Pillar and Footing Calculator
Work out the concrete, reinforcement and excavation for an RCC pillar sitting on an isolated footing. Enter the pillar size and height plus the footing dimensions, and get material quantities and a bar schedule in one takeoff.
Pillar & Footing Calculator
Planning aid, not a structural design. Footing size, depth, bar sizing and spacing depend on the soil bearing capacity and must be confirmed by a qualified structural engineer against the governing code before construction.
Bare numbers are mm.
Bare numbers are mm.
Bare numbers are mm.
Bare numbers are mm.
Bare numbers are mm.
Bare numbers are mm.
Bare numbers are mm.
Bare numbers are mm.
Bare numbers are mm.
Bare numbers are mm.
Bare numbers are mm.
Bare numbers are mm.
Bare numbers are mm.
- Pillar concrete
- 0.183 m³
- 6.4 cu ft
- Footing concrete
- 0.432 m³
- 15.3 cu ft
- Total concrete (per pillar)
- 0.615 m³
- 21.7 cu ft
- Total concrete (all pillars)
- 0.615 m³
- 21.7 cu ft
- Dry volume (all)
- 0.946 m³
- 33.4 cu ft
- Cement
- 4 bags
- Sand
- 9.55 cft
- Coarse aggregate
- 19.09 cft
- Steel (pillar + footing)
- 54.10 kg
- Excavation
- 1.944 m³
- 68.7 cu ft
0.61 m³ of 1:2:4 concrete across 1 pillars (0.615 m³ each). 4 bags cement, 9.5 cft sand, 19.1 cft aggregate. Reinforcement: 54.1 kg. Excavation: 1.94 m³.
How this was calculated
- Pillar volume = size × size × (height + plinth height)
- Footing volume = footing length × footing width × footing depth
- Dry volume = wet volume × 1.54
- Main bar length = height + ld(top) + ld(bottom) + beam cover − footing cover − 2 × footing bar dia − 2 × 90° bend deduction
- Footing mesh: bars each way at spacing, each bar = plan dimension − 2 × cover + 2 hooks
- Excavation = (footing length + 2 × allowance) × (footing width + 2 × allowance) × (footing depth + footing thickness below)
- Pillar concrete = 0.23 × 0.23 × 3.45 m = 0.183 m³
- Footing concrete = 1.20 × 1.20 × 0.30 m = 0.432 m³
- Per pillar = = = 0.615 m³
- All 1 pillars = 0.615 × 1 = 0.615 m³
- Dry volume = 0.615 × 1.54 = 0.946 m³
- Longitudinal bars (Ø16 mm) = 4.0 × 4.327 m × 1.5783 kg/m = 27.32 kg
- Lateral ties (Ø8 mm) = 23.6 × 0.760 m × 0.3946 kg/m = 7.07 kg
- Footing bottom mesh (x) (Ø12 mm) = 8.0 × 1.388 m × 0.8878 kg/m = 9.86 kg
- Footing bottom mesh (y) (Ø12 mm) = 8.0 × 1.388 m × 0.8878 kg/m = 9.86 kg
- Steel per pillar = = = 54.10 kg
- Excavation = 1.80 × 1.80 × 0.60 m = 1.944 m³
How to use the pillar and footing calculator
Enter the number of pillars, then the pillar cross-section as a single square size in millimetres (230 mm is the common brick-pillar size; 300 x 300 and above is typical for RCC). Enter the pillar height from plinth to roof and the plinth height. The calculator adds both to get the pillar length. Then set the isolated footing: length, width and depth, plus the mesh bar diameter and spacing.
For reinforcement, enter the main bar and tie diameters, tie spacing, and clear cover. The calculator assumes 4 main bars, 25 mm beam cover, 50 mm footing cover, a top development length of 40 x main bar diameter and 300 mm at the bottom. You can also add an excavation working allowance around the footing.
The result gives concrete volume for the pillar, the footing and the total; dry volume; cement, sand and aggregate; total steel weight for the pillar bars and footing mesh; and excavation volume.
What you need to measure
Pillar size comes straight off the structural plan. It is the cross-section, not the finished face. Height is measured from the top of the plinth beam to the underside of the roof slab or beam. Footing length, width and depth come from the footing layout and section detail on the foundation drawing. If you have only a soil test report, the engineer sizes the footing from the safe bearing capacity; the calculator does not do that step.
How footing size is chosen
An isolated (pedestal) footing spreads the pillar load over enough soil area that the bearing pressure stays under the soil safe bearing capacity. Footings are usually square and are sized in 100 mm increments, so 1200 x 1200 x 300 mm is a common starting point for a residential pillar. The footing depth must also satisfy the shear and development-length checks, which is why the engineer fixes the depth rather than the estimator.
This calculator does not size the footing. It takes the size from your drawing and gives you the quantities to order.
Accuracy and limitations
This calculator gives a quantity estimate for ordering and budgeting, not a structural design. Footing size and depth, pillar size, bar diameter and spacing must be confirmed by a qualified structural engineer against the governing code (IS 456 for India). The excavation figure is a rectangular pit including your working allowance and a depth equal to twice the footing depth, which is a placeholder. Set the allowance to 0 and read only the footing volume if you are measuring excavation separately. Add 5-10% wastage when ordering steel and materials.
Next steps
Use the Steel Quantity Calculator for beams and for columns whose height and bar layout differ from the assumptions here, the Slab Concrete Calculator for floor slabs, and the India Construction Cost Estimator to turn these quantities into a full project BOQ.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate concrete quantity for a pillar and footing?
Pillar volume = size x size x (height + plinth height). Footing volume = length x width x depth. Add them for the total. For a 230 mm square pillar 3.45 m tall on a 1200 x 1200 x 300 mm footing: 0.1825 m3 + 0.432 m3 = 0.615 m3 per pillar. Multiply that wet volume by 1.54 to get the dry volume before working out cement, sand and aggregate.
What is the standard footing size for a residential pillar?
1200 x 1200 x 300 mm is a common starting point for a residential pillar on average soil, but the size depends on the safe bearing capacity from your soil test and the load the pillar carries. A structural engineer fixes the footing size and depth; this calculator gives quantities once you have them.
How much steel is needed in a pillar and footing?
It depends on the bar diameters, the pillar height and the footing mesh spacing. The calculator lists each bar group with its cutting length and weight (the longitudinal bars, the lateral ties and the footing mesh both ways), so you can read the total directly from the bar schedule.
How much cement, sand and aggregate for one pillar footing?
For a 1:2:4 mix the calculator works out about 6.3 bags of cement per cubic metre of wet concrete (1.54 dry-volume factor, 1/7 of it cement, 1440 kg/m3 and 50 kg bags), plus sand and aggregate in a 1:2:4 ratio. The calculator does the dry-volume conversion and gives sand and aggregate in cubic feet, which is how they are usually ordered in India.
Ready to plan your space?
It is free, runs in your browser and needs no account. Projects are saved privately on this device.