Concrete Pool Deck Calculator

1. Enter the outer length and width of the whole deck outline in feet, including the pool inside it.
2. Enter the pool length and width in feet, to the inside of the coping.
3. Enter the deck thickness in inches and a 10 percent waste allowance.
4. Pick a bag size for a bag count, then read the cubic yards to order.

Here is what each result line means:

A concrete pool deck calculator turns the outline of a pool deck and the size of the pool into the amount of concrete to order. It works by taking the whole rectangle the deck fills and removing the pool opening from the middle.

A pool deck is a ring-shaped slab, so its volume is the net deck area times the thickness. The tool handles that subtraction, converts to cubic yards and bags and adds a waste allowance for curved forms and an uneven base. To size the control joints that keep a deck from cracking, use the control joint spacing calculator; for the mix, the concrete mix calculator.

The deck fills a rectangle with a hole in it. Working out the full rectangle and then taking away the pool is simpler and more reliable than adding up each strip of deck around the sides.

1. Multiply the outer length by the outer width for the whole outline area.
2. Multiply the pool length by the pool width and subtract it, for the net deck area.
3. Convert the thickness from inches to feet by dividing by 12 and multiply by the deck area for cubic feet.
4. Add the waste allowance, then divide by 27 for cubic yards and by the bag yield for a bag count.

For the placed weight on the sub-base, the concrete weight calculator gives the tonnage.

Suppose a 16 by 32 foot pool gets a 5 foot deck all round, so the outline is 26 by 42 feet, poured 4 inches thick with 10 percent waste.

Calculation: the outline is 42 x 26 = 1,092 sq ft and the pool is 32 x 16 = 512 sq ft, leaving 580 sq ft of deck. At 4 / 12 = 0.333 feet thick that is 193.3 cu ft, or 7.16 cubic yards. Adding 10 percent waste gives 212.7 cu ft, about 7.88 cu yd.

The lesson: even a modest 5 foot surround is close to eight cubic yards, so a pool deck is a ready-mix job with a plan for getting concrete around the water.

Deck Width

A wider surround adds area on every side of the pool, so going from 4 to 8 feet roughly doubles the concrete or more.

Thickness

Thickness multiplies the whole area. Most pool decks are 4 inches; a thicker deck for heavy furniture or vehicle access adds volume fast.

Pool Shape

A round or freeform pool leaves a different deck area from a rectangle of the same outline. Enter a length and width whose product matches the real pool area.

Curved Forms and Base

Curved edges, steps and an uneven base all soak up a little more concrete than the flat geometry, which the waste allowance covers.

The finish changes the cost and the slip resistance more than the amount of concrete.

For a decorative deck, the stamped concrete cost calculator in the related tools prices the finish, and the concrete cost calculator prices the pour.

Ordering Concrete for a New Deck

Size the deck in cubic yards and add waste before you order, so the pour runs without a cold joint around the pool.

Replacing an Old Deck

For a tear-out and repour, the deck area and volume size the new concrete and give you a sense of the demolition too.

Sealing and Finishing

The net deck area sizes the sealer, the colour and the finishing labour.

1. Forgetting to Subtract the Pool

Measuring the outline and pricing it as a solid slab orders concrete for the whole pool. Always subtract the pool opening.

2. Measuring the Pool at the Waterline

Measure the pool to the inside of the coping, where the deck stops, not to the water.

3. Treating a Freeform Pool as Its Bounding Box

A kidney or round pool has less area than the rectangle around it. Use the real pool area, or you will under-order the deck.

4. Skipping the Waste Allowance

Curved forms and an uneven base use more than the geometry. Running short beside a pool is awkward to fix.

5. Ignoring Slope and Drainage

A deck has to slope away from the pool and drain. That is a design question for your builder, not something this volume estimate covers.

The arithmetic is exact for a rectangular outline and pool; the usefulness depends on the dimensions you enter.

Multiply the outer deck length by the outer width, subtract the pool length times width, then multiply by the thickness in feet and divide by 27 for cubic yards. A 26 by 42 foot outline around a 16 by 32 foot pool leaves 580 square feet, about 7.16 cubic yards at 4 inches before waste.

It depends on the pool. A 5 foot deck all round a 16 by 32 foot pool is 580 square feet, about 7.88 cubic yards at 4 inches with a 10 percent allowance. Enter your own pool and deck sizes above.

Pool decks are commonly 4 inches thick on a compacted base, with thicker sections where furniture or vehicles go. Your pool builder or local code sets the real figure; this tool turns whatever thickness you enter into volume.

Enter a pool length and width whose product equals the real pool area, rather than the rectangle around it. For example, a pool of about 400 square feet could be entered as 20 by 20. That keeps the deck area accurate.

Measure to the inside of the coping, where the deck concrete stops. The coping and bond beam are usually separate from the deck slab.

A full pool deck is usually hundreds of bags, which is far too many to mix by hand, so pool decks are almost always ready-mix. The tool still shows the bag count for a small section or a repair.

Yes, about 10 percent. Curved forms around the pool, steps and an uneven base all use more than the flat geometry, and running short beside the water is hard to fix.

No. The calculation runs entirely in your browser and nothing you enter is stored or sent anywhere.

• QUIKRETE Concrete Mix 1101 data sheet (QUIKRETE; bag yields 0.60, 0.45 and 0.30 cu ft).
• National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA; ready-mixed concrete and ordering).
• American Cement Association (American Cement Association; concrete flatwork basics).