Foundation Material Calculator
Home & ConstructionConcrete, steel and shuttering for isolated footings — blinding, footing and pedestal together.
Runs entirely in your browser — nothing is uploaded
A footing is three pours, not one, and estimating only the middle of them is the usual error. Underneath is a lean blinding that keeps the reinforcement out of the mud and gives a level surface to set out on — and it extends past the footing on every side. Above is the pedestal carrying load up to plinth level. This counts all three, plus the steel and the shuttering.
What people do next
Features
- Blinding, footing and pedestal costed separately and together.
- Blinding projection beyond the footing edge included.
- Separate concrete grades for the lean mix and the structural pour.
- Steel allowance from the standard kg-per-cubic-metre range by member.
- Shuttering area, which is priced separately on every job.
- Runs entirely in your browser — nothing is uploaded.
How to use the Foundation Material Calculator
- 1Enter the footing size and how many there are.
- 2Set the blinding thickness and how far it projects.
- 3Add the pedestal dimensions, or leave the height at zero.
- 4Read the concrete, cement, steel and shuttering quantities.
Frequently asked questions
What is PCC and why is it under the footing?
Plain cement concrete — a lean mix, usually M7.5 or M10, laid 75–100 mm thick before the footing. It does three things: it stops the reinforcement sitting in the soil where it would corrode, it gives a clean level surface to mark the footing out on, and it prevents the ground sucking water out of the structural concrete while it cures. It projects 50–100 mm past the footing on every side so there is an edge to work to.
How much steel does a footing need?
Broadly 50–80 kg per cubic metre of concrete for an isolated footing, 80–120 for a raft, and 100–250 for a column. Those ranges are for budgeting and cross-checking, not for detailing — the actual bars come from the structural drawing. If your bar schedule falls a long way outside the range, something has usually been missed or double counted.
What concrete grade should a footing be?
M20 is the usual minimum for reinforced footings in domestic construction, with M25 common where the design calls for it or exposure is severe. The blinding underneath is a much leaner M7.5 or M10 because it carries no load. Using structural concrete for the blinding is a common and expensive habit.
Why is shuttering measured separately?
Because it is priced by the square metre of contact area and it is a real part of the cost — often 10–15% of a concrete item. The footing needs its four sides shuttered and the pedestal all four faces. The blinding is cast against the excavation itself and needs none.
Can this tell me what size footing I need?
No, and that is the important limit. Footing size and depth follow from the load coming down the column, the safe bearing capacity of the soil at your site and the seismic zone. Use this to order materials against a design you already have.