Civil Engineering Tools

Unit converter, construction material unit weights, concrete mix design (ACI/ASTM), and asphalt Marshall mix design (MS-2) — all in one place.

Length

m · mm · ft · in
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Area

m² · ft² · acre · hectare
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Volume

m³ · litre · ft³ · gallon
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Mass / Weight

kg · g · tonne · lb
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Force

N · kN · kgf · lbf
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Pressure / Stress

Pa · kPa · MPa · psi · bar
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Density / Unit Weight

kg/m³ · g/cm³ · lb/ft³
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Temperature

°C · °F · K
Celsius
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Fahrenheit
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Kelvin
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Construction Material Unit Weights

Unit weights (bulk density) for common road, bridge and building construction materials. Values are approximate; always verify with local testing.

Building Materials

kg/m³
MaterialUnit Weight (kg/m³)Unit Weight (kN/m³)lb/ft³Common Use
Brick (common)1,600 – 1,90015.7 – 18.6100 – 118Walls, masonry
Brick (engineering)2,000 – 2,20019.6 – 21.6125 – 137Load-bearing walls
Stone (granite)2,600 – 2,80025.5 – 27.5162 – 175Cladding, masonry
Stone (limestone)2,100 – 2,70020.6 – 26.5131 – 168Facing, flooring
Stone (marble)2,600 – 2,85025.5 – 28.0162 – 178Flooring, decorative
Sandstone2,000 – 2,40019.6 – 23.5125 – 150Masonry, paving
Glass2,500 – 2,70024.5 – 26.5156 – 168Windows, facades
Plaster of Paris800 – 1,1007.8 – 10.850 – 69Ceiling, wall finish
Gypsum board600 – 1,0005.9 – 9.837 – 62Partition walls
Ceramic tile1,800 – 2,20017.7 – 21.6112 – 137Flooring, walls
Asbestos cement sheet1,200 – 1,60011.8 – 15.775 – 100Roofing, cladding
Hollow concrete block1,000 – 1,5009.8 – 14.762 – 94Partition walls
Solid concrete block1,800 – 2,20017.7 – 21.6112 – 137Load-bearing walls
AAC block450 – 8504.4 – 8.328 – 53Lightweight walls
Fly ash brick1,700 – 1,85016.7 – 18.1106 – 115Alternative bricks

Material Weight Calculator

Interactive
Weight
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Soil Mechanics — Laboratory Testing Parameters

LL Liquid Limit (LL)

Water content at which soil changes from plastic to liquid state. Casagrande apparatus or cone penetrometer.

LL = (w at 25 blows) × correction factor
Typical: 20–90%ASTM D4318BS 1377-2

PL Plastic Limit (PL)

Water content at which a soil thread just crumbles when rolled to 3 mm diameter.

PL = water content at crumble point
Typical: 10–35%ASTM D4318BS 1377-2

PI Plasticity Index (PI)

Range of water content over which soil remains plastic. Higher PI = more clay, more compressibility.

PI = LL − PL
Non-plastic: 0Low: <7High: >17

SL Shrinkage Limit (SL)

Water content below which further loss of water does not cause volume reduction.

SL = w − (V − Vd)/Vd × ρw
Typical: 6–20%ASTM D4943

γ Unit Weight

Weight per unit volume of soil. Critical for bearing capacity and settlement calculations.

γ = W / V (kN/m³)
Typical: 16–22 kN/m³γsat: 18–23γd: 13–19

Gs Specific Gravity

Ratio of mass of soil solids to mass of equal volume of water at 4°C.

Gs = ρs / ρw
Sand: 2.65–2.67Clay: 2.70–2.80Organic: <2.0

e Void Ratio

Ratio of volume of voids to volume of solids. Higher e = more compressible soil.

e = Vv / Vs = (Gs·ρw / ρd) − 1
Sand: 0.5–0.8Clay: 0.7–1.5Peat: >3

n Porosity

Ratio of volume of voids to total volume, expressed as percentage.

n = e / (1 + e) × 100%
Sand: 30–45%Clay: 40–60%

S Degree of Saturation

Percentage of void space filled with water.

