Construction glossary · Concrete and masonry
What is pier in construction?
A pier in construction is a vertical structural member, usually concrete or masonry, that carries building loads down to soil or rock strong enough to support them. In US commercial work the term most often means a drilled pier (also called a drilled shaft or caisson), a cylindrical hole drilled into the ground and filled with reinforced concrete. Piers are used where shallow spread footings cannot reach adequate bearing.
Updated June 2026 · Reviewed by the Ruh construction team
What a concrete pier volume holds
Estimating concrete and masonry scope this week? Watch Ruh take off a real plan in 30 minutes.
Book a walkthroughOn commercial drawings, piers show up on the foundation plan as circles at column lines, keyed to a pier schedule that lists diameter, depth, reinforcing, and bell size if any. The structural engineer sizes them from the geotech report, which sets the bearing stratum and design tip elevations. Estimators carry them under deep foundations (drilled shafts, typically spec section 31 63 29), separate from spread footing concrete. The word does double duty, and that trips up new estimators. A masonry pier is a short section of brick or block wall between openings, and pier can also mean the concrete pedestal between a footing and a column base plate. Read the schedule and details, not just the label. Other common misses: design depths move with the actual bearing layer, so the contract should carry unit prices for over and under drilling, and the neat-line concrete is only part of the cost. Rebar cages, temporary casing, drilling slurry, spoil haul-off, concrete overpour in uncased holes, and shaft inspection or sonic logging all belong in the number.
Drilled piers are counted each from the foundation plan, then quantified two ways: concrete volume in cubic yards (cy) and drilling depth in vertical linear feet (vlf). Volume is shaft cross-sectional area times depth, plus the bell volume on belled piers. Foundation subs usually price mobilization as a lump sum, drilling per vlf by diameter, and a separate unit rate per vlf for depth overruns or rock. Rebar cages are taken off in pounds or tons from the pier schedule. Pedestal piers between footing and column are measured as structural concrete in cy, with forms in square feet of contact area (sfca). Masonry piers are counted each and converted to block or brick units. State clearly in your scope whether casing, slurry, and spoil haul-off are included.
Worked example
Say the foundation plan shows 28 drilled piers, each 24 in diameter by 12 ft deep. A 24 in diameter is 2.0 ft, so the radius is 1.0 ft. Shaft area = 3.1416 x 1.0 ft x 1.0 ft = 3.14 sf. Volume per pier = 3.14 sf x 12 ft = 37.7 cf. Convert to cubic yards: 37.7 cf / 27 cf per cy = 1.40 cy per pier. Neat total = 28 piers x 1.40 cy = 39.2 cy. Uncased holes typically overpour, so add an illustrative 10 percent: 39.2 cy x 1.10 = 43.1 cy, so order 43 cy. At an illustrative $185 per cy delivered, the concrete is 43 cy x $185 = $7,955. Drilling comes to 28 piers x 12 ft = 336 vlf; at an illustrative $40 per vlf that is $13,440, plus the sub's mobilization. Price the rebar cages separately from the pier schedule.
Try Ruh on a real bid. 100% money-back guarantee if you are not satisfied.*
*Scoped delivery, terms apply. Read the guarantee terms
How Ruh handles pier
Ruh reads the foundation plan and pier schedule, counts every pier, and computes shaft volumes in cy and drilling depth in vlf from the scheduled diameters and depths. It prices those quantities against the contractor's own price book, their real concrete, rebar, and drilling rates, and hands the estimator a line-item draft. The estimator reviews the counts and depths against the plan, adjusts for casing, overpour, or depth risk, and signs off.
See concrete estimating softwarePier: frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a pier and a pile?+
Installation is the core difference. A drilled pier is bored into the ground, a rebar cage is set, and concrete is placed in the open hole, so it is cast in place. A pile is a prefabricated member (steel, precast concrete, or timber) driven or pressed into the soil by a rig. Piers tend to be larger in diameter and fewer in number, while piles run smaller and are installed in groups tied together with pile caps.
How deep do pier foundations go?+
Depth is set by the bearing stratum in the geotech report, not by a rule of thumb. Light commercial piers may bottom out around 10 ft to 15 ft, while shafts for heavy structures or weak soils can run 40 ft to 60 ft or deeper. Drawing depths are design estimates, the inspector confirms bearing during drilling, and that is why contracts carry unit prices per vertical foot for overruns and underruns.
What is a belled pier?+
A belled pier has an enlarged, cone-shaped base cut with a belling bucket to spread the load over a larger bearing area. Bells commonly flare to 2 to 3 times the shaft diameter and only work in cohesive soils stiff enough to hold the shape until concrete is placed. For takeoff, the bell adds concrete volume beyond the straight shaft, so quantify it separately from the bell dimensions on the pier schedule.
Still measuring by hand? Your next takeoff can run while you review this one.
See it on your plansRelated terms
Keep going: read the full guide or explore concrete estimating software.
See Ruh price a bid from your own drawings.
AI takeoff and estimating on your price book, your estimator signs off.
Figures on this page are illustrative. Construction estimates depend on project-specific conditions, source documents, market pricing, and professional judgment. Ruh's AI assists the estimator and does not replace professional review: your team reviews, validates, and approves every estimate, bid, and pricing decision.