# Norwegian Foundation Depth & Width: Why TEK17 Sets No Fixed Number TEK17 hands foundation depth, width, concrete grade and rebar cover to Eurocode design (§10-2) rather than fixing them itself — here's what that actually means on site. - Canonical HTML: https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/no/footings/foundation-depth-and-width/ - Publisher: Chippy Tools - Updated: 2026-09-06 - Market: no - Code edition / reference: TEK17 §10-2 (2017, as amended) - References: NO TEK17 §10-2 ## The requirement **TEK17 sets no fixed footing depth, width, concrete grade or rebar cover.** There is no frost-line rule and no metre figure in the code. §10-2(3) hands all of it to design under the **Eurocode** standards. Depth and width come from your site’s ground and loads, not from the regulation. Foundation design sits under **TEK17 Chapter 10**, the structural safety chapter, at §10-2. That clause covers the basic requirements for a structure’s mechanical resistance and stability, including ground conditions. It routes them to the Eurocode series with the Norwegian National Annexes. That means NS-EN 1990 for the basis of design, plus NS-EN 1991 through NS-EN 1999. For footings and ground, the key one is **NS-EN 1997**, Eurocode 7. It covers the geotechnical design. No metre figure is printed in TEK17 or its official guidance, the veiledning. A frost-depth figure sometimes gets quoted on site. It comes from SINTEF Byggforsk’s Byggforskserien. That series is respected trade guidance, but it is paywalled and it is not law. It is not part of TEK17. So no quoted number is safe to treat as a code minimum. Frost depth depends on your site and your region. TEK17 §10-2 defers it to the geotechnical design under Eurocode 7. **Diagram labels:** 1; 2; site- and Eurocode-driven — no fixed figure TEK17 §10-2 · Eurocode deferral 1. 1 footing 2. 2 ground **Width has no fixed table either.** Some codes print a width table by soil type and load. TEK17 does not. Strip-footing width comes out of **Eurocode 7** design. It rests on your soil’s bearing capacity against the building’s real loads. You work it out per project. **The concrete and the cover.** The concrete grade is not in TEK17 either. That job goes to **Eurocode 2**, NS-EN 1992. It sets the strength class by exposure and by the structural design. Rebar cover follows the same route. It comes from the exposure-class cover tables in NS-EN 1992-1-1, not from one national figure. ## Work out the concrete volume Use the **concrete sizes on the approved plan**. Embedment is the depth from ground level to the base of the footing. It is not the thickness of concrete to pour. A strip, wall and trench fill each have their own shape. Work out each part on its own. Where parts meet, count that concrete once. This example uses a straight concrete strip with the same size all along: - Total concrete length: **24 m**. - Concrete width: **0.50 m**. - Concrete thickness, measured from its top to its underside: **1.0 m**. These are example sizes, **not code limits or a footing design**. Check the shape and size on the plans. Then check how deep the base must sit. It must meet the soil and frost rules for the site. Volume = length × concrete width × concrete thickness. **24 × 0.50 × 1.0 = 12.0 m³**. That is the volume before any extra for waste or uneven ground. Measure the trench or forms. Agree the extra amount and final order with the supplier. The tool does the sum. It does not choose safe footing sizes. ## Do it in 5 seconds ## Related - Part of the [Norwegian Building Regulations hub](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/no/). One national regulation, with the veiledning and calculators that solve it. - Setting out the stairs on the same build? See [Norwegian stair & guard rules](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/no/stairs/stair-and-guard-requirements/). ## Sources - **TEK17 §10-2 (Konstruksjonssikkerhet)** — the deferral to the Eurocode design series for foundation depth, width, concrete grade and rebar cover. Read it at [dibk.no](https://www.dibk.no/regelverk/byggteknisk-forskrift-tek17/10/10-2). **Read this first.** These figures reflect TEK17 as amended, in force since 1 July 2017. Foundation design in Norway runs through **Eurocode 7 (NS-EN 1997)** for ground/depth/width and **Eurocode 2 (NS-EN 1992)** for concrete and cover, with Norwegian National Annexes applying — this is TEK17’s own deliberate deferral, not a gap in research, and no single depth or width figure should be presented as a national minimum. Get your ground checked by a proper site investigation before you dig. 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. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is there a minimum foundation depth in Norway? No, not in TEK17 itself. §10-2(3) hands foundation and ground design to the Eurocode standards, mainly NS-EN 1997, Eurocode 7. No metre figure is printed in the regulation. A frost-depth figure sometimes gets quoted from SINTEF Byggforsk's Byggforskserien. That guidance is paywalled and not law. Treat no quoted number as a code minimum. ### How wide does a strip footing need to be? TEK17 sets no fixed width table. Width is a design outcome under Eurocode 7, NS-EN 1997. It comes from your soil's bearing capacity and the building's loads. There is no number to read off the regulation. ### What concrete grade goes in a Norwegian footing? TEK17 does not name a grade. Concrete design goes to Eurocode 2, NS-EN 1992. That standard sets the strength class by exposure and by the structural design. No grade is fixed in TEK17 itself. ### What's the rebar cover on a reinforced footing? Not in TEK17 either. Cover comes from the exposure-class cover tables in Eurocode 2, NS-EN 1992-1-1. Those tables work off your ground conditions and design life. There is no single national number. ### Why doesn't TEK17 just print the numbers? Because §10-2(3) is a deliberate choice, not a gap. It routes the basic requirements for a structure's mechanical resistance and stability, including ground conditions, straight to the Eurocode standards with Norwegian National Annexes. That ties the design to your real site and loads, not one fixed national figure.