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MEASURING CONCRETE WORK

GENERAL
Division 3, concrete, of the Uniform Construction Index (CSI) format includes items relating to concrete construction. Preparing a quantity take-off of concrete work requires the estimator to measure a combination of items some of which may be shown on the drawings, while others might have to be inferred from them. Most of the drawings would normally indicate all major items of concrete work, such as footings, walls, and columns, but the details of formwork required for the work is not indicated. Similarly, cement finishes and items such as screeds and curing are not generally explicit on the drawings and have to be worked out from the specifications read in conjunction with the drawings. Estimating concrete can vary depending on whether the concrete is cat-in-place on the project or is purchased as precast units. If the concrete is cast-in-place, the estimator must consider certain activities in developing the cost, such as installing formwork, reinforcing steel (including embedded items), concrete, finishing, curing, protecting concrete, and removal and cleaning (and possibly coating) of the forms. If the concrete is precast, the estimator determines the cost of the specific item and then considers the cost of placing it into its final position. There are many different types of commercially available precast units, and most manufacturers of precast components can custom make any size and style needed. Concrete can be precast on or off the job site. Specialty contractors usually install precast units.

MEASURING CONCRETE
a. Concrete shall be measured in cubic yards net in place. The volume of concrete is calculated from the dimensions given on the drawings with no adjustment for add on factors. Additional material required because of spillage, expanding forms, and wastage will be accounted for later in the pricing process by means of a waste factor added to concrete items. One exception to this general rule applies to the situation where the concrete is to be placed on rock or shale. In this case the overbreak in the excavation is generally required to be filled with concrete and, as the volume of overbreak is not indicated, the estimator will have to add an assessed amount to the quantity of concrete to allow for this overbreak.

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b. No adjustment to the quantity of concrete is made for reinforcing steel and insets which displace concrete. Also, no deductions are made for openings in the concrete that do not exceed one cubic foot of volume. c. Concrete shall be classified and measured separately in the following categories: 10. underpinning 11. pile caps 12. isolated footings 13. continuous footing 14. retaining walls 15. grade beams 16. columns and pedestals 17. beams 18. slabs on grade 19. suspended slabs 20. floor toppings 21. stairs and landings 22. curbs 23. manholes 24. equipment bases 25. roads 26. sidewalks 27. other structures

d. Different mixes of concrete shall be measured separately in each of the above items. For instance, where a high rise is being estimated, if the columns up to the second floor are specified as 6000 psi concrete; from the second up to the tenth floor they are 5000 psi concrete; and above the tenth floor they are 4000 psi concrete; quantity of each strength of concrete is required. Often on a project all the concrete for a certain use, for example footings, is specified as the same mix, in which case there is no need to note the mix on the take-off as it will not have to be considered until the recap and pricing stage is reached. Mixes can be further complicated by the type of cement that could be specified. For example, concrete in contact with soil may have to be made with type V, sulfate resisting cement. There could be the requirement of air entrainment or the use of super-plasticizers. All of this produces a multitude of concrete mixes comprising various combinations of the list of variables. To simplify the pricing of concrete, the items listed on the recap are priced for the cost of placing (labor and equipment) only. A separate list of the amounts of the various mixes is prepared and against each item on this list the price of the particular mix of concrete is entered. e. Where columns and walls extend between the floors of a building they shall be measured from the top surface of the slab below up to the undersurface of the slab or beam above. f. Beams may be measured separately from slabs but if they are to be poured monolithically with the slabs, the quantity of concrete in the beams should be added to the slab concrete for pricing.

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PRICING CONCRETE
The total cost of concrete could include concrete material cost, concrete labor cost, concrete equipment cost.

Concrete Material Cost


The ready-mix supplier will provide the cost per cubic yard of each type of concrete specified. The types of admixtures, strengths, and general quantities will affect the cost of the concrete. The estimated should ensure that the ready-mix concrete supplier has the resources and capability to deliver the specified concrete.

Concrete Labor Cost


The cost of labor depends upon the productivity and wage rates. Company historical data, revised for the specific job, is used along with current wage rates. In determining the labor cost, the estimator should keep in mind that the concrete has to be physically moved on the job site. To determine the amount and cost involved, one must first determine the method by which the concrete will be moved. Will it be the wheelbarrow, chute, crane and bucket, conveyor, or pump? The method will most likely be dictated to the estimator or be known based on pat experience for the specific type of work and project.

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Another labor-intensive activity, in the placing of concrete, is tamping or vibrating of concrete for proper compaction and striking off the concrete to its designated elevation. The estimator must consider the activity requirements when establishing the labor productivity.

Concrete Equipment Cost


For many projects, heavy equipment is needed to move the material on the job site. The estimator must determine what equipment will be used and for how long. Knowing this information and the hourly cost to own and operate or rent the equipment a total cost can be derived and documented on the summary sheet.

MEASURING FORMWORK
The formwork operations involve a number of activities including fabricating and erecting the forms, stripping, moving, cleaning and oiling the forms for reuse. All of these activities and the materials involved are allowed for in the pricing of the forms. Generally, the estimator measures the surface area of the concrete that comes into contact with the forms; this is known as the contact area. At the take-off stage, all that needs to be established is which surfaces of concrete require forms. The square foot contact area (sfca) is then categorized by the type of member being formed (beam, column, slab, etc.). An exception to this would be for moldings, cornices, sills, chamfers, and copings, which are taken off by the linear foot. As indicated earlier, taking off the quantities of formwork is more difficult than other materials because the drawings do not indicate the location or quantity of forms to be installed. The estimator must be able to determine what concrete needs to be formed, including requirements for bracing, scaffolding, or similar formwork components not shown on the drawings. This requires the estimator to have experience in formwork construction and/or be provided detailed formwork design drawings. Estimating formwork can be a tedious and time-consuming job. There are hundreds of different formwork systems, as well as the various type of materials of which they are constructed. Forms can be built on the job (job-built forms) or pre-built. Job-built forms are usually constructed of wood; pre-built forms are usually made of steel and wood. Prebuilt forms could also be made of fiberglass, and all metal.

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Whether the formwork is job-built or pre-built, cutting, fabricating, placing, alignment, and bracing are possible in constructing formwork. Also, it is to the contractors advantage to reuse the same form, whether job-built or prebuilt, as many times as possible. This will result in a lower per unit cost. Of course, the number of reuses depends on the durability of members, the care taken in erecting and removing them, and the number of times the same member or section of member can be reused. Usually, more reuses can be obtained from pre-built forms than from job-built forms. The issue of reuse should be considered in pricing the formwork.

1. Formwork shall be measured in square feet of contact area, i.e., the actual surface of formwork that is in contact with concrete. 2. Formwork is classified into the same categories as concrete as indicated in figure below. For example, forms to footings, forms to walls, and forms to columns would each be described and measured separately.

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There are, however, a number of factors that may have no effect on the price of the concreting operations but do affect the price of formwork and should be noted. For example, the volume of concrete in all walls, whether they are straight or curved, will have the same price but the price of forms to curved walls will differ from the price of straight walls so the forms to curved surfaces must be kept separate. 3. Bulkheads and edge forms shall be measured separate within these categories. Similarly, if there are pilasters projecting from the walls, the area of the pilasters would be calculated and noted separated from the wall forms. 4. Forms to slab edges are measured separately from forms to beams and forms to walls even where the edge forms may be extensions of beam or wall forms. 5. Where there is an opening in a form system, no deduction is made from the total area of the forms if the size of the opening is less than 100 square feet. Examples of such openings would include openings for windows in walls, stairway openings or elevator shaft openings in suspended slabs. Openings less 100 square feet are not deducted but all cut outs would be deducted.

6. Items of formwork that are linear in nature, such as grooves, chases, keyways, chamfers and their likes are described stating their size, and measured in linear feet. 7 of 19

Narrow strips of formwork, less than 1-foot wide can also be measured in this fashion. 7. Forms to circular columns are described giving the diameter of the column and measured in linear feet to the height of the column. Column capitals are described and enumerated.

