Estimating Cement and Sand Quantity for Mortar Mix
Cement mortar is a well-known partner of concrete hollow blocks (CHB) and other masonry blocks. It's what binds masonry blocks together. Cement mortar material quantity can be estimated in a variety of methods. One of the easiest ways to estimate cement mortar material quantity is by area method.
HOW TO ESTIMATE THE QUANTITY OF CEMENT AND SAND FOR YOUR MORTAR MIX:
- Determine your initial wall area:
- Determine the specified kind of mixture:
- Determine the wall area:
- Based on the specified kind of mixture and CHB thickness and size, multiply your area with the corresponding values from the mortar proportion table:
Concrete hollow blocks (CHB) vary in size. Local hardware stores usually have 3 commercially-available CHBs that vary in thickness – 4”(10cm), 6”(15cm) and 8”(20cm).
Same with concrete, mortar’s compressive strength depends on your material’s mixture and proportions.
Determine the area of your wall. The formula for a square wall is Length * Height.
Make sure to take into consideration the often-overlooked information that will affect the area of your wall – for example, the depth of your beam or the underground foundation CHB.
SAMPLE PROBLEM 1
Compute for the quantity of cement and sand needed for a Class “B” mortar mix of a standard 4” CHB wall that is 3 meters high and 2 meters long.
SOLUTION
- Determine the size and thickness of CHB to be used:
- Determine the specified kind of mixture:
- Determine the wall area:
- Based on the specified kind of mixture and CHB thickness and size, multiply your area with the corresponding values from the mortar proportion table:
Specified CHB thickness = 4”
Specified mortar mix = Class “B”
Square Wall Area = Length * Height
= 2m * 3m
= 6m2
Quantity of Cement Bags = Area * Cement multiplier for a Class “B” mix
= 6m2 * 0.522
= 3.132 bags ~ 4 bags
Quantity of Sand = Area * Sand multiplier for a Class “B” mix
= 6m2 * 0.0435
= 0.261 m3
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