Excavation Calculator – Bank m³ & Truck Loads

Excavation math has two volumes: the bank volume you dig (pit length × width × depth, plus side slopes on deep digs) and the loose volume you haul, after the soil swells - clay expands about 30%, sand 10-12%, mixed ground 20-25%. Trucking is priced on loose cubic meters: a standard dump truck carries 10-14 m³, a tri-axle up to 20. Worked example: a 10 × 8 × 1.5 m basement pit is 120 m³ bank; in clay that swells to 156 loose m³ - thirteen 12 m³ truck loads. Always separate topsoil (10-30 cm, reusable), and check OSHA-style sloping or shoring before anyone enters a trench over 1.5 m deep.

1. 1

   Take dimensions

   Note the pit dimensions and soil type for the area you are covering or filling.

2. 2

   Run the calculation

   The calculator applies Loose Volume = Bank Volume × (1 + Swell %); Loads = Loose m³ ÷ Truck m³ the moment you type.

3. 3

   Check the breakdown

   Compare base quantity and waste-adjusted totals side by side.

4. 4

   Plan the purchase

   Use the final figure to price and schedule the delivery.

• Compacting thick lifts

• Forgetting stripping topsoil

• Under-ordering by truck