PRICING FORMWORK
The total cost of erecting formwork includes materials, labor, and equipment. Since jobbuilt and pre-built forms can be used for most formwork, the estimator should perform a cost-benefit analysis to determine which is more economical. In this analysis it is important that the estimator consider the number of times the forms can be reused, and this will be dependant on may variables. Some of the major ones include complexity of the formwork, size, number of repetitions of the same size, quantity of formwork to be installed, and quality of the formwork materials.

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Formwork Material Cost


The costs of materials are obtained from the supplier of the formwork components or systems. In the case of job-built forms, the estimator should determine the cost of the material for one section of the formwork, calculate a unit square foot cost, and use this number to determine the total cost from the takeoff of the total square foot contact area for the specific form. After the prices of the individual components are calculated, the items are added and the sum divided by the total square foot contact area. If the formwork is to be used more than once, the price per square foot of contact area is divided by the number of reuses. The price is then increased by approximately 10 percent to account for any formwork damaged during removal. The final unit price is then applied to the total square footage of formwork required for the project.

Formwork Labor Cost


To obtain the labor cost, the estimator will need to know the labor productivity and wage rates of the crew. The productivity is obtained from company historical records and adjusted for the specific project. Many items could affect the productivity rates, such as: 1. What is included in formwork 2. Number of forming irregularities 3. Whether or not formwork will need to be cleaned and oiled 4. Complexity of the fabrication of pre-built forms 5. Complexity of the construction of job-built forms 6. Amount of reshoring needed for elevated slabs and beams 7. Size and shape of member to be formed 8. Height of member to be formed above ground 9. Number of reuses 10. Removal of the formwork In formwork construction some tasks do not require material, such as stripping and cleaning. These activities should be documented separately on the summary sheet from those related to the erection of the forms, which include a material component.

Formwork Equipment Cost


For very large formwork projects, heavy equipment may be needed to assist in the erection and removal process. In addition, special formwork systems require the use of

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heavy equipment. The equipment is priced by the type and size required and the number of hours needed. Operator time and wages also need to be considered, either as part of the equipment costs or listed in the labor category. MEASURING REINFORCING STEEL AND OTHER EMBEDMENTS

The reinforcing steel used in concrete may be reinforcing bars and/or welded wire mesh. Other items in reinforcing or formwork, know as embedments, include anchor bolts, plates or inserts for the future connection of other items of work, corner protection angles, supports for the reinforcing bars in the forms, and sleeves for the passage of pipes, conduit, and ductwork Reinforcing bars are designated by the bar number, which corresponds to the bar diameter in eighths of an inch. Reinforcing bars are available in many different types and grades of steel.

The reinforcing bar can be purchased from the mill or warehouse, where they can be cut to size, bent, bundled and tied. These suppliers can also provide shop drawings that aid in the handling and placement of reinforcement bars on the job site. For smaller jobs it is possible to purchase straight bars and cut and bend them on the job. Such an activity would result in more wastage and is seldom more economical. Mesh reinforcing may be welded wire mesh or expanded metal. Welded wire mesh is usually furnished in a rectangular or square arrangement of wires welded together. The wire mesh designation uses spacing and wire gauge. For example, for a designation of 6 X 6 W1.4 X W1.4, the first two numbers indicate the size of the grid, in this case a square of 6-inch (longitudinal direction) X 6-inch (transverse direction). The second set of numbers relates to the standard size for the specific gauge of wire. Welded wire mesh is sold in rolls or flat sheets. The rolls are 5 feet wide and 150 feet long. The flat sheets are available in a variety of sizes. In addition, the mesh is available in different materials, the most common being plain or galvanized steel.

