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Average pad bearing pressure

Concentric vertical load divided by plan area. Eccentricity and groundwater are ignored.

Vertical load (kN)

Breadth B (m)

Length L (m)

CalculateReset

Method

q = N / (B L). Worked case: 400 kN on 1.5 m by 1.5 m is 178 kN/m² average.

BS EN 1997 bearing resistance, settlement and sliding are not checked. See why this is not a foundation design.

How to read a pad pressure

Average pressure is the vertical load divided by the pad area. It is the mean stress on the underside if the load is central. It is not a Eurocode 7 bearing check.

A 200 kN load on a 1.5 m by 1.5 m pad is about 89 kN/m² average. An eccentric load raises the edge pressure above that average. This page does not compute the edge. If the load is not central, the average is only the starting figure.

The area is the area in contact. A pad drawn larger than the excavation, or a pad with a void, is not the full rectangle. Groundwater and an overburden term are not added.

Use it to see whether a modelled pad is in the right order against a presumed bearing pressure. The presumed pressure is a project figure. The page does not supply one.

• Related: civil bearing guide
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Last checked 3 October 2026. A scenario, not a design. See methodology, standards and the disclaimer.