How to Estimate Concrete Footing Quantities Before the First Block Ever Goes Down

Every masonry wall needs somewhere to stand, and that "somewhere" is usually a concrete footing that gets poured, cured, and forgotten about long before anyone notices it in the finished building. Which is exactly the problem: it's easy to under-plan the part nobody sees.

Footing takeoffs don't get the same attention as framing or finishes, but a mistake here is expensive in a specific way: you can't easily "add a bit more" once the pour is done and the walls above it are already planned around a fixed foundation line. Getting the numbers right up front matters more here than in almost any other trade.

Step 1: Confirm the Footing Type Before You Measure Anything

Not all footings are the same shape, and guessing wrong here throws off every number that follows. Common types include:

• Strip footings – continuous concrete under load-bearing walls

• Spread (pad) footings – isolated pads under columns or posts

• Combined footings – one larger pad supporting two or more columns

• Stepped footings – used on sloped sites to keep depth consistent

Pull the footing schedule from the structural drawings rather than assuming a single footing width and depth applies across the whole foundation. Different sections of a building often carry different loads, and the structural engineer will have sized footings accordingly.

Step 2: Calculate Volume Section by Section

Once you know what you're measuring, the math itself is simple: the discipline is in doing it per section rather than averaging across the whole project.

Volume (cubic feet) = Width × Depth × Length

For strip footings, measure each straight run separately, including returns and corners, since these edges are where estimators most often lose track of a few running feet. For spread footings, calculate each pad individually since sizes frequently vary by column load.

Convert to cubic yards by dividing the total cubic feet by 27, since that's how concrete is typically ordered and priced.

Step 3: Don't Forget Depth Below Grade

A common estimating slip is measuring footing length and width carefully, then guessing at depth from a "standard" assumption instead of checking the frost line and soil-bearing requirements for the specific site. Footing depth requirements change by region and by what the soil report actually says about bearing capacity, a number that has nothing to do with what a nearby project used last year.

Step 4: Add Rebar and Reinforcement Separately

Footings are rarely just concrete. Reinforcement runs longitudinally through strip footings and often includes dowels tying into the wall or column above. Pull the rebar schedule directly from the structural drawings, count linear footage per footing type, and add roughly 10% for laps and overlaps   the same logic that applies when reinforcing block walls above.

Step 5: Apply a Waste and Overage Factor

Concrete overage isn't an optional buffer, it's a near-certainty. Ground conditions are never perfectly uniform, formwork shifts slightly, and excavation rarely produces a perfectly flat, level trench. A 5-10% overage on volume is standard practice, with the higher end reserved for irregular or sloped sites.

Why This Step Sets Up Everything Above It

A footing takeoff done carelessly doesn't just risk a concrete shortage on pour day; it risks a foundation that's slightly off from what the walls above were designed to sit on. And walls are where this really compounds, since masonry is one of the most material- and labor-dense scopes in a building, with very little tolerance for a shaky base to work from.

If you're moving from footings into wall quantities next, it's worth getting that stage right too. This breakdown of how to calculate masonry quantities for a construction takeoff covers wall area, unit counts, mortar, and waste factors in detail, and pairs naturally with the footing numbers above.

The Takeaway

Footings are the least visible part of a masonry job and often the least budgeted-for in terms of estimating time. But every wall, every course of block or brick and every reinforcement detail above ground depends on a foundation number that was calculated correctly the first time. Spending the extra hour on the footing takeoff   it's cheaper than a mid-project concrete order and far cheaper than a foundation that doesn't match the plan.