Answer: Enter your values and the Excavation Calculator returns the exact result instantly — formula, worked example, and a plain-English explanation are included below the tool.
Cubic yards to remove, truck loads & haul-off cost
This excavation calculator converts a dig's dimensions into bank cubic yards (the undisturbed volume in the ground), loose cubic yards (the larger volume soil occupies once dug up and loaded), truck loads, estimated weight, and haul-off cost. Enter length × width × depth, a swell factor, truck capacity, and price per load — the tool handles the unit conversions earthwork estimators use daily.
The core conversions: 1 cubic yard = 27 cubic feet, so bank cubic yards = (length × width × depth in feet) ÷ 27. Soil expands when excavated — typical swell factors run 20–30% for common soils — so loose cubic yards = bank cubic yards × (1 + swell). Weight is estimated at roughly 1.2 short tons per loose cubic yard (about 2,400 lb/yd³), consistent with the 2,000–3,000 lb/yd³ range published for mixed loose soil and gravel.
This page explains each step, provides a soil-type reference table for swell factors and weights, works an example, and answers frequent estimating questions.
Volume: cubic feet = length × width × depth, then bank cubic yards = ft³ ÷ 27. The calculator defaults reflect a typical trench or footing dig, but the same math applies to pools, basements, and foundation pads.
Swell: soil breaks apart when dug, increasing volume by its swell percentage. Loose yards = bank yards × (1 + swell ÷ 100). You buy trucking by loose yards, and you order backfill or estimate fill by loose yards too — with a compaction (shrink) factor on the way back into the hole.
Loads and cost: loads = ceil(loose yards ÷ truck capacity), rounded up because haulers bill whole trucks. Weight: loose yards × 1.2 tons, useful for checking hauler payload limits — a 10-yard single-axle dump at ~12 tons of soil is at its legal edge in most U.S. states. Cost: loads × price per load. Depth entry deserves care: measure at several points and use the average, since most digs slope for drainage or follow uneven grade. For trenches, remember that OSHA requires protective systems — sloping, shoring, or a trench box — at 5 feet of depth or more, a rule that also widens your actual cut at the top and therefore increases your true volume beyond the simple rectangle.
Pricing haul-off per load, as this calculator does, keeps arithmetic honest but check your hauler's actual billing: many quote per load with a minimum, others per hour for the truck. Either way the load count above is the number you negotiate around, and adding one contingency load to the printed figure is cheap insurance against an unexpected muck layer at the bottom of the dig.
The table below lists typical swell factors and loose unit weights used in earthwork estimating, consistent with values published in construction reference handbooks (e.g., Caterpillar's Earthmoving Data and standard estimator's references). Actual values vary with moisture content — wet soil is both heavier and less swell-prone than the same soil dry.
Pick the row closest to your material, enter its swell percentage in the calculator, and adjust the truck size to match your hauler: 10 yd³ single-axle, 15 yd³ tandem, 20+ yd³ transfer trailers are common. Moisture deserves a final flag for both weight and behavior. A dry clay pit at 2,200 lb/yd³ can jump past 3,000 after rain, and saturated soil also sticks to truck beds, effectively shrinking each load's capacity. Experienced estimators add a weather contingency: either haul while dry, or plan on roughly one extra load per ten when working wet ground.
| Soil type | Swell factor | Loose weight (lb/yd³) | Tons per loose yd³ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sand / gravel (dry) | 10–15% | 2,600–3,000 | 1.3–1.5 |
| Sand / gravel (wet) | 10–15% | 3,000–3,400 | 1.5–1.7 |
| Loam / topsoil | 20–25% | 2,000–2,300 | 1.0–1.15 |
| Clay (dry) | 25–35% | 2,200–2,600 | 1.1–1.3 |
| Clay (wet) | 25–35% | 2,700–3,200 | 1.35–1.6 |
| Rock (blasted) | 50–70% | 2,700–3,500 | 1.35–1.75 |
| Default (mixed soil) | 25% | ~2,400 | 1.2 |
A 30 ft × 12 ft pool dig, 5 ft deep: volume = 30 × 12 × 5 = 1,800 ft³ = 66.7 bank cubic yards (÷27). With 25% swell: 66.7 × 1.25 ≈ 83.3 loose yards. Loads: ceil(83.3 ÷ 10) = 9 single-axle trucks. Weight: 83.3 × 1.2 ≈ 100 tons to haul. At $350 per load, haul-off is 9 × $350 = $3,150.
If the same material were hardpan clay at 35% swell, loose volume becomes ~90 yards — ceil(90 ÷ 10) = 10 loads, a 12% cost increase from soil type alone. That is why estimators always classify soil before quoting. Backfill math mirrors excavation: the same 66.7 bank yards, re-compacted, occupies less volume than the loose pile you bought — typically 10 to 15% less after compaction. If you are hauling material in rather than out, run the calculator twice, once for the dig and once for the fill, and expect the two answers to differ by the swell and shrink factors even for identical hole geometry.
How do I convert cubic feet to cubic yards for excavation?
Divide cubic feet by 27. A 20 × 10 × 4 ft pit is 800 ft³ = 29.6 bank cubic yards. Then multiply by (1 + swell) to get loose yards, because soil expands 10–35% when dug depending on type.
What is a swell factor?
The percentage by which soil increases in volume when excavated from its compacted in-ground state. Loam runs 20–25%, clay 25–35%, blasted rock 50%+. Loose (hauled) yards = bank yards × (1 + swell). This calculator's default is 25% for mixed soil.
How much does a cubic yard of excavated soil weigh?
Mixed loose soil averages about 2,400 lb (1.2 short tons) per cubic yard; wet clay can reach 3,200 lb. The calculator estimates haul weight at 1.2 tons per loose yard — for wet material, assume heavier loads or fewer yards per truck.
How many truck loads will my excavation need?
Divide loose cubic yards by truck capacity and round up. The 83 loose yards from a 30×12×5 ft dig fills ceil(83 ÷ 10) = 9 ten-yard single-axle trucks, or 6 fifteen-yard tandems.
What is the difference between bank cubic yards and loose cubic yards?
Bank yards measure soil in place, undisturbed, in the ground — the volume your hole occupies. Loose yards measure the same soil after digging, when it has swelled and sits fluffed in a truck or stockpile. You dig bank yards but you haul and pay for loose yards.