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Expanded metal reinforcement is a special type of mesh used primarily for concrete floor, roof, and bank vault construction. The estimator should check with the supplier to determine units of takeoff. Reinforcing bars are held in the forms by bar chairs, spacers, or bolsters, or they may be suspended by wires. These supports may be plastic, or galvanized or zinc-coated steel with plastic legs and other materials. All of these accessories are included in the embedment category. To determine the type, size, and quantity of bar supports, the estimator should refer to the technical specifications and consult with experienced people within the company.

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WORKSHEET COMPUTED BY: CHECKED BY: SIZE REF DESCRIPTION NO PROJECT: ARCHITECT: #4 LENGTH TOTAL SIZE NO #5 LENGTH TOTAL SIZE NO #7 LENGTH TOTAL SIZE NO #8 LENGTH TOTAL

DATE: PAGE: OF

INDEX NO: SIZE NO LENGTH TOTAL

6.12 WALL STEEL Horizontal Vertical 9 71 100 16.5 900 1171.5 67 67 67 Dowels 200 2 400 16.5 9 7 1106 603 469

Subtotal Conversion factor

2471.5 0.668

2178 2.67

SUBTOTAL 6.12 FOOTING STEEL Horizontal

1651

5815

15

100

1500 134 150

4.5 9

603 1350

Subtotal Conversion Factor SUBTOTAL TOTALS FROM PREVIOUS PAGE TOTALS 0 1651 lb

1500 1.043 1565 0 1565 lb

1953 2.044 3992 0 3992 lb 0 5815 lb

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SUMMARY SHEET COMPUTED BY: CHECKED BY: QUANTITY PROJECT: ARCHITECT: MATERIAL COST LABOR COST

DATE: PAGE: OF

INDEX NO: EQUIPMENT COST

REF

DESCRIPTION

TOTAL

UNIT

DAILY PROD. CREW UNIT MATERIAL OF MAKECOST SUBTOTAL CREW UP

MAN HOUR TOTAL TOTAL AVG. RATE PER MAN CREW WAGE LABOR PER EQUIP. SUB OR UNIT HOURS HOURS RATE SUBTOTAL HOUR SUBTOTAL OTHER

TOTAL COST

6.12 WALL STEEL #4 REBAR #8 REBAR SUBTOTAL 1651 lb 5815 lb 1.1 1.25 1816 7269 9085 2000 1500 4 4 6.6 31 21 21 139 651 790 0 0 0 0 1955 7920 9875

FOOTING STEEL #5 REBAR #7 REBAR SUBTOTAL 1565 lb 3392 lb 1.15 1.2 1800 4790 6590 1800 1800 4 4 7 20 21 21 147 420 567 0 0 0 0 1947 5210 7157

TOTAL FROM PREVIOUS PAGE TOTAL

0 15,675

0 1,357

0 17,032

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Reinforcing bars are taken off in linear feet by type and size and converted to weight. Reinforcing steel bars are taken off in an order consistent with the specific members identified on the drawings. Following this approach will result in capturing all the reinforcing bar requirements for each member. Reinforcing bars are available only in certain lengths, as such they may need to be connected through splicing, or lapping. The prevailing codes should be used to determine the acceptable connecting technique. If lapping, an allowance must be made for this depending on the length of the overlap. In terms of waste, as little as 1 percent should be included for precut bars and as much as 10 percent when the bars are cut and bent on the job site. Additionally, when there are no special design requirements, the estimator can use 5 percent to take care of the additional bar length needed for laps. Welded wire mesh is taken off by the various sizes specified and the number of square feet required of each type. In the placement process the mesh is usually required to be lapped at least one grid. This allowance must be included in the takeoff. There is very little waste (1 percent or less) that needs to be considered in the welded wire mesh takeoff (10 percent taken for lap). Once the total square footage has been determined, the quantity is then converted to rolls and sheets, depending on how it is purchased. Embedments are taken off per unit by type and size. The quantity of each is listed by type and size on the worksheet, with 5 percent added for waste.

PRICING REINFORCING STEEL

Reinforcing Material Cost


Reinforcing steel is usually purchased by weight. The exception may be for welded wire mesh and embedments. The estimator should contact the supplier to determine the unit of purchase for the embedded items. Normally the general contractor receives a price for all the reinforcing. The estimator should make sure that all bending, shop drawings, and shipping are included. For small projects, the reinforcing contractor may quote a unit price for the reinforcing. The estimator takes the total weight times the quoted unit price.

