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.

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HOW TO ESTIMATE THE QUANTITY OF CEMENT AND SAND FOR YOUR MORTAR MIX:

Determine the CHB thickness used for your wall:




Concrete hollow blocks (CHB) vary in sizes. Local hardware stores usually have 3 commercially-available CHBs that vary in thickness – 4”(10cm), 6”(15cm) and 8”(20cm).

4”(10cm) thick CHBs are usually used for interior walls while 6”(15cm) and 8”(20cm) thick CHBs are usually used for exterior walls.

Determine your mortar mixture:




Same with concrete, mortar’s compressive strength depends on your material’s mixture and proportions. You should select your mortar mix class according to your desired mix strength.



Class A = High-strength mortar recommended for below-grade applications such as for foundations and retaining walls.

Class B = Medium-strength mortar recommended for below-grade applications such as for exterior walls, shallow retaining walls and outdoor patio paving stones.

Class C = Medium-strength mortar recommended for general purpose projects such as for load-bearing exterior and interior walls.

Class D = Low-strength mortar recommended for non-load bearing projects.

Determine the wall area:




Determine the area of your wall. The formula for a square wall is Length * Height.

Square Wall Area = 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.

Based on the specified kind of mixture and CHB thickness and size, multiply your area with the corresponding values from the mortar proportion table:

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

1. Determine the CHB thickness to be used:



Specified CHB thickness = 4”



2. Determine the specified kind of mixture:



Specified mortar mix = Class “B”



3. Determine the wall area:



Square Wall Area = Length * Height
= 2m * 3m
= 6m²



4. Based on the specified kind of mixture and CHB thickness, multiply your area with the corresponding values from the mortar proportion table:



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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