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Footing Soil Bearing Pressure Checker

Check whether a footing's applied pressure stays within the soil's allowable bearing capacity.

Computed in your browser — nothing you enter is uploaded. Figures are presented for United States against IRC 2024, and every formula is cited under regulatory standards below.

Last verified 2026-08-26 · v1.0.0

Market
Imperial · sales tax
6.56 ft6.56 ft
Schematic, drawn to the proportions you entered — not to scale on screen.

Applied bearing pressure

125 kPa

High confidence

PASSES — applied pressure is within the allowable bearing capacity.

Footing area
43.06 ft²
Allowable bearing pressure
150 kPa
Safety margin (allowable / applied)
1.2

With the figures above, the applied bearing pressure comes to 125 kPa. Behind that figure, allowable bearing pressure is the biggest single quantity at 150 kPa; start there if the total looks wrong. Note that applied load sits at the low end of the range this calculator was checked against, so treat the output as indicative rather than settled. This is calculated for United States and cites IRC 2024. Building in another market? Change the selector above so the units and code reference follow.

Add the equipment this sizes

This result is a specification — 125 kPa — not a quantity. Put the thing it sizes into your project: how many, what you call it, and your supplier’s price.

Preliminary estimate, not certified engineering. This tool produces an indicative quantity calculation for planning purposes only — it is not a certified structural analysis, a guaranteed material takeoff, or a substitute for building department approval. Always verify measurements on-site and have a licensed contractor or structural engineer review any load-bearing, code-sensitive, or safety-critical work before purchasing materials or starting construction. Spotted an arithmetic or standards error? Report it to contact@craftquantities.com with your inputs — confirmed fixes become pinned regression tests.

[Schema Verified] Computed in alignment with American Concrete Institute (ACI 318-19) formulas and International Residential Code (IRC 2024) spatial boundaries.

Regulatory standards & verification citations

  • Standard geotechnical check: applied bearing pressure = total load / footing area, compared against the site's allowable soil bearing capacity from a geotechnical report

Your workspace

Most jobs need more than one number. Add the calculators you need next and they open right here, underneath this one — your figures stay on screen and nothing is lost to a page change.

Frequently asked questions

Where do I get the allowable bearing pressure for my site?
From a geotechnical (soils) report for your site — it varies enormously by soil type, from under 100 kPa for soft clay to over 400 kPa for dense gravel or rock.
What should I do if the check fails?
Common fixes include enlarging the footing, reducing the load path to that footing, or deepening the footing to bear on stronger soil — have a structural or geotechnical engineer verify any change.
Does this account for eccentric loads or overturning moments?
No — this is a simple uniform-pressure check assuming the load acts through the footing's center. Eccentric loads (like from a retaining wall) need a more detailed pressure-distribution check.