Excavation Volume Calculator
Get the bank cubic yards you have to dig from length × width × depth, then the loose volume those yards become on a truck once the soil swells — the number that actually sets your haul-off cost. Pick a soil class to apply a typical swell factor, enter your truck capacity, and the calculator counts loads against the loose volume, not the bank volume. Swell factors are planning ranges, not constants, and the tool says so. Free, no login.
Excavation
Volume
Loose adds 25% swell for common earth / loam. Bank = in-place; loose = what you haul. Typical planning figures — swell 25% (typ 15–30%), shrink 10% (typ 5–15%); confirm with a geotech.
Excavation — Haul Sheet
Prepared with NORDIX — nordixhq.com/tools/excavation-calculator
Dig: 30 × 20 × 4 ft (L × W × D) · Soil: Common earth / loam · Truck: 10 yd³/load
| Line item | Quantity | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bank volume (dig) | 88.89 yd³ | In-place (neat-line) volume |
| Loose volume (haul) | 111.11 yd³ | Includes 25% swell |
| Truck loads | 12 loads | At 10 yd³ per load, loose |
Method: neat-line box volume L×W×D; no over-dig, ramps, or sloping included. Swell for Common earth / loam is a typical planning figure — swell 25% (typ 15–30%), shrink 10% (typ 5–15%). Soil factors vary widely; confirm with a geotech before committing haul counts.
How this calculator works
The dig side is pure geometry — a neat-line box volume converted to cubic yards. The haul side applies the soil swell factor, because excavated material gains air voids and occupies more space loose than it did in the ground:
bank yd³ = L × W × D ÷ 27 · loose yd³ = bank × (1 + swell%) · loads = ⌈loose ÷ truck⌉
The geometry is exact; the swell factor is not. Soil swell is an empirical, ranged property — the presets here are typical planning figures (sand/gravel 12%, common earth 25%, clay 30%, blasted rock 50%), each sitting inside a wide published range. For pay quantities or a tight haul budget, confirm the factor with a geotech or a field test on the actual material. Truck loads always divide the loose volume — pricing haul-off by bank yards is the classic way an excavation bid comes up short.
Worked example
A 30 × 20 ft pad cut 4 ft deep in common earth, hauled in 10 yd³ trucks:
- Bank volume: 30 × 20 × 4 = 2,400 ft³ ÷ 27 = 88.89 yd³ to dig.
- Loose volume: 88.89 × 1.25 (25% swell) = 111.11 yd³ on trucks — 22 more yards than the dig suggests.
- Truck loads: 111.11 ÷ 10 = 11.1 → 12 loads (loads always round up). In sand/gravel at 12% swell the same dig hauls as 99.56 yd³ — 10 loads — which is why the soil class is worth getting right.
Enter the same dig above (30 × 20 × 4, common earth, 10 yd³ truck) to reproduce it.
Reference: soil swell factors by class
The calculator’s presets with their typical ranges — swell is a range, never a point value. 100 bank yd³ hauls as the loose volume shown at the default factor; confirm with a geotech for a specific site or soil.
| Soil class | Swell (default) | Typical range | 100 bank yd³ hauls as |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sand / gravel | 12% | 5–18% | 112 yd³ |
| Common earth / loam | 25% | 15–30% | 125 yd³ |
| Clay | 30% | 20–40% | 130 yd³ |
| Rock (blasted) | 50% | 40–65% | 150 yd³ |
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between bank and loose cubic yards?
Bank cubic yards (BCY) measure soil in its natural, undisturbed state in the ground — that is what you dig, and what plans and pay quantities usually reference. Once excavated, the material breaks apart and gains air voids, so the same soil occupies more space as loose cubic yards (LCY) — typically 5–30% more for soils and 40–65% more for blasted rock. Compacted cubic yards (CCY) describe material after placement and compaction, usually less than bank volume. This calculator reports the bank volume you dig and the loose volume you haul.
Do I haul the same number of yards I dig?
No — you dig bank yards but you haul loose yards, and hauling is where the swell hits your cost. A 100 BCY dig in common earth becomes roughly 125 LCY on trucks at a 25% swell factor, which is 25% more truck loads than the neat dig volume suggests. Pricing haul-off by bank volume is one of the most common ways excavation bids come up short.
How much does soil swell when excavated?
It depends on the material and its moisture: sand and gravel typically swell about 5–18%, common earth and loam about 15–30%, clay about 20–40%, and blasted rock 40–65%. This calculator uses mid-range planning defaults — 12% for sand/gravel, 25% for common earth, 30% for clay, 50% for blasted rock. These are ranges, not fixed values; for pay quantities or a tight haul budget, the geotech report or a field test on the actual material governs.
How many truck loads do I need to haul off an excavation?
Divide the loose volume — not the bank volume — by the truck capacity and round up, which is what this calculator does. A typical tandem dump truck carries roughly 10–16 loose cubic yards, but with heavy or wet material the legal weight limit often fills before the box does; loose earth runs very roughly 1 to 1.5 tons per cubic yard depending on soil and moisture. Confirm the real per-load quantity with your hauler before committing to a load count.
Does this calculator account for sloped sides or over-dig?
No — it computes a neat rectangular volume from length × width × depth. Real excavations with laid-back slopes, benching, working room around footings, or over-dig for unsuitable material remove considerably more than the neat volume, so take off the actual excavation geometry for those. Also note that any excavation reaching 5 feet deep falls under OSHA 1926 Subpart P and requires a protective system evaluated by a competent person — and the system chosen (sloping vs. shoring) changes how much dirt you move.
Method: neat-line box volume (L × W × D ÷ 27) with bank → loose conversion at the selected swell factor. The volume excludes laid-back slopes, benching, working room, ramps, and over-dig — real excavations move more than the neat volume, and any excavation reaching 5 ft deep falls under OSHA 1926 Subpart P, where the protective system chosen changes how much dirt you move. Swell percentages are typical planning ranges (typ 5–65% across these classes), not measured values — the geotech report or a field test on the actual material governs pay quantities.
Pair with the Cut & Fill Calculator to balance the site, the Soil Swell & Shrink Calculator for bank/loose/compacted conversions on their own, or the cubic yard calculations chart and dump truck capacity chart for the takeoff methods and real per-load limits.