Chapter 1 of 528% of exam

Planning and Estimating

CSLB weights Planning and Estimating at about 28% of the C-8 exam. It covers two things: planning a concrete job (documents, approvals, the mix and the day of the pour) and estimating it (volumes, forms, steel, trucks and labor). Some questions require arithmetic; a calculator is provided. For worked examples, traps and full explanations, see the PrepPass CSLB C-8 Concrete Study Guide.

Plans, specifications and approvals

The design strength of the concrete and the grade of the steel are usually in the General Notes of the plans. Referenced standard details are part of the contract. Before digging, the excavator marks the area in white and calls 811 at least two working days (not more than 14 calendar days) ahead; a ticket lasts 28 days. Cal/OSHA requires a permit for trenches or excavations 5 ft or deeper that workers enter, and state stormwater permit coverage applies when a project disturbs an acre or more.

811 notice

At least 2 working days, not more than 14 calendar days, before digging; the ticket is valid 28 days (Gov. Code §4216.2).

Cal/OSHA excavation permit

Trenches or excavations 5 ft or deeper into which a person must descend (Title 8 §341).

Stormwater

Construction General Permit coverage for projects disturbing 1 acre (43,560 sq ft) or more.

Ordering and receiving concrete

Order to the specification: strength, slump, cement type and admixtures. Check every delivery ticket against the approved mix. Water may be added only within the mix design's water-cement ratio; re-tempering stiffened concrete is prohibited. On Caltrans work, loads without a retarder must be discharged within 250 drum revolutions or 90 minutes of batching (300 and 120 with a retarder), and concrete must be 50–90 °F at placement.

Water-cement ratio

More water means lower strength; field water must stay within the mix design.

Admixture types (ASTM C494)

A water reducing, B retarding, C accelerating, D reducing and retarding, E reducing and accelerating, F high-range reducing, G high-range reducing and retarding.

Cement types

I normal, II moderate sulfate resistance, III high early strength, IV low heat, V high sulfate resistance.

Estimating quantities

Convert every dimension to feet, multiply, and divide cubic feet by 27 for cubic yards. Footings are measured on the centerline (outside perimeter minus four footing widths for a rectangle). Piers use pi times radius squared. Bars across a width equal the number of spaces plus one. Orders round up to the supplier's increment after a waste allowance; trucks round up too.

Cubic yard

27 cubic feet (a 4-in slab: about 81 sq ft per cubic yard).

Bar count

(Width ÷ spacing, rounded up) + 1.

Truck schedule

Last arrival = first + (trucks − 1) × interval; Caltrans suggests intervals of about 20 minutes or less.

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