Standard Concrete Wall Thickness

Increasing the strength of the concrete mix or the thickness of the wall increases the wall s capacity.

Standard concrete wall thickness.

The thickness of concrete foundation walls shall be equal to or greater than the thickness of the wall in the story above. Concrete foundation walls with corbels brackets or other projections built into the wall for support of masonry veneer or other purposes are not within the scope of the tables in this section. Standard pipe schedules and sizes chart data for ansi asme b36 10m and api 5l. Minimum thicknesses are set for standard concrete construction but calculations are also based on the bearing capacity of the soil and the heaviest concentrated load the concrete will carry.

N a indicates not applicable. For flat walls the weight is based on the nominal thickness. Concrete foundation walls support the home standing above so any weakness can undermine the stability of the house. The thickness or depth of concrete basement walls plays an integral role in their long term strength and durability.

Poured concrete foundation walls that are less than 8 feet tall and have soil outside that is 6 or 7 feet deep against the wall can often be 8 inches thick and function quite well. The tabulated values do not include any allowance for interior and exterior finishes. The typical interior wall thickness in newer construction using 2 by 4 studs and half inch drywall is 4 5 inches. As soon as you go higher or have greater depths of soil pushing against the wall you need to increase the thickness to 10 inches.

In the building trade the thickness of the walls excludes the plaster so if a wall is plastered on both sides its actual thickness will be 1 or 1 5 more than its stated thickness in an architectural drawing or contract. 2 by 6 studs are typically used in walls that contain plumbing making those walls 6 5 inches. Where a concrete foundation wall is reduced in thickness to provide a shelf. Exterior wall thickness varies depending on the exterior finish siding and brick facing.

Wall weight is based on a unit weight of concrete of 150 pcf. Table 4a is based directly on the aci method but for table 4b the author has applied a reduced strength reduction factor a factor of safety. For brick walls a common thickness is 230mm 9 and for concrete block walls common thicknesses are 200mm 8 150mm 6 and 100mm 4. Data given in based on the nps tables given by ansi b36 10m and includes pipe wall thickness outside diameter nominal diameter.

Concrete is stronger when it s thicker but resources are wasted if the thickness exceeds what s necessary for the structure s performance. The appropriate depth of the wall depends on several factors and there is no single standard for every home.