What VOLSOFT calculates
VOLSOFT is a quantity and volume calculator for chemical anchors. It answers the question asked on every site before the material is ordered: how much adhesive does this job actually need. It is built for structural engineers, site managers and anyone who has to turn an anchoring specification into a number of cartridges.
What sets it apart is that it does not stop at the geometric volume of the hole. A naive calculation takes the volume of the drilled hole and calls it consumption. VOLSOFT separates the theoretical volume from the volume actually required and shows both side by side, so the source of the difference is visible and cannot be missed.
Anchor type and adhesive type
The calculation opens with two choices. The first is the anchor type — threaded rod or rebar. The second is the adhesive, for example ADIT CHEMFIX100. The distinction between threaded rod and rebar is not cosmetic: it changes the volume of steel occupying the hole, and it also sets the manufacturer’s over-supply factor. Both choices come before any other number, because they determine which calculation runs.
Anchor diameter, hole diameter and embedment depth
The three geometric fields are the anchor diameter — M16 and so on — the hole diameter and the embedment depth. The volume is derived from the cross-section of the hole as actually drilled, with a 0.4 mm bit oversize, less the volume of steel the anchor occupies along the embedment depth. This is exactly where a simple calculation goes wrong: it measures the hole but ignores that the rod is already sitting inside it, displacing part of the adhesive. A note that appears in the tool itself is worth attention — the drill diameter in concrete is guidance only.
Theoretical volume against recommended volume
VOLSOFT shows a theoretical volume per hole alongside a recommended volume per hole. The recommended figure includes the manufacturer’s over-supply factor — 12.5% to 40% by anchor size for threaded rods, and 20% for rebar — plus the standard waste allowance for the material discharged at the start of every cartridge.
This is the heart of the matter, and the practical difference between the two calculations. A chemical anchor is not measured by the hole alone: some material stays in the nozzle, some is discharged at the start of the cartridge before the mix is uniform, and the manufacturer’s own guidance includes an excess that grows with anchor size. Anyone ordering on the theoretical volume alone will find on site that the material runs out before the last hole. VOLSOFT does not hide the difference inside an opaque factor — it shows both values explicitly, so the planner sees what is being ordered and why.
Number of holes, total volume and cartridge count
Once the number of holes is entered, the software calculates the total volume for the job and converts it into an actual number of cartridges — for example 1 × 600 ml. That is the number that goes on the order. The conversion from volume to whole cartridges happens inside the tool, so there is no side calculation and no room for a wrong rounding.
The diagram and the output
Alongside the numbers, an anchor diagram shows the embedment depth, the anchor diameter and the hole diameter. It is a quick visual check that what was intended was actually entered, before the result is relied on. The calculation can be saved as a PDF or sent by email, so the same document reaches both the job file and the supplier — with the anchor type, the adhesive, the diameters, the embedment depth, the number of holes and the resulting quantity.