What is the difference between spread footings and pad footings?

What is the difference between spread footings and pad footings?

• A. Spread footings transfer loads to soil over a broad base; pad footings are isolated small footings supporting columns
• B. Spread footings are round; pad footings are square
• C. Spread footings support columns; pad footings support walls
• D. Spread footings are decorative

Answer: (A)

Spread footings transfer the structural load to the soil over a broad base, which spreads the pressure and helps keep settlement under control. Pad footings are isolated, small footings that support individual columns, each with its own footing. In practice, pad footings are a type of spread footing used for point loads from columns, but the key difference is the footprint: a broad, continuous or wide footing versus a small, single-column footing. The other options misstate the role or appearance—footings aren’t defined by being round or square, they aren’t decorative, and footings don’t exclusively distinguish between walls and columns in that simple way.

Spread footings transfer the structural load to the soil over a broad base, which spreads the pressure and helps keep settlement under control. Pad footings are isolated, small footings that support individual columns, each with its own footing. In practice, pad footings are a type of spread footing used for point loads from columns, but the key difference is the footprint: a broad, continuous or wide footing versus a small, single-column footing. The other options misstate the role or appearance—footings aren’t defined by being round or square, they aren’t decorative, and footings don’t exclusively distinguish between walls and columns in that simple way.