Excavation Calculator: Volume, Spoil, Swell & Truck Loads

How to use

Toggle between Imperial and Metric units, enter the excavation length, width, and depth, then supply the estimated truck capacity. Adjust the swell and shrink factors to capture how the soil will expand or compact. Click Calculate or let the form auto-refresh to read the converted volumes and required truck count.

• Select units so the dimensions match your drawings or site measurements.
• Log the in-situ dimensions (bank volume) using feet or meters, depending on the unit system.
• Supply a reasonable swell factor (soil expands after digging) and shrink factor (compaction for fill).
• Enter the hauling truck capacity in the same unit system to estimate trailer count.
• Review the spoil, compact fill, and truck-load outputs to plan logistics and disposal.

Methodology

The engine multiplies the three excavation dimensions to compute the bank volume, converts to cubic yards or cubic meters, applies the swell and shrink percentages, and finally divides the expanded spoil volume by the truck capacity to determine the number of loads (rounded up to the next whole truck).

• Imperial inputs convert cubic feet to cubic yards by dividing by 27.
• Metric inputs report volumes directly in cubic meters with liters as the alt representation.
• Truck loads always round up since you cannot schedule a fractional truck.