Sonotube Concrete Calculator
Concrete for a Sonotube is a cylinder: π × radius² × pour height, times the number of tubes. Four 12 in tubes poured 4 ft high need 12.57 ft³ (0.47 yd³), or 0.52 yd³ with 10% waste. For square columns use the Concrete Column Calculator; for belled holes, the Concrete Pier Calculator.
How it's calculated: Volume = π × (tube diameter ÷ 2)² × pour height × number of tubes.
Result appears here
Fill in the fields and press Calculate.
Formula, calculation, assumptions and sources
Volume per tube = π × (Diameter ÷ 2)² × Height
Total volume = Volume per tube × Number of tubes
Run the calculation to see each step with your own numbers.
Four 12 in tubes, poured 4 ft high, with the default 10% waste.
Radius = 6 in = 0.5 ft
Volume per tube = π × 0.5² × 4 = 3.14 ft³
Total = 3.14 × 4 = 12.57 ft³ = 0.47 yd³ exact
0.47 yd³ × 1.10 = 0.52 yd³ recommended
- The tube is a straight cylinder of constant diameter.
- Pour height is the concrete depth, not the full tube length.
- Any flared or belled base, or a separate footing pad, is not included.
- Does 'pour height' mean the full tube length?
- No — enter the depth the concrete actually fills. If your tube is 48 in long but you only fill 40 in, enter 40 in.
- What about the footing under the column?
- This calculator covers the cylinder only. Add the pad footing separately (a rectangular footing fits the Concrete Calculator).
- How much concrete does a 12 inch Sonotube need?
- A 12 in tube holds π × 0.5² ≈ 0.785 ft³ of concrete per foot of pour height. At 4 ft high that is 3.14 ft³ per tube; four tubes take 12.57 ft³ (0.47 yd³) before the 10% waste allowance.
- How do you calculate concrete for a Sonotube?
- Multiply π by the tube radius squared and by the pour height, then by the number of tubes. Use the depth the concrete actually fills, not the full tube length, and divide cubic feet by 27 for cubic yards.
Cylinder volume
Standard geometry: V = π r² h. No empirical constant.
Unit conversion
NIST SP 811, Appendix B.
Waste allowance default
10% is a common rule-of-thumb allowance for spillage and tube over-fill; always editable, with the exact figure shown alongside.
About the Sonotube Concrete Calculator
The Sonotube Concrete Calculator gives the concrete volume for round column forms — Sonotube-style cardboard tubes — from the tube diameter and height, for one or several piers. It returns the exact volume and a recommended volume with waste added. For square footings or a belled pier base, use the Concrete Footing or Concrete Pier calculators.
What you enter
- Tube diameter — Common Sonotube sizes are 8, 10, 12, 16 and 18 in.
- Pour height — How deep the concrete fills the tube.
- Number of tubes
- Waste allowance — Default 10%. Adjust to your own allowance — the exact figure is always shown too.
What you get back
- Concrete volume — shown as the exact figure and, separately, a recommended figure with your waste allowance added.
The formula, a worked example, the assumptions behind it and the sources are shown in full below the calculator.
Related calculators
- Concrete Calculator — How much concrete a rectangular slab or footing needs, in cubic yards or cubic metres.
- Concrete Calculator for Fence Posts — Concrete volume to set a run of fence posts, allowing for the posts displacing concrete in each hole.
- Cubic Yard Calculator — Convert a length, width and depth into cubic yards, cubic feet or cubic metres.
- Concrete Cost Calculator — Estimated material cost of a concrete pour from its volume and a unit price.
Related articles
- Exact Quantity vs Recommended Order Quantity — Every BuildNumerics calculator shows two figures on purpose — the exact geometric answer, and a separate, waste-adjusted number you can actually order.
Part of the Concrete calculators.