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Projects
Select a project below, then move forward with the blue arrow button in the lower right corner.
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Useful Resources
Select the type of soil being retained:
The soil behind the wall is a critical part of the total structure. You will need to select what soil you have on your project.
check
Exposed
Overall
check
Exposed
Overall
Select the condition above the wall:
check
Level
The area above the wall is flat
with nothing expected to be on top of the wall.
check
Surcharge
Any added weight above the wall is a surcharge which will put more pressure on a retaining wall. Select
the appropriate surcharge for the project.
Slope
A slope above the wall will add more pressure and weight. A slope is measured in “run to rise”. There
are two options and the 3:1 slope is steeper than a 4:1 slope.
Your walls height is over 30ft (10m)!
Your walls height is over 6ft (1.8m)!
Reference the following examples to find the station, top of wall, and grades to be entered:
Or
info
What's the Difference?
Term Definitions
Elevation View –
The elevation view is what the wall would look like if you were standing in front of the wall and looking at the front of the blocks. Imagine if you could straighten out any corners and curves to make it straight.
Station Point (SP) –
At any given location along the wall a station point can be identified to indicate where wall heights are known.
Distance Between Station Points –
This is the measured distance between each point along the wall.
Running Distance –
This is the total distance along the wall. This length starts at zero on the left and will continue to get larger to represent the entire length.
Top Of Wall –
This is the expected elevation at the top of the wall at any given station. This is approximate as final height is dependent on actual height of the units being used.
Grade –
This is the finished grade at the base of the wall.
Exposed Wall Height –
Height of wall from grade to top of wall.
Bottom Of Wall –
This will be the true bottom of the wall. It is connected to the grade and will account for the buried block. The default is a minimum of 6-inches (15cm) and or 1-inch per 1-foot (2.54 cm per 30 cm) of wall height depending on what is greater. You can enter in your own value as another option.
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Have a 📄 PDF or 🖼️ Image you can trace?
Try the new AB Layout Tool to effortlessly trace your wall and then export, which will automatically populate the data on this page.
Commercial Retaining Wall
*Up to 30ft(10m) in Height.
Residential Retaining Wall
*Up to 6ft(2m) in Height.
Enter The Height And Length Of Your Wall
Step
1:
Enter the Exposed Maximum Wall Height:
This will populate rows in the table below to this height as a starting point.
Step
2:
Enter the number of Station Points(SP) in your wall:
This will
Step
3:
Choose how you will enter the length of the wall:
Step
4:
Pick how you will enter the height at each station point along the wall:
Step
5:
Fill in the table below for all the heights at each station point along your wall:
Walls height is over.
This Staion Point(SP) cannot be equal or less to the previous.
Click on a row to edit. Hit 'Enter' on keyboard or click 'Done Editing SP' to save changes.
Buried Block:
Default
Enter The Height And Length Of
Your Wall
Fill out the table below with the walls Station, Top of wall, and Grade values. For
help, reference the examples on the left side of the page or by clicking the AB Workshop Logo to watch a video.
To easily enter elevations, you can
begin by entering the Max Exposed Height of your wall:
|
Station
()
|
Top of Wall
()
|
Grade
()
|
Exposed Height () | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | ft |
ft |
ft |
|
| 1 | ft |
ft |
ft |
Reference the example below to find your walls average elevation:
Number of Courses:
Select the number of courses that will represent your wall
height. Consider the max elevation or an average elevation over the length that is being entered.
For example, if my wall is 8 courses tall, which is approximately 5-ft (1.52 m) tall on one side, but
over
the next 20-ft (6.1 m) it reduced in height to 4 courses, approximately 2.5-ft (0.76 m). I would enter
an
average height of 6 courses, approximately 3.8-ft (1.15 m) to estimate the project.
Residential Retaining Wall
.635 ft(193.5 mm) per course
*Up to 6ft (1.8M) in height
Length:
ft
This is the length of the wall that is being estimated.
If you need a wall taller than 6ft (1.8m), Click the button below.
Accept elevation view, or go back to make changes
| Station Point (SP) | Distance Between SP | Running Distance | Top of Wall | Finished Grade | Exposed Height |
|---|
Select Wall, Add Another Wall, or Continue
Wall Selection
Selected Wall:
Geogrid length as % of wall height
Base Material Dimensions
Height
Unit
Width
Unit
Summary
| Wall Number | Soil Type | Surcharge | Max Height | Length |
|---|
Select the type of estimate you'd like:
Examples of what you get back as estimates and sales documents
Adjust the overages for your project:
Here you can adjust the overages for each item needed to build your project
| Material | Quantity | Unit | Overage % | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Geogrid in slope |
||||
| Item | Quantity | Unit | Overage | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drain Pipe T | each | |||
| Sleeve-It | each | |||
| Wall Drain Pro | each |
Track your equipment costs:
Use this table to track equipment costs for your project.
Wall:
1
Choose from the Collections of our retaining wall products to finish your estimate.
Select the block colors listed within each collection to choose a product.
Up to 3 can be added to the estimate.
The AB® Collection offers a textured exposed aggregate finish that lends well to natural color tones and shadowing. Enjoy the beauty and durability of this collection's classic cut stone look that will define your outdoor living space with style.
AB Classic®
AB Ashlar Blend™
Pattern
The AB Europa® Collection offers the look and feel of weathered stone to the landscape. If your design calls for an elegant and ageless look, AB Europa is the right choice. The timeless beauty and unique texture of the AB Europa Collection offers a stunning look and gives old world charm to any landscape.
AB Dover
AB Abbey Blend™
Pattern
The AB Aztec™ Collection offers a smooth flowing look and the feel of movement. The molded face is subtle but impressive.
AB Aztec Classic
AB Aztec Blend®
Pattern
The AB Metropolitan™ Collection offers minimalistic aesthetics and smooth clean lines with its main focus is on functionality. This mid-century modern style will offer the same dependable Allan Block system for a fresh look to your outdoor surroundings.
AB Metro Classic
The AB Fieldstone® Collection is a innovative product that has unlimited possibilities in style and constructability.This 2 piece system offers a retaining wall option that is light weight, made from recycled materials, and has different facing options.
Choose the type of anchoring unit:
812 Facing Unit
824 Facing Unit
½ 812, ½ 824
Optional products from the AB Collection with a split face look. AB Vertical is custom ordered for DOT or roadway projects. The AB Stones is great where a bigger setback is offered so less gerogrid is needed.
AB Vertical
AB Stone
Add Pavers to your estimate
(Loaded from Excel Pricing Sheet within yellow Pricing button at the bottom of the screen.)
sq. ft.
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/
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(Loaded from Excel Pricing Sheet within yellow Pricing button at the bottom of the screen.)
sq. ft.
/
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*Block specs are found under pricing.
Export and Print
Addendums
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Export your project
Export the project to your devices downloads where you can then move it anywhere on your device. Opening the file will reopen this project. You can also send this via email.
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Click to Export
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Print your project
Generate your output PDF package that includes a cover page, elevation views, wall estimates, and typical details. This will open in a new tab.