Concrete Cylinder Calculator

Use this concrete cylinder calculator to find the volume of concrete you need for your cylinder shape columns or posts.

Clear
Concrete needed0.128 cubic yards3.456 cu ft for 1 × 12 in diameter
Bags of mix680 lb concrete mix (0.60 ft³)
Each cylinder3.1416 cu ft0.11636 yd³
Radius6 in152.4 mm
Height4 ft1.2192 m
Cross-section area0.7854 sq ft
Weight when cured0.259 US tons
Cubic metres0.09786

The method

volume = π × radius² × height

Radius, not diameter, gets squared

Halve the diameter first. Using the diameter in π r² gives four times the right answer, which is the single most common mistake in column and tube work.

A 12-inch tube 4 feet deep holds about 3.14 cubic feet — roughly a tenth of a cubic yard, or six eighty-pound bags. Footings usually come in multiples, so work out one and multiply.