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Concrete volume calculator

Cubic yards for a slab, footing, column, or wall. Includes the 5-10% waste factor most online calculators leave off — field experience says you order with at least 5% buffer or you’re calling the ready-mix yard for a shortage truck.

Exact volume
29.63 cu yd
800 cu ft
Order with 7% waste
31.70 cu yd
Round up to 32 cu yd when ordering (half-yard increments are typical)
Standard formula: volume (cu ft) ÷ 27 = cubic yards. Waste-factor defaults to 7% — bump to 10-15% on pumped pours, narrow forms, or complex elevations.
How it works

For rectangular pours: volume = length × width × thickness (in feet), then divide by 27 to get cubic yards. For round footings or columns: volume = π × r² × height ÷ 27. Result is multiplied by your waste factor (default 7%).

Same logic the bot runs over text. Forward’s field assistant answers takeoff questions like “concrete for the column pour Thursday” without anyone opening a calculator.

Built by Forward

Takeoff math, code lookups, drawing pulls — all over text.

Forward is a phone number your field crew + PMs text. The bot runs concrete yards, rebar LF, drywall sheets, paint gallons, stud counts, tile counts, plus the NEC + IBC + IMC code calcs you’d normally pull a book for. It also reads from Procore, Autodesk, and OneDrive for RFIs, drawings, submittals, change orders. No app, no login.