Snow pile and hauling calculator

Multiply the plowed area in square feet by the snow depth in inches, divide by 12 for cubic feet, then by 27 for cubic yards. A one acre lot, about 43,560 square feet, with 6 inches of snow is about 21,780 cubic feet, or roughly 807 cubic yards, before it packs down in the pile.

Divide the pile volume by the pile height to get the footprint of a square-sided block, then allow more because a real pile slopes. A mound with sloped sides holds roughly half what a box of the same footprint and height would, so a common rule of thumb is to plan about twice the block footprint. Plowed snow packs down, so the real pile is usually smaller than the fresh snow volume.

Divide the snow volume in cubic yards by what each truck carries per load. Capacity depends on the truck and whether the snow is loose or packed, so use the yards your own trucks actually haul. Round up, because a partial load is still a trip.

Somewhere that does not block drainage, fire hydrants, accessible parking or the sight lines at entrances and exits, and on the low side of the lot so meltwater does not run back across the pavement and refreeze. Agree the pile locations with the property before the season, not during the first storm.

When the piles would take up parking the property needs, block sight lines, or simply stop fitting. On a tight lot in a heavy winter, the calculator's percent of lot used by piles is the number to watch: once piles are eating a large share of the spaces, hauling or relocating snow starts to cost less than the lost parking.