Surveying
Grade
The slope or level of the ground surface, or the specified elevation to which earthwork or concrete must be brought during construction.
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In the Field
Grade stakes are set by surveyors and flagged with cut/fill information for equipment operators. 'Cut 0.8' means dig down 0.8 feet; 'Fill 1.2' means build up 1.2 feet. Operators read stakes and their blue-top nails to hit design grade.
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Rule of Thumb
Blue-top stakes mark the finished subgrade elevation. When the grader hits the nail, the grade is right. Never remove blue-tops until the inspector or engineer has verified the grade.