Concrete Footing Blocks in Australia: Precast Pads vs Steel
Concrete footing blocks (also searched as precast pad footings, concrete footer blocks and footing blocks) are factory-made concrete pads or blocks used as isolated footings under posts, decks, sheds and light structures — often sold at hardware stores. They are not brick piers, not precast 100x100 house stumps, and not a poured strip under a wall. Easy Footings Pty Ltd does not manufacture or sell them. We install engineer-certified BMSA steel — StumpRite, RapidStump and SurePile — across Melbourne and regional Victoria when those blocks are the wrong tool: house loads, reactive clay, or wind uplift. Phone 0419 994 555.
What a Concrete Footing Block Is
Searches such as “concrete footing blocks australia”, “precast pad footing”, “concrete footer blocks” and “footing blocks” usually mean the same product: a factory-cast concrete pad or block you set in a hole (or on a prepared bed) so a post, stump or column can sit on it. The block is the isolated footing. It spreads a point load into the soil. That is the product this page covers.
It is a different job from three pages already on this site. Concrete stumps in Melbourne are factory-made 100x100 reinforced posts, hanging or threaded — the column, not the pad under it. Brick pier footings in Victoria are masonry columns on a pad. Pad vs strip footings in Victoria is about poured concrete under posts or walls. A hardware-store block is a precast version of the isolated pad, not a stump and not a strip.
You still see these blocks under garden posts, some backyard decks and light Class 10 sheds. They are not a house-footing system. Our concrete piers guide already treats isolated pads and piers as engineered, soil-class work. This page is the Australian hardware-block answer, written from Melbourne and regional Victoria.
Blocks vs Poured Pads vs House Stumps vs Brick Piers
All four can carry a point load. The material, whether it is the footing or the column, and whether you can re-level later are what change. For the three-way stump-material table (steel, timber, precast concrete posts), see steel vs timber vs concrete stumps in Victoria. Precast footing blocks sit beside that table, not inside it.
| Factor | Concrete footing block | Poured pad | Precast house stump | Brick pier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Factory-made pad or block; the isolated footing | In-situ concrete square or rectangle under a post | Precast 100x100 reinforced post, hanging or threaded | Masonry column on a pad or short strip |
| Typical Australian use | Garden posts, some sheds and decks, light Class 10 work | Engineered point loads: posts, piers, some house supports | Raised Victorian floors; later restump of timber or brick | Original supports under Victorian / Federation houses |
| Reactive clay | Heaves and settles as a shallow isolated mass | Same isolation problem if founded in the active zone | Heaves as a rigid column | Cracks, opens mortar, heaves with the pad |
| Adjustability | None without lifting and resetting the block | None without breaking out and re-pouring | None without excavation (threaded types set height at install only) | None without rebuilding the pier |
| Who does what at Easy Footings | We do not manufacture or sell these blocks | We do not pour residential pads as a product line | We do not manufacture or sell precast posts | We do not lay new brick piers |
Steel adjustable stumps sit outside that table on purpose. StumpRite and RapidStump are the usual 2026 replacement when a house is sitting on the wrong isolated support. Heads can be re-levelled after seasonal movement. See adjustable stumps in Victoria.
Typical Australian Sizes
Hardware catalogues list many block sizes. That is not a design. The engineer sets the actual pad from the load, the wind uplift and the AS 2870 site class. Do not size a house support from a retail shelf.
What we can publish without inventing a new size chart is the isolated-pad range already used on our Victoria pad guide, labelled here as 2026 indicative practice, not a copied standard table:
- Pad plan size commonly 450 × 450 mm to 900 × 900 mm, with depth often in the 600–900 mm band on Class A, S and M sites.
- On Class H sites, pad depth is often 900–1200 mm or deeper.
- A finished pad under a post is often quoted as roughly 450 × 450 × 600 mm to 900 × 900 × 900 mm, depending on load and soil.
Those millimetre figures are typical ranges from common Australian residential practice already used on our pad vs strip page. The soil test and engineer set the actual pad. A poured strip under a wall is a different geometry: a continuous beam, typically 300–600 mm wide and 400–1000 mm deep in the same indicative bands, not a stack of retail blocks.
