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Civil Engineering & Construction vocabulary · Foundations and Soil

Footing

Meaning in civil engineering & construction, with examples

/ˈfʊtɪŋ/nounCommon term

In civil engineering & construction, footing means: A widened concrete base under a column or wall that spreads its load over a larger area of soil. Pad footings sit under columns and strip footings under walls.

In Turkish: tekil temel, sömel, temel

How it is used

A type of shallow foundation. On drawings you will see pad, strip and combined footings with sizes like 2.0 × 2.0 × 0.6 m. Footings are excavated, blinded, reinforced and poured.

Example sentences

  1. The footings on grid line A are ready for the rebar inspection.

  2. We hit rock at 1.2 metres, so the footing can be shallower.

Common collocations

  • pad footing
  • strip footing
  • combined footing
  • footing size
  • spread footing
  • foundationThe lowest part of a structure, usually below ground, which spreads the building's loads safely into the soil or rock underneath.
  • bearing capacityThe maximum pressure the ground can safely carry from a foundation without failing or settling too much, usually given in kilopascals (kPa).
  • columnA vertical structural member that collects loads from the beams and slabs above and carries them down to the foundations.
  • excavationThe process of digging out and removing soil or rock to make space for foundations, basements, trenches or tunnels; also the hole that is dug.

More terms: Foundations and Soil

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