Post holes

Concrete for 6 × 10 in post holes, 24 in deep

6 fence posts in 10 in diameter holes, 24 in deep, set around a nominal 4×4 post (3.5 in actual). The concrete fills the ring around each post; here is the total volume and bag count.

Concrete needed

0.2cubic yards· 0.156· 5.52 ft³
Bag sizeBags needed
40 lb19
60 lb13
80 lb10
25 kg14
30 kg12
Planning estimate, with no waste allowance included. Add 5–10% for spillage and over-excavation, and check the yield printed on your bag. Structural work must follow your local building code and an engineer's specification.

How it is worked out

Each post hole is a cylinder — π·(diameter/2)² × depth — and the concrete only fills the space around a set post, so the post's cross-section is subtracted. Enter a post size of 0 to fill the whole hole as a mass footing.

That volume — 5.52 ft³ — is divided by 27 to give 0.2 cubic yards, and by each bag's yield to give the bag count. An 80 lb bag of premix yields about 0.60 cubic feet, so this job takes 10 of them; bag counts always round up, because you cannot buy part of a bag.

Ordering ready-mix instead? Suppliers sell by the cubic yard (or cubic metre) and usually have a minimum load and a short-load surcharge — worth a call before you choose between bags and a truck.

Formwork

What is being measured

gradeposthole Ødepthfill around postPOST HOLE FOOTING

Nearby

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