S = (w·Gs / e) × 100%
Dry: 0%Partial: 0–100%Fully saturated: 100%

w Water Content (Moisture)

Ratio of mass of water to mass of dry soil solids.

w = (Ww / Ws) × 100%
ASTM D2216BS 1377-2Oven: 105–110°C

MDD Maximum Dry Density

Highest dry density achievable by compaction at optimum moisture content.

ρd(max) = MDD (from Proctor / modified Proctor)
Light: 1.62.0 t/m³Heavy: 1.8–2.2ASTM D698 / D1557

OMC Optimum Moisture Content

Water content at which soil can be compacted to maximum dry density.

From Proctor compaction curve (peak point)
Typical: 8–18%Sandy soils: lowerClayey soils: higher

k Permeability

Measure of how easily water flows through soil. Critical for drainage, seepage and dewatering.

k = Q·L / (A·h·t) (constant head)
Gravel: >10⁻¹ m/sSand: 10⁻²–10⁻⁵Clay: <10⁻⁸

cu Undrained Shear Strength

Shear strength of soil under undrained conditions (no pore pressure dissipation).

cu = qu / 2 (unconfined compression)
Soft clay: <25 kPaStiff clay: 50–100Hard clay: >200

Cc Compression Index

Slope of virgin compression curve on e-log σ' plot. Indicates settlement potential.

Cc = Δe / Δlog σ'v
Low: <0.2Medium: 0.2–0.4High: >0.4

Cu Uniformity Coefficient

Measure of grain-size distribution. Higher = more well-graded soil.

Cu = D60 / D10
Uniform: <2Well-graded: >4 (gravel) / >6 (sand)

Atterberg Limits — Soil Classification Table

Soil TypeLiquid Limit (%)Plastic Limit (%)Plasticity IndexUSCS Symbol
Lean clay30–5015–2510–25CL
Fat clay>50>25>25CH
Silty clay30–4015–2010–20CL-ML
Silt (low plasticity)25–3510–20<7ML
Silt (high plasticity)>50>25>7MH
Organic clay>50>25variableOH
Poorly graded sand——Non-plasticSP
Well-graded sand——Non-plasticSW
Well-graded gravel——Non-plasticGW

Concrete Mix Design Dashboard (ACI 211 / ASTM C94)

Interactive mix design for concrete classes C10 to C60. Based on ACI 211.1 and ASTM C94 absolute volume method. Adjust inputs and click "Calculate Mix" to get proportions per m³.

Design Inputs

Typical: 2.5–3.1. Lower = finer sand.
Non-air-entrained: 1.5–3%. Air-entrained: 4–8%.

Mix Design Results (per m³)

Click "Calculate Mix" to generate proportions.

Concrete Grade Reference

Gradefck (MPa)Cube (MPa)Cylinder (MPa)Typical w/cMin Cement (kg/m³)Typical Use
C10 / M151015120.75–0.90220–250Blinding, mass concrete
C15 / M201520160.65–0.75250–300Footings, pavements
C20 / M252025200.55–0.65300–350Slabs, beams, columns
C25 / M302530250.50–0.60320–380General RC structures
C30 / M353035300.45–0.55350–420Heavy-duty floors, bridges
C35 / M403540350.40–0.50380–450High-rise, marine
C40 / M454045400.38–0.48400–480Prestressed, columns
C45 / M504550450.35–0.45420–500High-strength RC
C50 / M555055500.32–0.42450–530Special structures
C60 / M706070600.28–0.38480–550+High-performance concrete

Asphalt Marshall Mix Design Dashboard (MS-2)

Interactive Marshall mix design following ASTM D1559 / AASHTO T245 (MS-2 method). Input aggregate properties and asphalt grade to determine optimum binder content, stability, flow, VMA and VFB.

Marshall Inputs

Typically 150–170°C for 60/70 grade.

Marshall Mix Design Results

Click "Calculate Marshall Mix" to generate the design.

