Overview

About the Calculator

The ClearCalcs Restrained Retaining Wall Calculator offers rapid and customizable design and analysis calculations tailored for restrained retaining walls, commonly used as basement walls. Specifically designed for compliance with the International Building Code (IBC), the calculator assumes the absence of shear keys, no inclination of soil behind the structure, and excludes wind or earthquake loads. Utilizing the Rankine theory, the calculator estimates lateral earth pressure, considering the retained soil in the at-rest state (with the option to consider it in the active state). It is important to note that concrete detailing should be independently verified to ensure compliance with design standards.

Basement retaining wall design to ACI 318-19, IBC 2021 & ASCE 7-16

Quickly design and analyze restrained retaining walls (commonly used as basement walls) to meet the requirements of the International Building Code (IBC) 2021, the American Concrete Institute (ACI) 318-19, and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE 7)-16.

Fast and accurate restrained retaining wall design with easy-to-use input

ClearCalcs simplifies the process of designing restrained retaining walls. With minimal input needed for wall height, restraint height, wall thickness, and footing thickness, you can obtain accurate results in a matter of seconds.

Integrated check for negative moments in stem wall

Automatically check for negative moments in the stem wall to help you select the appropriate reinforcement placement for your basement retaining wall.

Traffic light checks for restrained retaining wall design

Instantly calculate the sliding and lateral forces, moment, and shear capacity of your restrained retaining wall's stem and footing.

Access checks and references with the click of a button.

Easily find the appropriate standards reference, clause, and description (reasoning) used for your restraining retaining wall design calculation if you are unsure or want more information. Never be in the dark again!

Why ClearCalcs?

Frustration to Flow

See how ClearCalcs transforms structural calculations from a tedious, error-prone chore into an efficient, stress-free process.

With spreadsheets and clunky software

Frustration, fuss, and fragile formulas—the old way of engineering calculations that holds you back

Struggle with endless spreadsheets and custom formulas.

Building codes change, but outdated software and spreadsheets don’t.

Triple-check and verify manual input at every turn.

Old software feels like a maze, with unclear settings, limited templates, and rigid interfaces.

With ClearCalcs

Effortless, efficient engineering calculations at your fingertips.

100+ pre-built calculators for different materials.

Every calculation comply with the latest codes and standards.

Forget the worry of “black box” calculations; verify calculators with inline formulas, codes, and checks.

Intuitive tools built to your workflow, plus unmatched customer support.

How It Works

Your code-compliant calculator

Tired of complex calculations? ClearCalcs Calculator Library keeps it simple, secure and code-compliant – so you can calculate with confidence.

Save time with ready-to-use templates for wood, steel, and concrete

ClearCalcs offers an extensive library of easy-to-use calculators for beams, columns, and footings, designed to make structural calculations simpler and faster.

Choose from a wide range of pre-configured beam and column options, complete with automatic member sizing, so you can quickly reach reliable designs and reduce rework.

Beams

Columns

Foundations

Walls

Loads

Dynamically track your load paths from roof to foundation

No need to copy and paste reactions between calculations! If the top calculator's reactions change, the loads being inherited onto the lower calculator will update automatically. This includes all loads such as dead, live, snow, seismic, and wind.

Submit professional reports for permit review

ClearCalcs is not only easy to use, but also easy to check! All calculations follow an easy to understand traffic light check system, with multiple levels of detail available giving you the choice of printing every step of the calculation and all code and standard references, or simply a compact, one-page print out.

Report heading includes your project name and address

Easily upload your organization logo for a professional report

Use custom PDF upload to merge additional documents to your structural calculations

Download a sample report

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Restrained (Basement) Retaining Wall