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Sonotube calculator.

Round columns, piers and deck posts. Enter the tube size, height and how many, and get yards or bags.

TAKEOFF · ROUND COLUMNS · TUBES · PIERS NO SIGNUP · IMPERIAL
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How to figure concrete for a sonotube

A tube is a cylinder. Find the area of the circle, multiply by the height, and you have cubic feet.

Cubic feet = 3.1416 × (diameter in inches ÷ 24)² × height (ft)

Dividing the diameter by 24 turns it into the radius in feet in one step. Divide the cubic feet by 27 for yards, or by 0.6 for 80 lb bags.

Worked example. Eight 12 inch tubes, 4 feet deep. One tube is 3.1416 × 0.5 × 0.5 × 4 = 3.14 cubic feet, about 6 bags. Eight of them are 25.1 cubic feet, or 0.93 yards before waste.

Quick numbers for a 1 foot tall section

TubeCubic feet per foot80 lb bags per foot
8 in0.350.6
10 in0.550.9
12 in0.791.3
16 in1.402.3
18 in1.772.9
24 in3.145.2

If the tube sits on a bell or a spread footing at the bottom, figure that part on its own with the footing calculator and add it in.

Common questions

A 12 inch tube holds about 0.79 cubic feet per foot of height. A 4 foot tube is about 3.14 cubic feet, which is roughly 6 bags of 80 lb concrete.
Figure the cubic feet (3.1416 × radius in feet squared × height) and divide by 0.6, since an 80 lb bag makes about 0.6 cubic feet. Round up.
A handful of deck piers is usually a bag job. Once the total is over about a yard, ready-mix is usually cheaper and faster, but small orders can carry a short-load fee, so ask the plant.
Below your frost line, and as deep as the plans or local code call for. That varies a lot by area, so check before you dig.

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