Excavation calculator: how much dirt will you haul away?
Enter the size of the dig and your soil to get the loose volume to move, a rough weight, and how many dumpster, truck or pickup loads that is.
Enter your measurements
More options: Loose weight
- Rough weight
- 7.28 tons (14,564 lb)
- In the ground (before digging)
- 4.74 cu yd (128 cu ft)
- What limits each load
- Volume — 10 cu yd per dumpster (check the weight limit too)
16 ft × 12 ft = 192 sq ft
192 sq ft × 8 in = 4.74 cu yd in the ground
× 1.28 swell = 6.07 cu yd loose
× 1.2 tons/cu yd loose ≈ 7.28 tons
Loads: Volume — 10 cu yd per dumpster (check the weight limit too) → 1 load
- This dirt weighs roughly 7.28 tons. Roll-off rentals usually have a weight limit, and dirt often reaches it before the dumpster looks full — enter the limit to see the real number of loads.
- Dirt is heavy for its size, so many rental companies take it only in smaller dumpsters, filled no higher than a marked line, with extra charges over the weight limit. Ask before you book, and ask whether clean fill dirt can go to a cheaper place than mixed debris.
- Keep some back if you need it: the same dirt is usually wanted for backfill, grading or low spots. It shrinks again when you tamp it back in.
Dirt to haul away by depth (at the size above)
| Depth to dig | Loose dirt to haul away | Rough weight | Loads |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 in | 3.03 cu yd | 3.64 tons | 1 load |
| 6 in | 4.55 cu yd | 5.46 tons | 1 load |
| 8 in | 6.07 cu yd | 7.28 tons | 1 load |
| 12 in | 9.1 cu yd | 10.9 tons | 1 load |
| 18 in | 13.7 cu yd | 16.4 tons | 2 loads |
| 24 in | 18.2 cu yd | 21.8 tons | 2 loads |
Dig a hole and the dirt that comes out takes up more room than the hole did — loosened soil swells, typically by 10–15% for sand and 25–35% or more for clay.
Why the dirt pile is bigger than the hole
Soil in the ground (engineers call it bank soil) has been packed by years of weight, water and roots. Once a shovel breaks it up, air gets between the lumps and the same dirt takes up more room: that is swell. A 2 cubic yard hole in ordinary topsoil gives you about 2.6 cubic yards of loose dirt to load — and dumpsters, trucks and wheelbarrows all hold loose dirt.
bank volume = area × depth loose volume = bank volume × swell factor weight ≈ loose volume × loose weight per cubic yard loads = the larger of loose volume ÷ load size and weight ÷ weight limit
| Soil | Typical swell | Factor used here |
|---|---|---|
| Clean sand | About 5–15% | 1.12 |
| Gravelly or stony soil | About 15–25% | 1.18 |
| Ordinary topsoil, loam, silt | About 20–30% | 1.28 |
| Clay | About 25–35% typical; measured as high as 50%+ | 1.35 |
Weight: the real limit on most loads
Dirt is heavy. A cubic yard of loose topsoil weighs somewhere around 1.2 tons, and wet clay or sand more. That is why a dumpster full of dirt is usually over its weight limit long before it looks full, and why a pickup bed filled level with soil is overloaded. The calculator works out loads both ways — by volume and by weight — and uses whichever runs out first. The weights are rough typical figures; enter the hauler’s own number under More options if they give you one.
Common digs
- A paver patio: pavers, bedding sand and base usually add up to 7–10 in, plus any sod. The paver calculator works out that depth for your build.
- A shed pad or gravel path: 4–6 in, often less if you only strip the turf — the gravel calculator sizes the stone that goes back in.
- A French drain: a long narrow trench, often 12 in wide and 18–24 in deep — see the French drain calculator.
- A pond or planting holes: pick the circle shape, and use “How many of these” for several holes the same size.
Before you dig
In the US, call 811 a few days before digging so buried utility lines are marked. Plan where the pile goes — on a tarp, away from drains and the edge of the hole — and whether you can keep some for backfill or grading. Clean fill dirt is often wanted by someone nearby, which can save a dumpster altogether.
For what a cubic yard of dirt, stone or sand weighs, see the landscape material weight chart.
What you’ll need
- Square-point transfer shovelBudget price
Flat blade for scooping gravel, soil and sand off a driveway pile — a round shovel leaves too much behind.
See options on Amazon (opens in a new tab) - Wheelbarrow (6 cu ft class)Mid-range price
Most home wheelbarrows hold 4–6 cubic feet — so a cubic yard of mulch is five or six trips. Two wheels are steadier on soft ground.
See options on Amazon (opens in a new tab) - Heavy-duty tarpBudget price
Put it down where the truck dumps: it protects the driveway and makes the last shovelfuls easy to scoop up.
See options on Amazon (opens in a new tab) - Coated work glovesBudget price
Grippy, cut-resistant palms for handling stone, block and bags. Buy a couple of pairs — they wear out fast on concrete block.
See options on Amazon (opens in a new tab)
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Links to products are affiliate links — they cost you nothing extra and help keep these calculators free.
Frequently asked questions
How much does dirt expand when you dig it up?
Typically 10–15% for sandy soil, 20–30% for ordinary topsoil and 25–35% or more for clay. Wisconsin DOT research measured clays swelling anywhere from 26% to 58% between the ground and a loose pile, so treat clay estimates generously.
How many cubic yards of dirt fit in a 10 yard dumpster?
Ten loose cubic yards by volume — but dirt usually hits the weight limit first. At roughly 1.2 tons per loose yard, a full 10 yard dumpster of topsoil is about 12 tons, far more than most rental limits allow, so companies often cap dirt at a fill line or a few tons. Put their weight limit into the calculator.
How much dirt comes out of a 12×16 patio dug 8 inches deep?
About 4.7 cubic yards in the ground, which is about 6.1 loose cubic yards of ordinary topsoil to haul away — roughly 7.3 tons.
How much dirt can a half-ton pickup carry?
Roughly half to three-quarters of a cubic yard at best. A loose yard of topsoil weighs around 1.2 tons (2,400 lb), and many half-ton pickups are rated for somewhere around 1,500–2,000 lb of people plus cargo. Check the label on the door jamb.
Related guides
Sources
- Wisconsin DOT research report 0092-22-05 — Weight-Volume Relationships and Conversion Factors for Soils and Aggregates (2024) (opens in a new tab) — WisDOT typical expansion values (clean sands 10–15%, silty sands 15–25%, silts 20–30%, clays 25–35%); measured bank-to-loose expansion (clean sands 4–8%, sands with gravel 16–23%, silts 27%, clays 26–58%); Burch (1997) swell factors reproduced in Appendix C (dry sand 1.13, damp gravel 1.14, dirt 1.28–1.32, dry clay 1.31).