The scaling is the estimate of the volume of a body, from its size, to derive the amount of material required to run a job. The name is derived from the unit of measurement for volume in the international system of units; that is, the cubic meter.
This technique is widely used in the field of architecture to project the quantities of concrete that will be used in the course of the work. Likewise, cubing is commonly used in the lumber industry, for commercial purposes; This simplifies the sale of wood based on cubic meters.
The cubing facilitates the emission of the budget of a work. Therefore, it is an essential technique to project the quantities and monetary value of the materials that will be used in said work.
The cubing is also used as a reference estimate in the provision of public services such as natural gas, electricity and drinking water. These data are equally useful for designing new construction projects.
characteristics
Cubication is a procedure widely used today to fine-tune strategic planning and design details. The main characteristics of the cubing are:
- It is based on the estimation of the volume of an object or body in cubic meters. This makes it possible to handle standard measurements in the corresponding market. When it comes to keeping the purchase and consumption of materials, the handling of quantities is approved in cubic meters, which considerably facilitates the operation.
- Its purpose is to estimate the quantities (volume) and budget (volume per unit price of the material) inherent to each project. In this way, the input acquisition process is optimized, and the available funds are managed efficiently. This considerably reduces costs due to poor estimates, shortages or excess materials.
- The cubing does not cover losses inherent to the process, it only projects the volume associated with the geometric shape of interest; does not contemplate intrinsic waste of the process. For example, when buying a gallon of paint (0.00378541 cubic meters), the paint coating that adheres to the edges of the container is not considered.
The surplus that will cover this waste must be considered when estimating the purchase quantities and not during the cubing process, since the latter is an exact calculation.
Procedure for cubing
When carrying out a scaling, it is recommended to follow the procedure described below:
- If it is a construction site, the survey of the floor plans must be prepared, including the locations, cuts, elevations and other topographic details, if necessary.
- Take surface and depth measurements of the object of study.
- Calculate the volume of the body according to the geometric shape it describes.
- Estimate the volume of purchase of the material according to the minimum purchase quantities available in the market. In this step it is suggested to consider the safety margins that are necessary due to the waste of the process.
- Prepare the budget for the work. To do this, in each case the purchase volume must be multiplied by its respective unit price.
- The legal framework and regulations corresponding to each country must be kept in mind at all times. These supports, together with the technical specifications of the materials and the parameterization of the work, will lay the foundations of the process.
Types
For the purposes of this article, two types of cubing will be evaluated: the cubing of concrete (concrete) and the cubing of wood.
Both are used in the construction sector. In the case of wood, its use also applies to commercial operations of that material.
Concrete cubing
In construction applications, the concrete cubing is carried out by means of a theoretical estimation, through the calculation of the volume of the area in which the material will be applied.
This estimate is based on the plans of the work and must be congruent with the volume of fresh concrete mix, also known as concrete.
Under no circumstances should the volume of the concrete be estimated based on the hardened concrete since, as the mixture sets, the volume of the concrete decreases considerably.
When deducting the purchase volume of the concrete, it is recommended to consider some intrinsic elements of the work, such as: shape and thickness of the application molds, losses due to spillage of the mixture, among others.
Wood cubing
In the lumber trade, it is extremely important to standardize the unit of measurement with regard to the purchase and sale of material. In this way, the comparison of offers will be consistent.
Timber cubing consists of estimating the available cubic meters of timber for commercial purposes in a specific terrain. It is also applied to determine the volume of the rest of the forest products inherent in this area.
One of the most relevant aspects of wood cubing is that it is feasible to carry out this process when the tree is still standing; that is, when the wood is sawn.
It is important to note that if the tree is still standing, the roots and branches should be ignored, and the calculation should only be estimated based on the trunk.
Thus, the volume calculation is approximate and will vary depending on the forest species of interest, the diameter of the trunk and the height of the tree.
On the other hand, if the wood is processed, the cubing will be much easier given the accurate knowledge of the geometric shape and the measurements of the material.
Applications
The cubing is an extremely useful process in the construction plane, since it allows estimating the volumes and budgets associated with the purchase of one or more materials, such as concrete, wood and even iron.
When excavating or moving earth, cubing is helpful in estimating volumes of arid or compact soils.
In each case the appropriate treatment must be given according to the particularities of the terrain. In the same way, cubing is widely used in the timber trade.
References
- Cubications (nd). Recovered from: chilecubica.com
- Páez, B. (2014). The concept of cubing in the construction activity. Construction Technical Bulletin. Santiago de Chile, Chile. Recovered from: multimedia.getresponse.com
- What is cubing wood? (sf). Recovered from: certicalia.com
- Volume of concrete in a work (2017). Recovered from: polpaico.cl
- Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia (2018). Cube. Recovered from: es.wikipedia.org