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Calcimator

Earthbag Calculator

Bag count and fill material from wall dimensions.

Inputs

%

Results

Bags required

264

Fill material (cu yd)9.78
Barbed wire (ft)1,200
Courses20
How to Use This Calculator
  1. Enter Wall Perimeter (ft), Wall Height (ft), and your Bag Length and Width (inches).
  2. Set Layer Height (in) — typically the compressed bag height after tamping.
  3. Enter Waste % for damaged or misshapen bags.
  4. Review Bags Required to order polypropylene bag stock.
  5. Plan fill material (gravel, clay-sand, or soil) volume based on bag count and dimensions.

How the result changes with Wall perimeter (ft)

Wall perimeter (ft)Bags required
51462
1761,562
3252,860
4503,960

What each input means

Wall perimeter (ft)
Total perimeter of the earthbag structure.
Wall height (ft)
Height of the finished wall.
Bag length (in)
Length of each polypropylene bag when filled.
Layer height (in)
Height of each tamped bag course.
Bag width (in)
Width of filled bag (determines wall thickness).
Waste %
Extra bags for tears, corners, and shaping.

What each result means

Bags required
Total polypropylene bags needed including waste.
Fill material (cu yd)
Volume of fill soil or gravel needed.
Barbed wire (ft)
4-point barbed wire for inter-course bonding (2 strands).
Courses
Number of bag courses to reach wall height.

How this is calculated

Worked example, using the default values

  1. Identify Input Parameters
    4 parameters
    Wall perimeter (ft) = 30, Wall height (ft) = 8, Bag length (in) = 30, Layer height (in) = 5 = 6 input(s) provided
  2. Calculate Bags required
    Bags required = ceil(totalBags * (1 + wastePct / 100))
    264 = 264
  3. Calculate Fill material
    Fill material = round((withWaste * 1.0) / 27 * 100) / 100
    9.78 = 9.78
  4. Calculate Barbed wire
    Barbed wire = round(courses * wallLength * 2)
    1200 = 1200

Engine last updated .

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