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Total settlement refers to the overall change in vertical distance. Differential settlement involves an expected amount that the total settlement will vary between points over a horizontal distance, which can be caused by variations in the foundation soil profile and wall height over a certain distance.

There are various methods through which immediate settlement can be calculated. The most widely used method is Schleicher's method. Schleicher's method uses the influence factor in the calculation of immediate settlement.

The primary consolidation settlement can be calculated from the coefficient of volume compressibility mv, which can further lead to the Young's modulus E′ = (1 + v′)(1 − 2v′)/[mv(1 − v′)], with an assumed Poisson's ratio v′.

The first step of calculating expected settlement (overall and differential) is to calculate the initial effective vertical stress (σo' = total vertical stress - pore water pressure) and the change in the effective vertical stress (∆σo') caused by the facility on a point of interest in the underlying materials.

The rate of settlement of a saturated soil is expressed by the coefficient of consolidation (cv). The rate of settlement of a soil, and hence the value of cv, is governed by two factors: the amount of water to be squeezed out of the soil; and the rate at which that water can flow out.

To determine the settlement under a footing of given size loaded to the load per sq. ft. for which the curve is prepared, determine from the curve the settlement per unit of column load on the footing of the size required under the column load, and multiply by the total column load carried by the footing.

Therefore, to determine the settlements, it is necessary to know: the course of vertical stresses σz with depth. The settlement-generating base stress σ1 = σ0 - γ • h must be used, taking into consideration the stress reduction by the excavation unloading for the embedment depth of the foundations.