Construction Calculators
Concrete, gravel, sand, brick, and cost tools for slabs, pads, footings, and masonry — with formulas and worked examples on every page.
7 calculators
Concrete Calculator
Work out how much ready-mix concrete a slab, footing, or column needs.
CalculateConstructionGravel Calculator
Estimate gravel volume and weight for a driveway, path, or sub-base.
CalculateConstructionSand Calculator
Volume and weight for paver bedding, sandboxes, and screed layers.
CalculateConstructionConcrete Bag Calculator
Bag counts for 60 lb, 80 lb, or 25 kg concrete on small pours.
CalculateConstructionBrick Calculator
Brick count and rough mortar for a straight wall.
CalculateConstructionGravel Cost Calculator
Gravel tonnage with material and delivery cost.
CalculateConstructionConcrete Cost Calculator
Ready-mix volume with materials, labour, and pump fees.
CalculateConstruction calculators on Project Home Calc turn length, width, and depth into order quantities you can take to a ready-mix plant, bag aisle, or gravel yard. They are planning tools — not structural designs — so every result sits next to the formula and a worked example you can re-run with your own numbers.
What this category covers
Use these tools when the job is bulk material: concrete for slabs, pads, and footings; gravel or sand for bases and bedding; brick counts for short walls; and cost lines that convert volume into a planning price band. Most patio and driveway mistakes start with the wrong thickness or a missing sub-base, not with a fancy finish.
How to use the tools together
1. Size the pour or base with the Concrete or Gravel calculator. 2. Check bag counts on small jobs with the Concrete Bag tool when a truck minimum would dominate. 3. Price materials with the Concrete Cost or Gravel Cost calculators, then fold labour into the Cost Estimator if you need a full planning total. 4. Read a related guide when two quotes disagree on thickness, waste, or base depth.
Typical project paths
- Patio or shed pad: concrete volume → gravel sub-base → cost range → patio cost guide.
- Driveway base: gravel depth and tonnage before any surface layer.
- Fence posts or small pads: bagged mix often beats a short-load truck — compare with ready-mix vs bags guidance.
- Brick garden wall: brick count plus mortar allowance; confirm bond pattern with your mason.
Units and assumptions
Every tool supports US (feet/inches, yards, tons) and UK (metres/centimetres, cubic metres, tonnes) units. Switching units converts what you already typed. Waste percentages are editable defaults — irregular digs and decorative pours need more than a clean rectangle.
Depth is kept in inches or centimetres because that is how plans specify slab and base thickness. Mixing unit systems mid-quote is how homeowners “compare” two numbers that are not the same scope.
What these calculators do not include
Permits, frost-line footings, rebar schedules, soil reports, pump hire, spoil haul-away, and decorative finish premiums are usually separate lines. If a contractor’s number is far from your materials estimate, ask which of those items are included before you assume someone is overcharging.
Related reading
Browse the guides for patio cost, slab thickness, gravel driveways, waste factors, and ready-mix versus bags. Each article is written to sit next to these calculators so you can check a quantity and then understand why a quote moved.
Related guides
How Much Does a Concrete Patio Cost?
A practical breakdown of concrete patio pricing — volume, sub-base, labour, finish, and how to sanity-check a contractor quote.
GuideHow Much Gravel Do You Need for a Driveway?
Convert length, width, and depth into tonnes or cubic yards, plus a practical waste allowance for compaction and uneven ground.
GuideHow Much Mulch Do You Need for Garden Beds?
A clear method for bed area, depth, bags versus bulk delivery, and when to refresh an existing mulch layer.
GuideHow to Estimate Decking Boards and Framing Basics
Turn deck length and width into board count with gap spacing, and know what the board calculator does not include.
GuidePatio vs Driveway Concrete Thickness
Why patio, shed, and driveway slabs use different thicknesses — and how thickness multiplies your concrete volume.
GuideHow to Compare Contractor Quotes Side by Side
Line up materials vs labour, allowances, and exclusions — use your own quantity checks against lump sums.
GuideWhy Patio Bases Need Gravel Before Concrete
How sub-base depth affects stability and how to estimate gravel and concrete as two separate material lines.
GuideUS and UK Units on the Same Project
Feet vs metres, gallons vs litres — keep one system per calculation so orders don’t go wrong.
GuideHow Many Bags of Concrete for a Slab?
Bag counts for common slab sizes — when bag mix makes sense and when to call the truck instead.
GuidePlanning a Paver Patio Base
Gravel sub-base, sand bedding, and paver counts — the three layers in order.
GuideFence Materials for a Straight Run
Panels, posts, and rails from a single fence length — before you buy the wrong kit.
GuideHow Much Topsoil Do You Need?
Turn bed or lawn measurements into cubic yards or metres — depths for new beds vs topdressing, bags vs bulk, and what topsoil calculators leave out.
GuideReady-Mix vs Bagged Concrete: Which Should You Order?
An honest break-even around one cubic yard — labour time, short-load fees, colour consistency, and when bags beat a truck for posts and small pads.
GuideHow Much Sand Do You Need for a Paver Bed?
Work out bedding-sand volume for patios and paths without confusing the thin setting bed with the compacted gravel base.
GuideHow Many Bricks Do You Need for a Garden Wall?
Estimate bricks from wall area, thickness, openings, piers, cuts, and waste, with worked examples for US and UK brick sizes.
GuideHow Much Concrete Do You Need for Fence Posts?
Calculate concrete per post hole, convert total volume into bags, and avoid common mistakes with hole shape, drainage, and gate posts.
GuideDriveway Concrete Thickness and Cost
Choose a realistic driveway slab thickness, calculate concrete and base quantities, and build a cost estimate that includes more than the pour.
GuideMortar Quantities for Brickwork
Estimate wet mortar, cement, and sand for brick walls while accounting for brick size, wall thickness, joint profile, waste, and small batches.