A concrete takeoff measures concrete volume by element and grade, reinforcement by mesh sheets and bar tonnage, formwork by face area, and adds pumping, finishing and curing items that are easy to miss.
Break the structure into elements
Measure concrete by element, never as one lump: strip and pad footings, piers, ground slab, suspended slabs, columns, beams, walls, stairs and kerbs. Each element has a different strength grade, pour sequence, formwork cost and reinforcement ratio, and your concreter will price them separately.
Concrete volume
- Slabs: area multiplied by thickness, plus thickenings, set-downs and edge beams measured separately
- Footings: length multiplied by width multiplied by depth, from the structural schedule not the architectural plan
- Columns and walls: cross-section multiplied by height between structural levels
- Deduct voids larger than about 0.5 cubic metres; ignore small penetrations
- Add 5 to 10 percent waste for slabs on ground, less for formed elements
Reinforcement
Mesh is measured in sheets after allowing for laps (typically one square plus 25 millimetres each way). Bar is measured by diameter and converted to tonnes using standard mass per metre, with laps, hooks and cogs added. Do not forget trench mesh in footings, bar chairs, tie wire and starter bars for walls and columns.
Formwork and finishing
Formwork is measured by contact area: slab edges by lineal metre and depth, columns and walls by face area, soffits by plan area. Add finishing items separately: steel trowel or burnished finish, broom finish, curing compound, saw cuts and joint sealant, vapour barrier under slabs and termite protection where required.
Items that get missed
- Concrete pump hire and line pump versus boom pump
- Testing (slump and cylinders) required by the specification
- Set-downs for wet areas and tiles
- Blinding concrete under footings
- Out-of-hours pours and traffic management on tight sites
Qestimation's concrete estimates cover every item above with colour-coded plans showing exactly what was measured. Download a concrete estimate sample from our work samples page, or send your structural drawings for a free quote.
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