Easy Footings does not sell precast footing blocks, so we do not quote a hardware-store rate. If someone else pours a new pad, that sits in the published $150–$400 per pad band. A residential strip sits in $180–$320 per linear metre. Neither figure is a Bunnings block price, and neither is a house-restump price.
When Precast Blocks Are a Reasonable Tool
A factory block can be a reasonable isolated footing for a light Class 10 accessory structure on stable ground — typically Class A or S sand or slightly reactive sites. Garden posts, some small sheds and some backyard decks fall in that band. Even then the job still needs an engineering and wind-uplift check. A shed or deck that can lift is not held down by gravity sitting on a loose block.
For Victorian Class 10 work, start with the structure pages that already exist: shed footings in Victoria (wind uplift at each column) and the deck footing installation guide. Owner-builders on simple Class 10 jobs should also read DIY vs professional footing installation in Victoria. House restumping and permit work is licensed professional work.
The block stops being reasonable when any of these is true: the load is a house; the site is Class M or worse; the block would sit in the seasonal active zone; or the structure needs a holding-down connection the block cannot provide. Those are the usual reasons we are called after someone has already bought the blocks.
Why They Fail as House Footings on Victorian Clay
In Victoria, house supports are designed to AS 2870-2011 Residential slabs and footings from a geotechnical soil test. The test assigns a site class. The class sets how much seasonal surface movement the engineer must design for. Full explanation: AS 2870 explained.
| Class | Site type | Expected surface movement | What it does to isolated blocks |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Stable sand or rock | Little or none (0–10 mm) | Shallow pads under light posts are usually enough |
| S | Slightly reactive clay | 10–20 mm | Standard residential pads still common |
| M / M-D | Moderately reactive clay or silt | 20–40 mm | Isolated blocks start to move independently |
| H1 / H1-D | Highly reactive clay | 40–60 mm | A shallow hardware block is usually the wrong tool |
| H2 / H2-D | Highly reactive clay | 60–75 mm | Piers or piles below the active zone typical |
| E / E-D | Extremely reactive clay | 75 mm+ | Engineered design; piles often the practical answer |
| P | Problem: fill, soft soil, trees, abnormal moisture | Engineer assessment | Standard retail-block details do not apply |
Much of Melbourne’s west and north — Werribee, Melton, Tarneit, Point Cook and similar basaltic clay corridors — classifies M to H2. Class M is the most common suburban Melbourne result; H1 and H2 are routine on the western plains. Large parts of regional Victoria do the same. Trees, fill or abnormal moisture can push a block to Class P.
Reactive clay hurts isolated blocks in two ways. First, depth: a pad founded in the seasonal active zone moves with the clay. A retail block is almost always in that zone. Second, isolation: each block is its own support. One corner heaves, the next shrinks, and the bearer rackets between them. That is differential settlement — the same reason isolated pads under a masonry wall open stepped cracks. A precast block cannot be re-levelled. Expected surface-movement bands in the table match the ranges already used on our AS 2870, pad-vs-strip and brick-pier pages. They are characteristic values for classification, not a promise of how far your house will move.
Building Permit Path in Victoria
Structural house work in Victoria — replacing house supports, restumping, or founding a dwelling on new isolated footings — generally requires a building permit issued by a registered building surveyor (council or private). Footing design may need to be certified by a structural engineer, especially on reactive clay.
Class 10 accessory structures (some sheds, decks and garden structures) can have a different path. Size, siting and whether the structure is attached to a dwelling all matter. A licensed building surveyor decides any exemption. Confirm the exact path with your surveyor before work starts. For house restumping, see do you need a building permit to restump in Victoria. This page is a practical overview, not legal advice.
