Bags of Concrete Calculator

Find how many 40, 50, 60, 80 or 90 lb bags of concrete mix you need for fence and deck post holes, small slabs, or any volume.

What Are You Filling?
Post
%
Bag Size
$
Fractions work too: try 2 3/8.
80 Lb. Bags
Per hole
Total volume
Other bag sizes
Weight to haul
Cost
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How Many Bags of Concrete Do You Need?

Find the volume to fill in cubic feet, then divide by the yield of one bag. Quikrete's data sheet lists these yields for its concrete mix: a 40 lb bag makes 0.30 cubic feet, 50 lb 0.375, 60 lb 0.45, 80 lb 0.60 and 90 lb 0.675. Round up, since you can't buy part of a bag.

Bags = volume (ft³) ÷ bag yield (ft³), rounded up

For a post hole, the concrete fills the hole around the post, so subtract the post's volume from the hole's.

Post hole concrete = (3.1416 × (hole diameter ÷ 2)² − post area) × concrete depth ÷ 1,728

Sizes are in inches; dividing by 1,728 turns cubic inches into cubic feet. The concrete depth is the hole depth minus any gravel in the bottom.

Worked Example

80 Lb. Bags per Post Hole

For a 4×4 post, no gravel, no waste.

Hole24″ Deep30″ Deep36″ Deep42″ Deep

Tips for Setting Posts

A common rule of thumb is a hole about three times the post's width and a third to a half of its above-ground height deep, and below the frost line where the ground freezes. A few inches of gravel in the bottom helps drainage and saves concrete. Slope the top of the concrete away from the post so water runs off. Check local code for decks and other structures.