HOW TO USE QUANTITY SPREADSHEETS FOR TAPERED RETAINING WALLS

1. Determine whether the wall segment has a mild or severe slope. A severe slope is defined
as a 4-ft. or greater change in top elevation over a 30-ft. length. For shorter lengths, the
allowed difference in height is reduced proportionally. (The main difference is that for severe
sloped walls, G and H bars are given as a series, rather than a constant length). In no case
can the slope exceed 6 ft. in a 30-ft. length.

2. Select the appropriate spreadsheet based on the type of backfill:

a. LEVELFL-ENG.XLS for level backfill
b. SLOPEFL-ENG.XLS for backfill with 2:1 slope
c. SURCHARGE-ENG.XLS for 2-foot live load surcharge

(Note: These file names are for the mild slope spreadsheets. For severe slope, select
LEVELFL-SS-ENG.XLS, SLOPEFL-SS-ENG.XLS, or SURCHARGE-SS-ENG.XLS
respectively).

3. Start up the spreadsheet. A pop-up dialog box will appear, asking if you want to update links
to other sources. Click the “Update” button. You should then see the quantity grid with input
fields highlighted in blue. If not, click on the second tab at the bottom on the spreadsheet
(titled “Level_Fill”, “Sloping_Fill” or “Surcharge” depending on which spreadsheet you are
using).

4. There are five input fields to fill in. You can click on the input fields with the mouse, or use
the “TAB” key to toggle between fields. Inputs are as follows:
a. Project Title
b. Panel Designation (unique identifier for the particular wall panel)
c. Length of panel, in feet (maximum = 30.5 feet).
d. Height of stem at high end, in feet. This is measured from the top of the footing.
Maximum height is 30 feet for level fill, and 29 feet for sloped and surcharged fill.
e. Height of stem at low end, in feet.
A series of warnings and error messages will let you know if any input values exceed any
constraints or limitations. The quantities in the table will be calculated automatically.

5. You can print the quantity grid using the normal print procedure for Excel.

6. If you want to build a grid of up to eight wall section tables, input the information into the table
and then click the “Panel_Layout” tab at the bottom of the spreadsheet. Click one of the
eight buttons at the upper left, which will copy the quantity table into that position on the
sheet. Return to the main page, enter new data, and repeat the procedure until all desired
spots have been filled. You can then print the overall sheet, making sure you use a printer
with 11 X 17 capability. Click the “Clear Panels” button to erase the sheet.

7. These spreadsheets are based on the MnDOT standard design tables for walls on a spread
footing. For a wall on piles, use the quantities generated by these spreadsheets for the stem
portion of the wall. For the footing, use the standard tables and select the footing
corresponding to the height of the high end of the wall.