Marshall Mix Design — Specification Limits (MS-2)

ParameterLight TrafficMedium TrafficHeavy TrafficVery Heavy
Stability (min, kN)3.45.58.010.0+
Flow (mm)8–188–168–148–12
Air Voids VIM (%)3–53–53–43–4
VMA (min, %)14151617
VFB (%)65–8065–7865–7565–72
Marshall Quotient (kN/mm)2–42–53–64–7
Retained Stability (%)>75>75>80>80

Asphalt Binder Selection Guide

Climate / TrafficLight TrafficMedium TrafficHeavy Traffic
Cold climate (<10°C avg)120/150 or 80/10080/10060/70 or modified
Moderate climate (10–30°C)80/10060/7060/70 or 40/50
Hot climate (>30°C)60/7040/50 or 30/4030/40 or polymer-modified
Rainy / high water table80/100 + antistrip60/70 + antistripPMB / CRMB

Quick Reference — Common Conversion Factors

Length

1 m = 3.28084 ft
1 m3.28084 ft / 39.3701 in / 1.09361 yd
1 ft0.3048 m / 304.8 mm / 12 in
1 in25.4 mm / 2.54 cm
1 km0.621371 mi / 3280.84 ft
1 mile1.60934 km / 5280 ft
1 yd0.9144 m / 3 ft
1 chain20.1168 m / 66 ft
1 rod5.0292 m / 16.5 ft

Area

1 ha = 2.471 acre
1 m²10.7639 ft² / 1550 in²
1 ft²0.092903 m² / 144 in²
1 acre4046.86 m² / 0.404686 ha / 43560 ft²
1 ha10000 m² / 2.471 acre
1 km²100 ha / 247.1 acre
1 Katha (BD)66.89 m² / 720 ft²
1 Shotangsho4.05 m² / 43.56 ft
1 Bigha (BD)1337.8 m² / 20 Katha

Volume

1 m³ = 1000 L
1 m³1000 L / 35.3147 ft³ / 264.172 US gal
1 ft³0.0283168 m³ / 28.3168 L / 7.4805 gal
1 L0.001 m³ / 1000 cm³ / 0.264172 gal
1 US gal3.78541 L / 0.133681 ft³
1 UK gal4.54609 L / 1.20095 US gal
1 barrel (oil)158.987 L / 42 US gal
1 cc1 mL / 0.001 L
1 yd³0.764555 m³ / 27 ft³

Mass

1 kg = 2.20462 lb
1 kg2.20462 lb / 1000 g / 0.001 t
1 lb0.453592 kg / 453.592 g
1 tonne1000 kg / 2204.62 lb / 1.10231 US ton
1 US ton907.185 kg / 2000 lb
1 UK ton1016.05 kg / 2240 lb
1 oz28.3495 g / 0.0625 lb
1 quintal100 kg
1 carat0.2 g

Pressure / Stress

1 MPa = 145.038 psi
1 MPa145.038 psi / 10.1972 kgf/cm² / 10 bar
1 psi6.89476 kPa / 0.006895 MPa
1 bar100 kPa / 0.1 MPa / 14.5038 psi
1 atm101.325 kPa / 1.01325 bar / 14.696 psi
1 kgf/cm²98.0665 kPa / 0.980665 bar / 14.2233 psi
1 kPa0.145038 psi / 0.01 bar
1 GPa1000 MPa / 145038 psi
1 N/mm²1 MPa

Density / Unit Weight

1 g/cm³ = 1000 kg/m³
1 g/cm³1000 kg/m³ / 62.428 lb/ft³
1 kg/m³0.001 g/cm³ / 0.062428 lb/ft³
1 lb/ft³16.0185 kg/m³
1 t/m³1000 kg/m³ / 9.80665 kN/m³
Water1000 kg/m³ / 1 g/cm³ / 62.4 lb/ft³
Concrete2300–2500 kg/m³
Steel7850 kg/m³
Dry sand1600–1800 kg/m³

Temperature

°C · °F · K
0°C32°F / 273.15 K
20°C68°F / 293.15 K
25°C77°F / 298.15 K
100°C212°F / 373.15 K
0 K−273.15°C / −459.67°F
Formula°F = °C×9/5+32 / K = °C+273.15

Angle & Slope

deg · rad · %
1°0.0174533 rad / 1.745% slope
1 rad57.2958°
1% slope0.573° / 1:100
5% slope2.86° / 1:20
10% slope5.71° / 1:10
45°0.785 rad / 100% slope
1:414.04° / 25%
1:1.533.69° / 66.7%