# Spanish Footings: Ground Study, Design and Concrete Volume

CTE DB-SE-C requires ground and structural checks. Use the designed concrete dimensions for quantities; soil tables do not provide a ready-made footing width.

- Canonical HTML: https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/es/footings/footing-sizes-and-depth/
- Publisher: Chippy Tools
- Updated: 2026-09-06
- Market: es
- Code edition / reference: CTE DB-SE-C (RD 732/2019)
- References: ES CTE DB-SE-C


## The requirement

Spanish footing dimensions come from the ground study, loads and design checks under **CTE DB-SE-C**. You cannot read a safe width straight from one soil table. Sections 4.2–4.4 cover sizing, bearing and settlement.

The old reference on this page to a width table numbered 4.4 was wrong. **Section 4.4 is about settlement.** Do not use a table reference without checking its title, inputs and scope.

Depth and frost still need a site check. Section **4.5.1.3.6** gives precautions against ice in the excavation. The absence of one national frost depth does not mean there is no frost risk.

Concrete, reinforcement and cover need the current structural specification. Check the code edition and project dates; do not treat a stale cross-reference in DB-SE-C as a complete statement of the applicable concrete rules.

## Work out the concrete volume

Use the concrete sizes on the approved plan. Ground-to-base depth is not the thickness of concrete to pour. Count each shape once where parts meet.

For example, a straight strip **28 m** long, **0.50 m** wide and **0.60 m** thick contains:

**28 × 0.50 × 0.60 = 8.4 m³**.

These are example sizes, not footing design limits. Agree any extra volume for uneven ground with the supplier.

## Sources

- [CTE DB-SE-C, §§4.2–4.4 and 4.5.1.3.6](https://www.codigotecnico.org/pdf/Documentos/SE/DBSE-C.pdf).
- [Spanish building-code hub](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/es/).

Source checked on 6 September 2026. A project-specific ground and structural design is still required.


This page is general information for tradespeople and is not compliance, engineering or legal advice. Requirements are subject to state and territory variations and adoption timing. Always confirm requirements with your building certifier and relevant state authority.