Poured Wall Concrete
Use the total wall length measured along the wall's centerline.
Concrete
Concrete Wall Calculator
Quick answer: wall concrete (yd³) = length × height × thickness in feet ÷ 27, minus openings. A 100 ft run of 8 ft tall, 8 in thick foundation wall needs 19.75 yd³ — about 20.74 yd³ with 5% waste, or 3 ready-mix truckloads.
Estimate ready-mix for poured basement walls, crawlspace stem walls, and freestanding formed walls. Window and door blockouts are deducted, and the total is split into 10 yd³ truckloads with an approximate cost.
Wall dimensions
How to calculate concrete for a wall
A formed wall is a long rectangular box, so the volume is length × height × thickness. What makes wall estimates go wrong is the length: outside dimensions count each corner twice, and blockouts for windows, doors, and beam pockets are often forgotten.
(L × H − openings) × T ÷ 27
= cubic yards (all dimensions in feet), then add waste
- Find the centerline length. For a rectangular foundation measured outside-to-outside, take the outside perimeter and subtract 4 × the wall thickness.
- Use the formed height — top of footing to top of wall, not the height above grade.
- Convert thickness to feet: 8 in = 0.667 ft, 10 in = 0.833 ft, 12 in = 1 ft.
- Subtract openings: count × width × height × thickness for each window or door blockout.
- Divide by 27, add 3–5% for form bulge and spillage, and round up to the half yard your plant sells.
Worked example
A 24 × 30 ft basement (outside dimensions) has 8 ft tall, 8 in thick walls and two 36 × 24 in window blockouts.
- Centerline length: 108 ft − 4 × 0.667 ft = 105.33 ft
- Gross: 105.33 × 8 × 0.667 = 561.8 ft³; windows: 2 × 3 × 2 × 0.667 = 8.0 ft³
- Net 553.8 ft³ + 5% waste = 581.5 ft³ ÷ 27 = 21.54 yd³
- At 10 yd³ per truck that is 3 loads (10 + 10 + 1.5), about $3,553 at $165/yd³ before delivery fees
Cubic yards per 10 feet of wall
Net volume for a 10 ft length, no openings, no waste.
| Thickness | 4 ft tall | 8 ft tall | 9 ft tall | 10 ft tall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 in | 0.74 | 1.48 | 1.67 | 1.85 |
| 8 in | 0.99 | 1.98 | 2.22 | 2.47 |
| 10 in | 1.23 | 2.47 | 2.78 | 3.09 |
| 12 in | 1.48 | 2.96 | 3.33 | 3.70 |
Wall pour tips and common mistakes
- Double-counted corners. Adding four outside dimensions of an 8 in wall overstates the length by 2.67 ft — about 0.5 yd³ on an 8 ft wall. Use the centerline.
- Pour the footing separately. This calculator covers the wall only. Estimate the footing with the footing calculator and add both if they are poured monolithically.
- Thickness and steel are design decisions. IRC Section R404 tables set minimum thickness and reinforcement by wall height, unbalanced backfill height, and soil class. Walls outside those tables need an engineer.
- Plan the last truck. Short loads cost extra at many plants. If the last truck is small, order it after you see how far the first loads go, but confirm the plant can deliver it quickly so the pour does not leave a cold joint.
- Keep waste modest with good forms. Rented aluminum or engineered forms hold dimension well; 3–5% covers spillage and slight bulge. Use more for site-built plywood forms.
- Mix choice matters. Ask for a mix suited to walls (often 3,000–4,000 psi with a pumpable or wall-mix aggregate size) and tell the plant if the concrete will be pumped.
Concrete wall FAQ
How many yards of concrete do I need for a foundation wall?
Multiply length × height × thickness in feet and divide by 27. A wall 100 ft long, 8 ft tall and 8 in thick is 100 × 8 × 0.667 = 533 cu ft, or 19.75 cubic yards; with 5 percent waste, order about 20.74 yards.
How much concrete is in a 10 foot section of 8 inch wall?
A 10 ft long, 8 ft tall, 8 in thick section holds 53.3 cu ft, which is 1.98 cubic yards. At 4 ft tall, the same section holds 0.99 cubic yards, and at 9 ft tall it holds 2.22 cubic yards.
How thick should a poured concrete foundation wall be?
Eight inches is the most common thickness for residential basement and crawlspace walls, with 10 or 12 in used for taller walls or deeper backfill. The required thickness and reinforcement come from IRC Section R404 tables or an engineer, based on wall height, backfill height, and soil type.
How many cubic yards does a concrete truck hold?
A typical ready-mix truck carries 8 to 10 cubic yards, with 10 yards a common maximum on the road. A 20.7 yard wall pour therefore needs 3 truckloads; ask the plant how they will split the last load.
Should I subtract windows and doors from a concrete wall estimate?
Yes, if the openings are blocked out in the forms. A 36 by 24 in basement window in an 8 in wall removes 4 cu ft, or about 0.15 cubic yards. Small openings like pipe sleeves can be ignored because the waste allowance covers them.
How we built this calculator: results use the standard volume, area, and coverage formulas shown on this page, with typical U.S. material densities, bag yields, and waste factors that you can override. Written and checked by the YardsCalculator editorial team. Last reviewed: October 2026.