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Excavation Calculator
Dirt gets bigger when you dig it. This gives you the in-ground volume, the loose volume you actually have to haul, and how many truckloads that is.
Your numbers
Result
Loose volume to haul
222.22
cubic yards
- In-ground volumeBank measure
- 177.78cubic yards
- Truckloads
- 19loads
- Approximate weight
- 240tons
- Volume
- 4,800cubic feet
- Footprint
- 1,200sq ft
- Compacted backfill to refill
- 156.44cubic yards
How this is calculated
- Bank volume = length × width × depth ÷ 27. This is the hole as it sits in the ground.
- Loose volume = bank × (1 + swell). Excavated material expands, and the loose figure is what fills trucks.
- Truckloads = loose volume ÷ truck capacity, rounded up.
Before you order
- Call 811 before you dig. It is free, it is the law in every state, and hitting a gas or electric line is the mistake on this page that can kill someone.
- Bank, loose and compacted are three different volumes for the same dirt. Quote hauling in loose yards and backfill in compacted yards, or the numbers will not reconcile.
- Trench safety is regulated: OSHA requires protection at 5 ft and above, and trench collapse is one of the deadliest hazards in construction.
- Excavation near a foundation, a slope or a property line has rules of its own that a volume figure does not address.
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