wall forms separately
Use the Concrete Footing Calculator for the footing below the wall. Match the wall and footing boundaries before combining their net volumes.
For temporary forms, use the Concrete Formwork Calculator to count the faces and ends that actually touch forms. The wall calculator's face area describes an elevation used for concrete deductions, so it cannot be carried directly into a formwork takeoff.
Comparing a poured wall with concrete blocks?
Read the poured concrete vs block walls guide to compare the material takeoffs and quotation scope. Concrete volume and block count are different starting quantities, not a complete price or a structural comparison.
Concrete wall calculator FAQ
Does the calculator subtract doors and windows?
Yes. Add each rectangular opening type to its wall group. The calculator subtracts its full-depth volume and repeats the opening count for every identical wall in that group.
Can I calculate several walls at once?
Yes. Repeat identical walls with the wall count, and add another group for walls with different dimensions or openings. The result totals all groups while preserving a checkable gross, deduction, and net quantity.
Can I use it for a concrete retaining wall?
You can calculate concrete quantity from known dimensions. The tool does not design a retaining wall or check soil pressure, stability, drainage, footing size, reinforcement, or local requirements.
Is this a concrete block wall calculator?
No. It estimates cast or poured concrete volume. Block and CMU takeoffs need unit dimensions, joint allowances, bond details, and block counts.
What allowance should I enter?
Choose an allowance that fits the project, measurement confidence, placement conditions, and supplier requirements. The default is zero so the calculator never adds an unstated percentage.
How are bag quantities calculated?
Enter the cured-volume yield printed by the manufacturer for the exact product. The calculator divides ordering volume by that yield and rounds up once to whole bags. Bag weight by itself does not establish yield.
Does the wall area equal the formwork area?
No. The displayed face area represents one wall elevation for volume deductions. Wall formwork commonly involves two faces plus ends, reveals, construction details, and project-specific measurement rules.
Calculation basis and source limits
The method uses rectangular geometry, percentage arithmetic, and unit-price arithmetic. It does not select structural dimensions, concrete strength, reinforcement, or a construction method. Confirm those inputs from the project specification and drawings.
For bagged concrete, consult the current documents for your exact product. The QUIKRETE Concrete Mix product page, for example, lists package sizes and links its data sheet. Use the yield for the selected package rather than assuming that every bag of the same weight produces the same volume.
Metric and Imperial conversions use international feet, inches, and yards. See NIST’s SI conversion-factor reference for the conversion basis. NIST does not certify this calculator or its construction assumptions.