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Advanced: Moisture Correction

0%
Dry sand = 0%, Wet rain-soaked sand ≈ 5-8%
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About

Professional concrete isn't just about mixing 1 part cement to some sand. To achieve a specific structural strength (measured in PSI or MPa), you need a precise Mix Design. The biggest hidden enemy of strong concrete is the water-to-cement ratio. If your sand pile was rained on last night, it holds significant water. If you add the standard amount of bucket water to wet sand, your mix becomes diluted, weak, and prone to cracking.

This calculator allows you to select a target strength grade and determines the weight of dry materials needed. Crucially, it lets you input the moisture content of your sand and aggregate, automatically reducing the added water and increasing the sand weight to compensate for the wetness. This is how pros get consistent results.

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Formulas

1. Nominal Volume Calculation:

Vdry = Vwet × 1.54

Dry volume is roughly 54% more than wet volume due to air voids and shrinkage.

2. Moisture Correction:

Wsand(wet) = Wsand(dry) × (1 + %Moisture)

3. Adjusted Water Addition:

Wateradd = Watertarget Waterin_sand

Reference Data

GradeRatio (C:S:A)Compressive StrengthTypical ApplicationW/C Ratio
M10 (C7.5)1 : 3 : 610 MPa (1450 PSI)Patio slabs, pathways0.60
M15 (C10)1 : 2 : 415 MPa (2175 PSI)Pavements, floors0.55
M20 (C15)1 : 1.5 : 320 MPa (2900 PSI)General foundations0.50
M25 (C20)1 : 1 : 225 MPa (3625 PSI)Columns, beams, slabs0.45
M30Design Mix30 MPa (4350 PSI)Heavy load bearing0.42

Frequently Asked Questions

When you mix cement, sand, and aggregate with water, the smaller particles fill the voids between the larger ones. This causes the total volume to shrink. To get 1 cubic meter of wet concrete, you actually need about 1.54 cubic meters of dry loose ingredients.
The strength of concrete is inversely proportional to the Water/Cement ratio. Excess water leaves microscopic voids when it evaporates, weakening the structure. Wet sand can contain 5-10% water by weight. If you don't subtract this 'free water' from your mix recipe, you will overdose on water and ruin the concrete's strength.
All-in ballast is a pre-mix of sand and gravel. While convenient for non-structural DIY (like fence posts), it is inconsistent. For structural concrete (foundations, beams), it is safer to separate sand and aggregate to ensure the correct grading and void filling.