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I am not a concrete guy, but do need to pour a small slab, and need to figure out how much cement, sand, etc to buy. I know how to figure out cu yard (with the help of my construction master iv)but now need to know how many bags of stuff to buy.
How many cu feet/yards are in a bag of sand?
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Replies
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Boris,
The last thing a man in your physical condition should be doing is messing with concrete.
Pour yourself another vodka and call a contractor.
Eric
*Uh, depends on the size of the bag. It should say on it. Maybe you should consider pre-mixed bags of concrete (they're usually 1.5 cubic feet) If you need a couple yards or less, consider U-Cart concrete, if you have one in your area (and a truck to tow it). C'mon now Boris, you must have someone that can do this for you, aren't you gettin' a little old for concrete work?
*Boris, is this some kind of Jimmy Hoffa deal? Joe H
*LOLGood one, Joe
*Wouldn't you be more interested in cubic meters?Nicky Kruschev
*Hey JimL,1.5 cubic feet of concrete weighs in at about 225 pounds.Look at the bag again... , or concrete mix can be figured at 150 lbs per cu. ft. so measure the area you need to fill and buy the number of bags it takes to come up to that weight. (Buy extra because no matter what you figure you're going to be short).
*Thanks Ralph, I meant .5 cubic feet per 60 lb bag of pre-mix. (actually its .45 per bag / 55 bags per yard)jim
*JimL,Thanks for the thanks. We just did a 10 yard pour yesterday for an addition plus repair of a front porch and walkway. We came up about 1/2 yard SHORT. Good thing we saved the walkway for last.
*Realize that when you order materials, order about 25% more then you calculate you will need. 94-lb sacks of portland contain 1 ft of cement. as others have mentioned, sand varies due to different sized bags. Go to your store and read the bag. Aggregate? you can buy stone by the bag, but it's more geared towards landscaping stone.Call a local gravel pit, they usually have minimum deliveries, or you could hire a small dump truck to bring you a few tons of sand and stone. A yard of sand/stone usually weighs in around 1.3-1.5 tons per yard and runs about $13-15 per ton? Generic rule of thumb...aggregate size should be about 1/4th the slab thickness...a 4" slab, use 1" stone. Very generic, and subject to change depending on use.Mixing concrete is a disappearing act, as it takes 1.2 to 1.3 yards of aggregate and cement to make 1 yard of concrete.Unless, of course, your per-yard materials breakdown already factors in the "loss". Add up the number of cu ft of material required in your recipe to produce a yard of concrete. It should add up to around 35 ft of sand, stone, and cement, give or take a few.On average, having a truck come in and pour is actually less expensive then batch mixing on your own. Compare...just have everything set up and ready to go when the truck arrives should you go that route.Also, if in a freezing environment, you'll want air-entrained. You can buy cement with the additive, but you really can't properly do it when hand mixing.
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Thanks, Mongo!
Great post.
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Boris,
How big is your pour? Anything approaching a yard of concrete is worth having delivered. Most companies will have a minimum, typically three yards. You don't have to take it all, just pay for it. Where I live that costs about $250 dollars. (three yards)Not cheap-but what is your time worth?
Finally, concrete delivered is usually better product than can be achieved on site in small batches. Usually delivery companies will recommend air or additives-
*Bore-us:If you need anything close to a yard, get off your wallet and get it deleiverd. Besides, it isn't going to save you any money unless you are just talkin 10 or 15 bags (of premix). Buying sand in bags is a waste any way you look at it.I mixed a yard and a half of concrete from sand, gravel & cement with a shoveli one time. I remember that day - it was about 98 degrees and I kept thinking - I'm too young ot have a heart attack! I'm much wiser now! Even if you have a mixer, it still sucks! Now adays, whenever I see someone with a bunch of bags of concrete - I say: "What's that". After I get the, What, are you stupid? look, and then the "Concrete" answer - I just causally say "Oh, I thought that stuff came out of a truck".
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I am not a concrete guy, but do need to pour a small slab, and need to figure out how much cement, sand, etc to buy. I know how to figure out cu yard (with the help of my construction master iv)but now need to know how many bags of stuff to buy.
How many cu feet/yards are in a bag of sand?