Cut & Fill Calculator — ft, yd³ (Slope Grading)

How to Calculate Cut & Fill Volumes

Pick the method that matches your survey data. Simple applies one uniform cut or fill depth over a rectangular pad — handy for a driveway lift or a building pad strip. Two-Point compares existing grade against finished grade along a length and automatically splits the prism at the crossover where cut turns to fill. Grid averages four corner spot elevations, the field shortcut for the average-end-area method. Bank (in-place) volumes are reported separately for cut and fill so you can plan balanced earthwork before ordering haul-off or import.

Formulas

Simple: volume = plan area × signed depth. Two-point: the linear depth-difference prism is integrated and split at its zero crossing. Four-corner grid: the rectangle is divided along the NW–SE diagonal into two linear triangles; positive and negative portions are integrated separately so cut and fill do not cancel. Cut is reported as bank cubic yards (BCY); fill demand is compacted cubic yards (CCY).

Loose excavated cut = BCY cut × (1 + entered swell). Loose import = CCY fill / (1 − entered compaction shrink). Loads by volume = ceil(LCY / entered loose yd³ per load). Payload weight, reuse suitability, moisture, stripping, overexcavation and haul routing require separate project inputs.

Swell & Shrink Factors

Excavated soil bulks up: sand/gravel 10–20%, loam/topsoil 20–30%, clay 30–40%, shale 35–45%, rock 40–60%. Compacted structural fill shrinks 10–20% from bank volume, so imported fill is usually under-estimated if you ignore compaction — confirm import quantities with the fill & backfill calculator. For trench grading, add over-dig per the OSHA Type C slope and a 5–10% waste allowance.

Where this fits on site

Use this tool for the rough mass-haul balance, then size the dig with the excavation volume & cost calculator. Surplus cut hauled off or aggregate brought in is priced by the ton with the gravel & aggregate calculator, and any stripped topsoil to respread is tracked in the topsoil & mulch calculator. Once subgrade is set, pads carry into the concrete slab calculator.

On the jobsite

Three numbers move earthwork bids in 2025 USA. Haul-off runs $12–25 per loose yd³ within 20 miles of a dump; tipping fees add $8–18/ton. Imported structural fill trucked in is $18–35/ton delivered, and you need 10–20% more loose than the finished hole because of compaction — the row above sizes that order. The #1 estimator miss on residential cut & fill: forgetting the topsoil strip (typically 4–6″ off the whole footprint, hauled or stockpiled) before counting the structural cut underneath. OSHA 29 CFR 1926 Subpart P sets the trench / cut slope (Type C soil = 1½H:1V) — add that over-dig to anything deeper than 4 ft before pricing the haul.

FAQ

Bank vs loose volume? Bank is undisturbed in-place soil — what you pay an earthwork sub to excavate. Loose is the bulked-up volume on trucks after excavation, which is what sizes haul-off. Why is net not zero on a balanced site? Bank cut equals bank fill at balance, but loose haul still moves; the swell factor only scales hauling, not the bank quantities. How many trucks? Based on a standard 10 yd³ tandem dump on loose material — lower the divisor mentally for a 12 yd³ truck or articulated hauler.