Steel Alternative: StumpRite, RapidStump and SurePile
Easy Footings Pty Ltd (ABN 44 689 644 175) does not manufacture or sell precast concrete footing blocks. We install BMSA concrete-free systems across Melbourne metro and regional Victoria — Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo, the Mornington Peninsula, Gippsland, the Yarra Ranges, Sunbury and Macedon:
- StumpRite — Australian-made adjustable steel house stumps, typically 120 mm of screw height adjustment. The usual pick when you want to re-level later on clay. Licensed install: adjustable stumps in Victoria.
- RapidStump — a driven steel footing and stump in one, concrete-free. Common for compact restumping where gear has to work under a house.
- SurePile — helical screw piles for higher loads, more reactive clay, slope, or where a pile below the active zone is the engineered answer — including shed and deck columns that need wind uplift resistance.
House replacement is priced as restumping, using the same 2026 Melbourne bands already published on our restumping and concrete-stump pages. We do not invent a hardware-store block rate:
- Per stump: $500–$1,000+ (supply and install)
- Partial restump (10–20 supports): $5,000–$15,000
- Full restump (typical weatherboard, 40–60 supports): $20,000–$50,000
- Supply-only StumpRite components: from $10.35 ex GST
Those figures are indicative and site-specific after soil class, access and support count. They exclude soil test, engineering and building-permit fees. If someone else pours a new pad for a light structure, use the published $150–$400 per pad band. House replacement is restumping, not a block price. The process lives on the Melbourne restumping guide.
If your search was for concrete footing blocks because that is what a hardware aisle offered, and the job is a house, clay, or anything that has to resist wind uplift, the next step is an assessment and a quote for steel. Call 0419 994 555 or use the contact form.
Concrete Footing Block FAQs
What are concrete footing blocks?
Concrete footing blocks (also searched as precast pad footings, concrete footer blocks or footing blocks) are factory-made concrete pads or blocks used as isolated footings under posts, decks, sheds and other light structures. They are often sold at hardware stores. They are not brick piers, not precast 100x100 house stumps, and not a poured strip footing under a wall.
What sizes are concrete footing blocks in Australia?
There is no single retail millimetre that is correct for every job. Isolated pads already published in our pad vs strip guide commonly run 450 × 450 mm to 900 × 900 mm in plan, 600 to 900 mm deep on Class A, S and M, and 900 to 1200 mm or deeper on Class H. An engineer sizes the pad from a soil test to AS 2870. We do not sell the blocks, so we do not quote a hardware catalogue.
Are footing blocks the same as concrete stumps or poured pads?
No. A footing block is a precast pad — the isolated footing. A poured pad is the same load type, cast in situ. Concrete stumps are precast 100x100 posts. Brick piers are masonry columns on a pad. See steel vs timber vs concrete for the stump-material comparison.
Why do concrete footing blocks fail as house footings on Melbourne clay?
Much of Melbourne’s west and north sits on Class M to H2 reactive clay under AS 2870. A shallow isolated block in the active zone heaves and shrinks with the clay. Each block moves on its own. Unlike adjustable steel, a precast block cannot be re-levelled.
Do you need a building permit for concrete footing blocks in Victoria?
Structural house work generally requires a building permit from a registered building surveyor. Class 10 accessory structures may have a different path; the surveyor decides. Confirm before you start — see the restumping permit guide. This is not legal advice.
Does Easy Footings sell concrete footing blocks?
No. Easy Footings Pty Ltd does not manufacture or sell precast concrete footing blocks. We install BMSA concrete-free systems: StumpRite, RapidStump and SurePile, across Melbourne and regional Victoria, when those blocks are the wrong tool.
What does it cost to replace concrete footing blocks under a house?
House replacement is restumping, not a hardware-store block price. Typically $500–$1,000+ per stump installed, $5,000–$15,000 partial, or $20,000–$50,000 for a full restump (2026 Melbourne bands). Supply-only StumpRite starts from $10.35 ex GST. If someone else pours a pad, use $150–$400. See the restumping cost guide.
Concrete footing blocks the wrong tool for the job?
Easy Footings Pty Ltd (ABN 44 689 644 175) installs RapidStump, StumpRite and SurePile across Melbourne and regional Victoria. We do not sell precast footing blocks. Call 0419 994 555 for a quote on steel.