Materials Calculators
This is the catch-all for bulk and specialty materials that don't fit a trade category. The Sand and Limestone calculators work like the aggregate tools — volume and weight from a length, width and depth, with an adjustable bulk density. The Sealant Calculator sizes caulk cartridges from the joint length and the width and depth of the bead. The three metal-weight calculators — for bar, pipe and plate — multiply a cross-section by a length and a cited alloy density to give a total weight and a weight per foot you can check against a mill table. Where BuildFactor has a dedicated calculator for your material — concrete, gravel, tile, paint — use that instead, because it carries the right density and waste defaults for the job.
16 calculators · all live
All Materials Calculators · 16
Sealant Calculator
Tubes of sealant / caulk for a joint of a given length, width and depth.
Limestone Calculator
Crushed limestone by volume and weight for a base or surface layer.
Metal Weight Calculator
Weight of a metal bar, sheet or section from its dimensions and alloy.
Pipe Weight Calculator
Weight of a length of pipe from its size, wall thickness and material.
Plate Weight Calculator
Weight of a metal plate from its dimensions, thickness and material.
Sieve Analysis & Gradation Calculator
Percent passing at each standard sieve and the fineness modulus, for an aggregate or soil sample, from the weight retained on each sieve.
Los Angeles Abrasion Value Calculator
Percent loss (LA abrasion value) of a coarse aggregate sample from its mass before and after the Los Angeles abrasion test.
Aggregate Specific Gravity & Water Absorption Calculator
Bulk (oven-dry and SSD), apparent specific gravity and water absorption of a coarse aggregate sample from its oven-dry, SSD and submerged mass.
Soil Moisture Content Calculator
Water content of a soil sample as a percentage of its dry mass, from the container, wet-soil and dry-soil masses.
Specific Gravity of Soil Calculator
Specific gravity of soil solids from a pycnometer test, using the dry-soil and water masses.
Atterberg Limits Calculator
Liquid limit (one-point method), plastic limit and plasticity index of a fine-grained soil.
Soil Permeability Calculator
Coefficient of permeability (hydraulic conductivity) of a soil sample by the falling-head or constant-head method.
Unconfined Compressive Strength Calculator
Unconfined compressive strength and undrained shear strength of a cohesive-soil sample from the peak load and corrected area.
California Bearing Ratio (CBR) Calculator
California Bearing Ratio of a subgrade or base sample at 2.5 mm and 5.0 mm penetration, against the ASTM standard loads.
In-Situ Dry Density Calculator
Field bulk density, dry density and percent compaction of compacted soil from a drive-cylinder (core cutter) sample.
Materials Guides
How to Read a Sieve Analysis
A sieve analysis reports how much material is retained on each sieve size — here's how to turn that into percent passing and a gradation curve.
Los Angeles Abrasion Test: What the Result Means
The LA abrasion test tumbles aggregate with steel balls and measures how much breaks down — the result is a percent loss, lower generally being tougher.
How to Calculate Aggregate Specific Gravity
Specific gravity compares an aggregate's mass to an equal volume of water — a key input for concrete and asphalt mix design calculations.
How to Calculate Soil Moisture Content
Moisture content is the water lost when a soil sample is oven-dried, expressed as a percentage of the sample's dry weight — not its total weight.
Atterberg Limits Explained: Liquid, Plastic and Shrinkage Limits
Atterberg limits mark the moisture contents where fine-grained soil shifts between solid, plastic and liquid behavior — key inputs for soil classification.
CBR Test Explained: California Bearing Ratio
CBR compares the force needed to push a plunger into a soil sample against the force needed for a standard crushed-stone material — the result guides pavement design.