Work out the plain cement concrete (PCC) under your footings, wall footings or floor. Enter the sizes in metres or feet, the thickness and the mix, and the calculator gives the PCC volume and the cement bags, sand and aggregate to order. Part of our quantity surveying tools.
How to use the PCC calculator
- Choose Under footings, Under walls or Floor base, and metres or feet.
- Enter the sizes. For footings, enter each footing size and the number of footings, and add a row for each different size.
- Set how far the PCC projects past the footing on each side.
- Choose the PCC thickness and the mix.
- Open Dry factor, wastage and rates to add wastage or a cost, then download the result as CSV, print it or share a link.
PCC Calculator
Plain cement concrete under footings, walls or a floor: volume, cement bags, sand and aggregate
Dry factor, wastage and rates
Materials
Volume by item
Checks
Quantity estimate. Mix, thickness and PCC size must come from your drawing. Actual material use depends on the sand, aggregate, batching and site losses.
Formulas used
| Item | Formula |
|---|---|
| PCC under a footing | (Footing length + 2 × projection) × (footing width + 2 × projection) × thickness × number |
| PCC under a wall footing | Length × (footing width + 2 × projection) × thickness |
| Floor base | Length × width × thickness |
| Dry volume | PCC volume × 1.54 |
| Cement | Dry volume ÷ sum of ratio × 1440 kg/m³ ÷ 50 kg, rounded up to whole bags |
| Sand | Dry volume × sand part ÷ sum of ratio |
| Aggregate | Dry volume × aggregate part ÷ sum of ratio |
| Cubic feet and brass | m³ × 35.3147 = cu ft; cu ft ÷ 100 = brass |
Worked example
Eight footings of 1.5 × 1.5 m, with PCC projecting 0.15 m on each side, 100 mm thick, in 1:4:8:
- PCC size: 1.5 + 2 × 0.15 = 1.8 m each way.
- Volume: 1.8 × 1.8 × 0.1 × 8 = 2.59 m³.
- Dry volume: 2.59 × 1.54 = 3.99 m³. The sum of the ratio is 1 + 4 + 8 = 13.
- Cement: 3.99 ÷ 13 × 1440 ÷ 50 = 8.84, rounded up to 9 bags.
- Sand: 3.99 × 4 ÷ 13 = 1.23 m³, about 43 cu ft.
- Aggregate: 3.99 × 8 ÷ 13 = 2.46 m³, about 87 cu ft.
Not sure where PCC is needed at all? Read PCC vs RCC.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate PCC quantity?
PCC volume = length × width × thickness, with the length and width taken to the outer edge of the PCC. For a 1.5 × 1.5 m footing with PCC projecting 0.15 m on each side and 100 mm thick, the PCC is 1.8 × 1.8 × 0.1 = 0.324 m³.
How do I calculate cement, sand and aggregate for PCC?
Multiply the wet volume by 1.54 to get the dry volume. Each material’s share is its part of the ratio ÷ the sum of the ratio. Cement in bags = dry cement volume × 1440 ÷ 50. For 10 m³ of 1:3:6, the dry volume is 15.4 m³, which needs 45 bags of cement, about 163 cu ft of sand and about 326 cu ft of aggregate.
How many cement bags are needed for 1 m³ of PCC?
Using a dry volume factor of 1.54, 1 m³ of PCC needs about 3.4 bags of cement in 1:4:8, about 4.4 bags in 1:3:6 and about 6.3 bags in 1:2:4.
Which PCC ratio is used under a footing?
Lean mixes such as 1:4:8 and 1:3:6 are common under footings, because the PCC gives a clean, level surface and does not carry bending. Use the mix given on your drawing.
How thick should PCC be?
PCC thickness is set by the drawing and is commonly in the range of 75 to 150 mm.
What is 1 brass of sand or aggregate?
One brass is a trade measure equal to 100 cubic feet, or about 2.83 m³. Sand and aggregate are often sold by the brass in parts of India.
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Last updated: 9 November 2026