Get the total for a ready-mix truck order.
⚙️Calculation Parameters
📊Calculated Output
How Ready-Mix Sonotube Calculator Works?
To total a ready-mix order, the Ready-Mix Sonotube Calculator sums every tube in cubic yards (yd³), adds waste and rounds to the plant order step. The process takes 4 steps.
Enter every pier group
Type each tube size and count that pours from the same truck.
Add waste and chute loss
Set 8% to 12% for over-dig, spillage and concrete left in the chute and pump hopper.
Round to the order step
The calculator rounds up to 0.25 yd³ or 0.5 yd³, the steps most plants accept.
Check truck count
The tool divides the order by truck capacity, set to 10 yd³ by default, and shows the trucks needed.
Ready-Mix Sonotube Calculator Formula
The Ready-Mix Sonotube Calculator converts tube volume into a truck order.
Net yards
V = Σ nᵢ × π × (Dᵢ ÷ 24)² × (Hᵢ ÷ 12) ÷ 27Every group in yd³.
Order yards
Order = ⌈V × (1 + w) ÷ s⌉ × ss is the order step, such as 0.25 yd³.
Trucks
Trucks = ⌈Order ÷ C_truck⌉C_truck is usable drum capacity.
Worked example: 20 piers at 12 in × 48 in, 10% waste, 0.25 yd³ step
- V = 20 × 3.142 ÷ 27 = 2.327 yd³
- With waste = 2.560 yd³
- Order = 2.75 yd³ (2.10 m³), 1 truck
Ready-Mix Sonotube Calculator Conversion Table
The ready-mix conversion table rounds 6 pier counts of 12 in × 48 in (30 cm × 122 cm) tubes to a 0.25 yd³ order step with 10% waste.
| Job | Net yd³ | yd³ + 10% | Order yd³ | Order m³ | Trucks (10 yd³) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 × 12 in × 48 in | 0.465 | 0.512 | 0.75 | 0.57 | 1 |
| 8 × 12 in × 48 in | 0.931 | 1.024 | 1.25 | 0.96 | 1 |
| 12 × 12 in × 48 in | 1.396 | 1.536 | 1.75 | 1.34 | 1 |
| 20 × 12 in × 48 in | 2.327 | 2.560 | 2.75 | 2.10 | 1 |
| 30 × 12 in × 48 in | 3.491 | 3.840 | 4.00 | 3.06 | 1 |
| 50 × 12 in × 48 in | 5.818 | 6.400 | 6.50 | 4.97 | 1 |
Orders below the plant minimum carry a short-load fee. Ask the plant for its minimum and step size.
What is Ready-Mix Sonotube Calculator?
A Ready-Mix Sonotube Calculator is an order tool that totals all Sonotube piers on a job into one ready-mix truck order in cubic yards, rounded to the step the plant accepts.
Ready-mix is batched at a plant and delivered in a drum truck. The dispatcher needs one number: the yards to batch. The calculator turns a pier schedule into that number with waste and rounding applied. Twenty 12 in × 48 in piers order as 2.75 yd³.
Over-ordering wastes money and leaves concrete to dispose of. Under-ordering means a second truck and a cold joint. The calculator targets the smallest order that covers the pour.
What are the uses of Ready-Mix Sonotube Calculator?
There are 4 main uses of the Ready-Mix Sonotube Calculator.
Dispatch calls
Contractors read one order number to the plant.
Multi-truck pours
Supervisors split large pours across trucks.
Pump jobs
Crews add hopper and line loss to the order.
Budget checks
Owners convert the order into a price per yard.
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