Cut and Fill Calculator: Earthwork Balance, Haul-Off and Import
Balance a grading job: cut and fill volumes from zone areas and average depths or from a grid of cut/fill depths (borrow-pit method), with soil swell and compaction shrinkage, bank, loose and compacted volumes, the soil to haul off or import, truckloads, haul cost and the grade change that balances the site.
How it works
cut (bank) = cut area × average cut depth · fill (compacted) = fill area × average fill depth · grid: V = cell area ÷ 4 × Σ(weight × depth), weight 1 corner, 2 edge, 4 inside · bank soil for fill = fill ÷ (1 − shrinkage) · net = cut − bank for fill · loose haul or import = |net| × (1 + swell) · cu yd = cu ft ÷ 27
Earthwork is measured three ways. Bank volume is soil as it lies in the ground, loose volume is the same soil dug up and in the truck (bigger by the swell), and compacted volume is soil packed into a fill (usually smaller by the shrinkage). Cut is a bank volume and fill is a compacted volume, so before you compare them the fill is converted to the bank soil it needs: fill ÷ (1 − shrinkage). The difference is the surplus to haul off, or the shortfall to bring in, and multiplying it by (1 + swell) gives the loose volume and the truckloads. With the zone method you enter the area and average depth of the cut and fill zones. With the grid method you enter the cut (+) or fill (−) depth at each point of a square grid, the difference between existing ground and finished grade, and the calculator applies the borrow-pit method: each point is weighted by the number of cells it touches. It also finds how far the whole finished grade would have to be raised or lowered for the cut to supply exactly the fill, which is the cheapest design when the site has room to move. Pick a soil type to use typical swell and shrinkage, or enter your own.
Worked example
Cutting 800 sq ft by 12 in gives 800 × 1 ÷ 27 = 29.63 cu yd of bank soil; filling 400 sq ft by 6 in needs 400 × 0.5 ÷ 27 = 7.41 cu yd compacted. With 10% shrinkage that fill takes 7.41 ÷ 0.90 = 8.23 cu yd of bank soil, so the surplus is 29.63 − 8.23 = 21.40 cu yd bank, or 21.40 × 1.25 = 26.75 cu yd loose after 25% swell: 3 loads in a 10 cu yd tandem dump truck.
Sources: Cut and fill calculator (zone, grid and end-area modes) — calculator.academy · Soil and rock bulking (swell) factors — The Engineering ToolBox
Frequently asked questions
What is soil swell?
When you dig soil it loosens and takes up more room than it did in the ground, typically 20 to 30% for common earth, up to 40% for clay and 40 to 80% for blasted rock. That loose volume is what fills the trucks, so haul-off is priced on it.
What is soil shrinkage?
The opposite effect when soil is placed and compacted in a fill: it ends up denser than it was in the ground, usually 5 to 20% smaller than its bank volume. So 1 cu yd of compacted fill needs more than 1 cu yd of cut. Rock is the exception and bulks even when compacted.
Why do cut and fill volumes not cancel exactly?
Because cut is measured in the ground and fill after compaction. A site where the cut equals the fill on the plans still comes up short by the shrinkage, which is why this calculator converts the fill to bank soil before taking the difference.
How do I estimate average depth?
Take depth readings on a grid and average them, or split the site into zones of similar depth. For more accuracy switch to the grid method and enter every reading; each point is weighted by how many grid cells it touches.
How many cubic yards in a dump truck?
A single-axle dump truck carries about 5 to 6 cu yd, a tandem about 10 to 14 cu yd and a semi end dump 18 to 22 cu yd of loose soil, limited by weight with wet clay or rock. Enter your hauler’s capacity under More options.
How do I balance cut and fill?
Raise or lower the finished grade until the cut supplies exactly the compacted fill. In the grid method the calculator solves for that grade change; on real projects the balance is then checked against drainage slopes and floor levels.
Related calculators
Estimates only — add for waste and confirm against local building codes and supplier specs.