Concrete & masonry guides
Reference charts you can check at the store, and plain-language guides to ordering, pouring, curing and laying block and brick — each linked to the calculators you’ll need.
- Concrete and masonry words, explainedPlain-English meanings of yield, slump, screed, control joint, curing, CMU, course, bond beam, scratch coat, rebar sizes, psi and more.
- Concrete bag yield chart: 40, 50, 60, 80 and 90 lb bagsHow much concrete each bag makes: 40 lb ≈ 0.30 cu ft, 60 lb ≈ 0.45, 80 lb ≈ 0.60 (Quikrete). Bags per yard, square feet per bag and bags per pallet.
- Cement vs concrete: what’s the difference, and which bag to buyCement is the binder; concrete is cement plus sand, gravel and water. What each bag at the store is for: concrete mix, portland cement, mortar, sand mix.
- Concrete block sizes: 8×8×16 actual size and the full CMU chartAn 8×8×16 concrete block is 7-5/8 × 7-5/8 × 15-5/8 in. Actual sizes of 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 in CMU, half-high block, blocks per square foot and grout.
- Brick sizes chart: modular, queen, king, Norman and moreStandard brick sizes in inches and mm — modular 3-5/8 × 2-1/4 × 7-5/8 in, queen, king, Norman, utility — with bricks per square foot and mortar (BIA).
- Sonotube sizes chart: diameters, lengths and concrete per tubeSonotube sizes from 6 to 36 in, standard lengths, cubic feet and 80 lb bags of concrete per foot of tube, and cubic yards for common column heights.
- Rebar sizes chart: bar numbers, diameters and weightsRebar sizes explained: #3 is 3/8 in, #4 1/2 in, #5 5/8 in. Diameter, area, weight per foot, metric size and 20 ft stick weight for #3 to #11 (ASTM A615).
- How to pour a concrete slab: a step-by-step plan with the numbersPour a concrete patio or pad step by step: plan, base, forms, ordering, placing, finishing and curing — with links to the calculators for each quantity.
- Ready-mix vs bagged concrete: when to order a truckBags or a ready-mix truck? Where the line usually falls, what a truck holds (8–12 yd), short loads, ordering tips and how to get ready for delivery day.
- How long does concrete take to cure? Times, temperatures and strengthConcrete sets in hours, needs 5–7 days of curing and reaches design strength at 28 days. Cure times by temperature, and cold- and hot-weather rules.
- Mortar types explained: Type N vs Type S, and how much you needType N and Type S mortar compared: what each is for, the ASTM C270 portland-lime-sand proportions Quikrete lists, and how many blocks or bricks a bag lays.
- Concrete and masonry safety: cement burns, silica dust and heavy bagsWet concrete can cause serious chemical burns, cutting it makes silica dust and the bags are heavy. What OSHA, NIOSH and bag makers say, and what to wear.