# Swedish Foundation Depth & Width: Why Boverket Sets No Fixed Number

Swedish footing sizes need a site design. BFS 2024:6 sets structural duties; its general advice accepts Eurocodes as one way to meet them.

- Canonical HTML: https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/se/footings/foundation-depth-and-width/
- Publisher: Chippy Tools
- Updated: 2026-09-06
- Market: se
- Code edition / reference: BFS 2024:6 (in force 1 Jul 2025)
- References: SE BFS 2024:6 Kap 7


**Transitional projects:** check the [older-rule eligibility note](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/se/#the-2025-reform).

## The requirement

Choose footing depth, width and thickness from the site design. Soil, loads, frost and water all affect that design. A depth that works on one site may fail on the next. Ask the engineer to show the basis for the sizes on the plan.

BFS 2024:6 sets duties for strength, stability and durability. Chapter 7 covers ground structures. Its rules must be read with the rest of the text. They are not a ready-made footing design for every home.

Chapter 2 section 1 contains general advice on Eurocodes. It accepts the listed Eurocodes, with Swedish national annexes, as a way to meet the rules. It does not make that design system the only permitted route.

**Diagram labels:** 1; 2; use the site design

BFS 2024:6 · Kap 7 (site design)

1. 1 footing
2. 2 ground

Use the design’s concrete grade, steel and cover. Check the exposure and service life too. Do not choose them just from the concrete volume or a stock trench size. The volume tool does not check structural safety.

## 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: **26 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.

**26 × 0.50 × 1.0 = 13.0 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 [Swedish building regulations hub](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/se/). One national rule book, rewritten in 2025, with the calculators that solve it.
- Setting out the stairs on the same build? See [Swedish stair & guard rules](https://www.chippy.tools/building-codes/se/stairs/stair-and-guard-requirements/).

## Sources

- [BFS 2024:6 official text](https://rinfo.boverket.se/BFS2024-6/pdf/BFS2024-6.pdf), chapter 2 §1 general advice and chapter 7. Read 6 September 2026. Full site design and the applicable standards need an engineer’s review.


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

### Can I use one foundation depth across Sweden?

Do not choose a depth from a general web guide. Get the ground, frost and load checks for your site. Use the sizes on the structural plan.

### Are Eurocodes the only route?

No. BFS 2024:6 chapter 2 section 1 gives general advice on using Eurocodes with Swedish national annexes. That is a stated way to meet the rules. The rules themselves still apply.