The following helpful tips will help when placing a concrete order.

• Use the concrete calculator.
• Figure depths and widths as they have been built on the site, not simply what the plans say
• Never try to order the exact amount of concrete that is needed.
• Include a margin of safety when calculating out your concrete yardage. There are more problems caused by underestimating the amount of concrete than having extra concrete. A perfectly placed order of concrete will finish the job with a small amount left over. An order that comes up a small amount short is costly.-

Extra costs of coming up short when ordering concrete can include:

• Overtime for the crew
• A short load charge from the ready mix supplier
• Possible extra charge from your concrete pumping service
• A cold joint can occur (where one pour ended and another pour began)

For general rule of thumb for margin of safety consider ordering as follows: