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Excavation projects are typically quoted and hauled by the cubic yard, not cubic feet — converting your dig site's dimensions into cubic yards (and a rough truck load count) helps with both budgeting and scheduling.
This calculator finds the volume of a rectangular excavation from its length, width, and depth, in both cubic feet and cubic yards, plus an estimated number of truck loads.
How it works
Enter the length, width, and depth of your excavation area. The tool multiplies the three together for cubic feet, divides by 27 for cubic yards, then divides by a standard 10-cubic-yard truck capacity (rounded up) to estimate truck loads.
- Enter length (ft).
- Enter width (ft).
- Enter depth (ft).
- Click Calculate to see your results.
Examples
A 20×10×4 ft excavation
A 20 ft × 10 ft × 4 ft excavation comes to about 29.6 cubic yards — roughly 3 standard truck loads.
Who should use it
- Estimating excavation volume before a construction, landscaping, or pool project.
- Budgeting for hauling costs based on an estimated truck load count.
Industry applications
- Excavation and earthwork contracting
- Residential construction and landscaping
Advantages
- Quick way to estimate both volume and rough truck load count in one calculation.
- Uses the standard cubic yard unit for excavation work.
Limitations
- Doesn't account for soil bulking/expansion after excavation, or irregular (non-rectangular) dig shapes.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Forgetting that excavated soil expands (bulks up) once dug — the in-ground volume calculated here is smaller than the loose, hauled volume, which can be 15-30% more depending on soil type.
- Assuming every hauling truck holds exactly 10 cubic yards, when actual capacity varies by vehicle.
Best practices
- Add a soil expansion (bulking) allowance of roughly 15-30% when estimating hauling volume, since excavated soil takes up more space once removed from the ground than it did in place.
Tips
- For irregular dig shapes, break the area into simpler rectangular sections, calculate each separately, and add the volumes together.