Cement/water ratio for concrete mix

[Simo]

I’m DIYing a footing for a set of garden steps and I’ve been using the C20 mix calculator on the website for both estimating the materials and as an aid for making up the mix.

For a given area the calculator gives me: 12kg cement, 70ish kg sand/ballast and 13.5 litres water.

At around a bucket full, doesn’t the water amount seem way too high for 1/2 a bag cement ? In the mix I’ve been using less than half of that

On a related matter - any good tips on judging a good consistency whilst it’s turning away in the mixer ? I keep looking at it spinning away and it ends up putting me into some kind of trance :p

[msh paving]

water is subject to how wet the sand is, you can adjust it to suit your needs, less is always better than more