CMU Grout Volume (Partial and Full Grout)
The grout volume for a reinforced CMU wall.
Example
You enter
- Wall length (ft) 20
- Wall height (ft) 8
- Grouted-core spacing oc (in) 24
- Core cross-section (in², ~24 for 8 in) 24
- Bond-beam cross-section (in², 0 = none) 30
You get
- Grouted cores 11
- Vertical grout 14.67 ft^3
- Bond-beam grout 4.17 ft^3
- Total (ft³) 18.833
- Total yd3 0.698
Details, formula, and sources
Grouted cores at the rebar spacing (cores = floor(len x 12 / spacing) + 1) plus a continuous bond-beam course, in ft^3 and cubic yards. Core and bond cross-sections come from the unit data; the spacing comes from the structural drawings and the engineer of record governs the reinforcement - a material takeoff, not a structural design.
cores = floor(wall_len_ft x 12 / core_spacing_in) + 1; vert_ft3 = cores x wall_ht_ft x (core_area_in2/144); bond_ft3 = wall_len_ft x (bond_area_in2/144); total_yd3 = (vert_ft3 + bond_ft3) / 27.
First-principles core-count and grout-volume relations with TMS 602 / ACI 530.1 (Specification for Masonry Structures) and the NCMA TEK grout references (by name).
The core-count and grout-volume relations are public masonry-takeoff geometry. TMS 602 / ACI 530.1 and the NCMA TEK references are named; the structural drawings supply the spacing and cross-sections.
Estimate. AHJ and licensed professional govern.
Field names used by the API: wall_len_ft, wall_ht_ft, core_spacing_in, core_area_in2, bond_area_in2, cores, vert_ft3, bond_ft3, total_ft3, total_yd3
- Core count cores = floor(wall length x 12 / spacing) + 1 (both ends grouted)first principles
- Grout volume vertical = cores x height x core area/144; bond beam = length x bond area/144 (one continuous top course)TMS 602 / ACI 530.1, NCMA TEK
- Cross-sections the grouted-core (~24 in^2 for an 8 in unit) and bond-beam (~30 in^2) areas come from the block manufacturer's dataunit manufacturer data