Cement Sand Aggregate
Free Cement Sand Aggregate calculator with clear step-by-step results.
About Cement Sand Aggregate
Dry ingredients occupy roughly 54% more volume than the concrete they produce, because water fills the voids between particles. The wet volume is grossed up by that dry factor, split by the nominal mix ratio, and cement volume is converted to bags using a bulk density of 1440 kg per cubic metre.
Formulas
Dry volume
Dry volume = wet volume x 1.54
Cement bags
Bags = dry volume x (cement part / sum of parts) x 1440 / 50
Worked example
With the default values below, Cement Sand Aggregate returns Cement (50 kg bags) of 6.34. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.
Inputs used
- Finished concrete volumeminimum 0.01 m3
- 1 m3
- Mix ratio (cement:sand:aggregate)one of 1:1.5:3 (M20, structural), 1:2:4 (M15, general), 1:3:6 (M10, blinding), 1:4:8 (M7.5, mass fill)
- 1:2:4 (M15, general)
- Wet to dry volume factoraccepts 1.2–1.8
- 1.54
- Water / cement ratioaccepts 0.3–0.8
- 0.5
Results
- Cement (50 kg bags)
- 6.34 bags
- Fine aggregate (sand)
- 0.440 m3
- Coarse aggregate
- 0.880 m3
- Mixing water
- 158.4 L
Step by step
- 1Values used
- 2Dry volume
- 3Cement bags
- 4Cement (50 kg bags)= 6.34 bags
- 5Fine aggregate (sand)= 0.440 m3
- 6Coarse aggregate= 0.880 m3
- 7Mixing water= 158.4 L
Assumptions and limits
- The result is derived only from the 4 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
- In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
- Figures are rounded for display to 3 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.
- Nominal mixes are for non-critical work only. Structural concrete should be specified by design mix with tested materials and verified cube strengths.
How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.
Nominal mixes are for non-critical work only. Structural concrete should be specified by design mix with tested materials and verified cube strengths.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why 1.54 and not 1.5?
The factor covers both bulking of dry sand and the voids in coarse aggregate. Values between 1.52 and 1.57 are all in common use; 1.54 is the most widely quoted.
Can I raise the water to make it easier to place?
It will place more easily and be markedly weaker. Above about 0.55 water to cement, strength and durability fall away quickly - use a plasticiser instead.