Form Tie Spacing Calculator

Calculate form tie spacing from concrete lateral pressure and tie safe working load.

Lateral pressure (psf)

Tie safe working load (lbs)

Vertical tie spacing (in)

Wall length (ft)

Wall height (ft)

Tab to move between fields

Max horiz. spacing (in)

Practical spacing (in)60

Actual tie load (lbs)3,000

Tie utilization (%)100

Total ties needed99

Ties per sq ft0.25

How to Use This Calculator

Enter the Lateral Pressure in psf from the Wall Form Pressure calculator for your pour conditions.
Enter the Tie Safe Working Load in pounds for your chosen snap tie or coil tie type.
Enter Vertical Tie Spacing, Wall Length, and Wall Height to estimate total tie count.
Review Maximum Horizontal Spacing and Practical Spacing in inches for layout on the form.
Check Tie Utilization percentage and Total Ties needed to complete material procurement.

How the result changes with Lateral pressure (psf)

Lateral pressure (psf): Maximum lateral concrete pressure on the form (use the Wall Form Pressure calculator).
Tie safe working load (lbs): Safe working load of the form tie. Typical snap ties: 3000-6000 lbs. Coil ties: 10000-50000 lbs.
Vertical tie spacing (in): Vertical distance between rows of ties, often set by waler spacing.
Wall length (ft): Total length of the wall for estimating total tie count.
Wall height (ft): Total height of the wall pour.

Max horiz. spacing (in): Maximum allowable horizontal tie spacing based on tie capacity and pressure.
Practical spacing (in): Recommended horizontal spacing rounded down to nearest whole inch.
Actual tie load (lbs): Load on each tie at the practical spacing.
Tie utilization (%): Percentage of tie capacity used at practical spacing.
Total ties needed: Total number of ties for the entire wall.
Ties per sq ft: Tie density per square foot of wall face.

Identify Input Parameters
4 parameters
Lateral pressure (psf) = 600, Tie safe working load (lbs) = 3000, Vertical tie spacing (in) = 12, Wall length (ft) = 40 = 5 input(s) provided
Calculate Max horiz. spacing
Max horiz. spacing = maxHorizSpacingFt * 12
60 = 60
Calculate Practical spacing
Practical spacing = max(6, floor(maxHorizSpacingIn))
60 = 60
Calculate Actual tie load
Actual tie load = lateralPressure * (practicalHorizIn / 12) * verticalSpacingFt
3000 = 3000