Pick the dig type, enter dimensions, set soil swell and truck size bank yards, loose yards, and loads update live.
Rectangular-prism volume (L × W × D). For sloped-side digs such as ponds, enter average length and width.
Swell = how much the soil expands once dug. Loose yards ÷ truck capacity = loads.
Haul truck capacity
Dump truck loads to haul
2
LOADS
Bill of materials+0% waste
Bank volume (in-situ)
L × W × D ÷ 27 what you pay to dig
Net 13.33 cu yd · Waste —
Loose volume (+25% swell)
Common earth / clay what you pay to haul
Net 16.67 cu yd · Waste +25%
Truckloads 10-yd trucks
Heaped loads, rounded up
Net 16.67 cu yd loose · Waste —
Cost projection
Saved on this device · No account · No cloud
Total · $886.62
2 loads
Bank cubic yards (L × W × D ÷ 27) is the in-situ volume you pay to dig; loose cubic yards add the swell factor what you pay to haul.
Pick the dig type, enter dimensions, set soil swell and truck size bank yards, loose yards, and loads update live.
Common earth swells about 25%, sand/gravel 15%, and dense wet clay or rock 35%. Ignoring swell is the classic way to under-order trucks.
Truckloads round up on heaped capacity: a 10-yd tandem legally hauls about 10 loose yards, so 47 loose yards needs 5 loads.
Loose yd = bank yd × (1 + swell%)
Bank cubic yards = length × width × depth (ft) ÷ 27. That is the in-situ volume you dig; multiply by (1 + swell%) to get the loose yards you actually haul.
A 60x2x3 ft trench is 13.3 bank cubic yards (60 × 2 × 3 ÷ 27). In common earth with 25% swell that becomes 16.7 loose yards — two 10-yard tandem loads.
Swell is how much soil expands once dug: about 25% for common earth and clay, 15% for sand and gravel, and 35% for dense wet clay or rock. You dig bank yards but you haul loose yards.
A tandem dump truck hauls about 10 cubic yards, a tri-axle about 14, and an end dump about 18 — all measured in loose (swelled) yards, heaped.
Divide your loose cubic yards by the truck's heaped capacity and round up. For example, 47 loose yards needs 5 loads in a 10-yard tandem.
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