Dirt calculator
Cubic yards, estimated tons, and truckloads from length, width, and depth. Built by people who order this stuff for a living.
Pro habit: order about 4.1 yd³ (10% cushion for settling, spillage, and uneven grade).
Weights are common industry approximations; moisture and compaction change them, so confirm tonnage with your supplier before ordering. Excavated material also swells 20 to 30 percent when dug, so hauling off a hole takes more truck than filling one.
More free calculators:
TrackOver runs dirt-work companies: jobs, crews, stamped site photos, machine hours, and billing in one place. Built inside a working excavation company.
To work out how much dirt you need, multiply length by width by depth in feet and divide by 27: that is cubic yards. Dirt runs roughly 1.00 tons per cubic yard as a common approximation (Topsoil (loose) at about 2,000 lb per cubic yard), and moisture and mix move that, so confirm with your supplier. Order about 10 percent over the calculated number for compaction, spillage and uneven grade.
The number above assumes a few things about how this material behaves in the ground.
Common questions
How do I calculate how much dirt I need?
Multiply length by width by depth in feet, then divide by 27 to get cubic yards. This dirt calculator does it for you: enter length and width in feet and depth in inches, and it returns cubic yards, estimated tons, and truckloads. Add about 10 percent for compaction, spillage, and uneven grade.
How many tons is a cubic yard of dirt?
Dirt runs roughly 1.00 tons per cubic yard as a common industry approximation (Topsoil (loose) at about 2,000 lb/yd³). Moisture and material change this, so confirm the exact conversion with your supplier.
Is this dirt calculator free?
Yes. It is a free tool from TrackOver, software built inside a working excavation company for contractors who move dirt. No signup required to use it.
TrackOver keeps the job, the photos, the hours and the invoice in one place, on the office screen and every crew phone.
Try TrackOver free7-day free trial, no card needed. See how it works
See how TrackOver runs the job for: