How to Compute Concrete Yardage

Concrete is the standard material utilized for creating driveways, sidewalks, basement floors, porches and garage floors. It is extremely resilient to natural phenomenon such as rain, snow and wind. While most large concrete projects are completed by commercial companies, it is possible to complete small projects in a do-it-yourself manner. Concrete mix is available in most home improvement stores, and only water is required to create the mixture. It is important to calculate the cubic yardage of concrete necessary for a project before starting.

Tape measure

Instructions

- 1
  Calculate the total surface area of the concrete in yards. Use a tape measure to measure the length and width of the area, and then multiply the values together to yield the total area. If the area is not in a common shape, then break it up into easily computable areas and then combine the totals to yield the total area.
- 2
  Determine the thickness of the concrete in yards. The average thickness of a driveway is .16 to .22 yards. The average thickness of a side walk is .13 to .16 yards. The average thickness of a garage floor is .11 to .13 yards.
- 3
  Multiply the area from Step 1 by the thickness from Step 2 to get the total cubic yardage of concrete required.

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