Concrete Column Calculator: measuring notes and method
Group columns by diameter and height
Group columns by size and save each group as a separate item. Do not average diameters: diameter is squared, so averaging can misstate the combined volume.
Check the filled height
Use the concrete-filled height from the detail. Calculate an enlarged base or pad separately from the column.
CHECK A PRACTICAL EXAMPLE
Why diameter deserves a second measurement
Four round concrete-filled columns are 2.4 m high; the comparison isolates diameter with no allowance.
300 mm diameter
- Volume including waste
- 0.679 m³
- Net volume
- 0.679 m³
350 mm diameter
- Volume including waste
- 0.924 m³
- Net volume
- 0.924 m³
Volume follows diameter squared. Measure the internal filled diameter of the form, and calculate any enlarged bases separately.
Fixed comparison in metric units. Values are illustrative unless linked to a recorded project; changing the calculator above does not change this example.
Formula
Volume = π × (diameter ÷ 2)² × height × quantity. Apply the selected waste allowance.
Product reference: QUIKRETE product yields
Worked examples in metric and imperial units
Illustrative values match Reset example and stay fixed when you edit the calculator. Both columns describe the same calculation; converted inputs are rounded.
Metric worked example
- Diameter
- 300 mm
- Height
- 2.4 m
- Quantity
- 4
- Waste allowance
- 10 %
Volume including waste: 0.7464 m³
Imperial worked example
- Diameter
- 11.811 in
- Height
- 7.874 ft
- Quantity
- 4
- Waste allowance
- 10 %
Volume including waste: 0.9763 yd³
Follow the calculation
Lengths in this working are in metres.
- One cylinder = π × (0.3 ÷ 2)² × 2.4 = 0.169646 m³.
- Multiply by 4 cylinders, then by 1.1 for the selected allowance.
Unit conversions
1 m³ = 1,000 L ≈ 1.30795 yd³. One cubic yard is 27 ft³.
Reviewed 19 October 2026. How calculations are checked · Report a correction