Excavation cost per cubic yard: how to price it

A cost per cubic yard is an answer, not a starting point. To price excavation, build the number from your own costs: the machine hours to dig it, the trucks to move it, the disposal or fill, the labor, and your markup. Add that up for the whole job, then divide by the bank yards. Published per-yard ranges are only useful as a sanity check, because they measure different things.

Why the published ranges disagree

Search for a per-yard price and you will find wide ranges that do not match. As examples of what is out there, HomeGuide publishes an average of $2.50 to $15 per yard, while Angi and HomeAdvisor describe $50 to $200 per yard on whole-project bids. These are third-party figures as we saw them on 2026-11-11, and we have not verified them, and we do not recommend any of them. The gap makes sense once you ask what each one counts:

• Dig only. A machine takes material out of the ground and puts it in a pile.
• Dig and haul. The dig, plus trucks, drivers and a dump location.
• Finished grade. Dig, haul, fill, compaction and cleanup, ready for the next trade.

Soil type, rock, access, haul distance and minimum charges move the number again. A rate with no scope behind it is a guess. Yours should come with a scope.

Step 1: get the yards right

Volume in cubic yards is length times width times depth, all in feet, divided by 27. That gives bank yards, the yards as they sit in the ground. Run it for every part of the dig. The dirt calculator does the arithmetic for a simple shape, the trench calculator handles trenches, and the pond dig calculator covers a sloped basin. If you are bringing material back in, the fill dirt calculator works out the other direction.

Step 2: swell to loose yards

Dug soil takes more room than it did in the ground. Trucks and haul-off are counted in loose yards, not bank yards. How much it swells depends on the soil. The trench calculator starts at 25 percent as a default only, and tells you to use your own number. The bank versus loose yards page explains it, and spoil versus fill covers why the pile never quite goes back in the hole.

Step 3: build it up from your costs

Here is one worked example. These are made-up round numbers to show the method, not industry data and not a price to quote. Replace every one of them with yours.

Example job: a basement dig of 40 by 30 feet, 8 feet deep, hauled off site.

• Bank yards: 40 x 30 x 8 = 9,600 cubic feet, divided by 27 is about 356 yards.
• Swell at an example 25 percent: about 445 loose yards.
• Truck size in this example: 12 loose yards. Loads: 445 / 12 = 37.1, so 38 loads.
• Machine production in this example: 60 bank yards per hour while the trucks keep up. Digging time: about 6 hours, plus setup and cleanup, say 8 machine hours.
• Cost per machine hour in this example: $150. Machine cost: 8 x $150 = $1,200.
• Trucking in this example: $110 per hour per truck, 1 hour per round trip on a short haul, 38 loads. Trucking: 38 x $110 = $4,180.
• Dump or disposal in this example: $5 per load. 38 x $5 = $190.
• Labor in this example: 2 people for 8 hours at a $45 loaded rate. 2 x 8 x $45 = $720.

Costs in this example total $6,290. At an example 20 percent markup that is about $7,548. Divided by 356 bank yards, the job comes to roughly $21 per yard. Change the haul to a longer trip, add rock, or move the dump to the next county, and that number changes fast. That is the whole point: the per-yard figure comes out at the end, and it only holds for that job.

For your machine hour, work out what the machine really costs you using the equipment cost per hour page. For trucking, see pricing trucking and haul-off, how many yards are in a dump truck, and how many trucks per excavator. For markup, read the overhead and markup guide.

What moves the price

• Soil or rock. Hard digging slows the machine and wears the bucket. Put a rock clause in the bid so you are paid for it when it shows up.
• Haul distance. Every extra mile adds time for every truck, on every load.
• Access. Tight lots, soft ground and long carries cost time. Moving the machines in and out is its own cost, covered in what is mobilization.
• Special disposal. If the soil is contaminated or needs special handling, get the disposal quote in writing before you bid. Do not guess a number for it.
• Minimums. A small dig still costs a mobilization and a day of setup. Set a minimum charge so a 20-yard job does not lose money.

For linear work, the utility trenching per foot guide uses the same build-up. The overall method for the whole bid is in how to bid excavation jobs.

Check it after the job

The only way to learn your real cost per yard is to measure it. Log the yards moved each day, with the machine hours and trucks, and compare it to what you bid. If you bid 60 yards an hour and moved 45, the next bid should change. TrackOver lets you log the quantity each day and see it next to the budget, which is what job budget tracking and job costing reports are for.

When you want to track yards against your bids on a real job, start the 7-day free trial.

Common questions

How much does excavation cost per cubic yard? It depends on what is included, the soil, the haul and the minimums. Public ranges vary widely because they count different things. Build your own from machine, trucks, disposal, labor and markup, then divide by the bank yards.

How do I turn bank yards into truckloads? Multiply by one plus your swell to get loose yards, divide by the truck's loose capacity, and round up.

Should I quote per yard or a flat price? A flat price is simpler for a clear scope. Per-yard pricing is fairer when the quantity is uncertain, as long as the scope behind the unit price is written down.

What minimum should I charge? Enough to cover moving the machine, one day of setup and your overhead. Work it out from your own costs rather than copying a number.

Do I charge for yards in the ground or yards in the truck? Say which in the proposal. Digging is usually measured in bank yards and hauling in loose yards, and confusing the two is how bids lose money.