Reinforcing Labor Cost

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The labor productivity and wage rates must be known to determine the labor cost. Company historical productivity factors altered for the specific project will be utilized along with current wage rates. It is important that the estimator separate the various labor production functions as the takeoff is being performed. The productivity for placing reinforcing in a wall footing will be higher than the productivity required for a wall. In addition, the estimator should not forget the handling of the reinforcing steel once it arrive son the job site. It may also have to be inventoried and stored, which incur labor costs.

Reinforcing Equipment Cost


Heavy equipment may be needed to unload and handle the reinforcing steel. The cost of the equipment, such as a crane or fork lift, should be included in the estimate.

MEASURING FINISHING AND MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS


After the concrete is placed into forms, vibrated and screeded to the proper elevation, the next task is the proper finishing of the exposed surface in accordance with the technical specifications. The method, tools, and equipment used depend on the specified finish. Finishing operations may also include application of certain types of materials such as a surface-hardening agent. In addition, to control the rate of setting (hydration) the concrete must be cured. Proper curing ensures that the concrete attains its desired strength. Curing methods include leaving the forms in place, sprinkling, ponding, spray mists, moisture retention covers, and seal coats. A combination of these methods may also be used. Finally, concrete may have to be protected from such things as precipitation on slab surfaces, freezing temperatures, and other activities or environmental conditions that can damage the material or exposed surfaces. The method used will depend on the potential damage. For instance, heat may be need to be provided to keep the concrete from freezing, or a plastic cover may need to be placed over a newly placed slab to protect it from rain.

These items can be measured according to the following:

Finishes

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1. Slab finishes are measured in square feet of plan area, and vertical finishes are measured in square feet of exposed surface of concrete. 2. Finishes are first classified in terms of what is being finished: slabs; walls; columns; stairs; sidewalks, etc. They are then separated by type of finish: wood float; sack rubbed; bush hammered; steel trowel; broom finish, and so on. In addition, if floor hardeners are required, they are measured separately describing the type of hardener specified.

Screeds and Curing


3. Screeds can be measured is square feet as the plan area of the slab, or some estimators prefer to measure the length of the individual screed strips. This length ca easily be obtained by dividing the area of the slabs by the spacing of the screed strips. 4. Curing slabs is also measured in plan area, as too are vapor barriers but, because these membranes are lapped at the edges, an additional 10 percent is added to the square feet area.

Inserts and Waterstops


5. Inserts into the concrete such as anchor bolts are described and enumerated in the takeoff. 6. Linear inserts such as waterstops are measured in linear feet. 7. Construction joints in walls are often required to incorporate waterstops, grooves and sealants, each of which is measured in linear feet. The takeoff of this type of construction joint will comprise bulkhead forms in square feet; then waterstop, forming grooves and sealant, each measured separately, in linear feet.

Expansion Joints
8. Expansion joints are measured in linear feet stating the size of joint and the type of material used. If a sealant is required in connection with the joint it shall be measured separately in linear feet stating the size and type of sealant.

Non-Shrink Grout
9. Grout to anchor bolts and base plates is measured in cubic feet and different types of materials are used separately. 18 of 19

Saw Cutting
10. Saw cuts are measured in linear feet stating the size of the cut. Here it is important to note whether old or new concrete is to be cut and what is to be cut; Slabs, walls, columns, etc., should be defined.

PRICING FINISHING AND MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS


The estimator must first determine the total costs of any materials needed in the finishing, curing, and protecting activities. These costs can be obtained from the material supplier and documented on the summary sheet. The cost of labor depends on the productivity rates and current wage rates. Company historical rates, adjusted for specific job site conditions, should be used. In most cases, heavy equipment will not be needed to perform the tasks. The contractor will most likely use some powered tools for the finishing operation. The cost of these can be placed in

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