"Concrete Yardage: Combining Footings and a Slab" is lesson 3 of 7 in the General Building (B) Learning Hub. It opens with "Real Jobs Need More Than One Volume Calculation" and works through 5 short steps, then a worked example you can check yourself against.
One-time purchase, no subscription. Law & Business included.
The worked example in the course applies this lesson to a realistic job in 6 steps, moving through "Footing linear footage", "Footing volume", "Slab volume", "Add the two volumes", and "Convert to cubic yards".
A single foundation pour is rarely one shape - it's usually a continuous footing (a long, narrow rectangular box running the perimeter) PLUS a slab (a wide, flat rectangular box filling the interior). Each gets its own length x width x depth calculation, and the two volumes get added together before converting to cubic yards for the order.
A continuous footing's volume is: total linear footage x width x depth. Find the total linear footage by adding up the perimeter (and any interior footings under bearing walls), then multiply straight through - a footing is just a very long, thin rectangular box.
A slab is a flat rectangular box: floor area (length x width) x thickness. The thickness is usually given in inches (commonly 4" for a standard slab) and must be converted to feet (divide by 12) before multiplying, so every dimension in the formula is in feet.
The remaining 2 steps, the worked example and the quiz are in the course. This is a preview. The full lesson, with the step-by-step explanations, a worked example and a quick-check quiz, is inside the classroom.
Try the real classroom free, no sign-up, or get the full course for your trade.
Independent exam preparation. Contractors Classroom is not affiliated with the Contractors State License Board, and no course can guarantee a passing result.
