Dirt and Fill Dirt Calculator
Enter the size of a low spot, a trench or a pad and the depth it will be after compaction, and get the loose cubic yards to order, with the allowance and the working shown. An area that is not a rectangle can be drawn with Draw a shape.
Estimates for planning, not professional advice. Read the full notice.
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Area: shape and size
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Keys
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- Area
- 96 ft²
- Perimeter
- 40 ft
- Cut-out edges
No area until the shape is fixed.
Estimate for planning, from what you entered and the product data shown. Check product labels and your supplier before you buy.
Shape: Rectangle Change
Sides
Corners
Cut-outs
Feet and inches, like 12' 6"
Example: a low spot
2 yd³ to order (1.78 yd³ exact)
- Volume in place, compacted 1.78 yd³
- Loose cubic yards to order 1.78 yd³
- Cubic yards at the supplier's step 2 yd³
Your project
Enter a size to see your total.
Each product is rounded up once for the whole project, so the total can be less than the items bought alone added together. A line counted from a cut layout (sheets, boards or tiles laid out piece by piece) is counted for each item and added.
Shopping list
| Item | Size | Buy |
|---|---|---|
| Dirt by the cubic yard | 1 yd³ | 2 yd³ |
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Worked example: a low spot
Show the working
- Area 12 ft × 8 ft = 96 ft²
- Volume in place, at the depth after compaction 96 ft² × 6 in = 48 ft³
- Loose volume: add the compaction allowance 48 ft³ + 0 % allowance = 48 ft³
- Add the waste allowance, once 48 ft³ + 0 % waste = 48 ft³
- Cubic yards: divide by the cubic feet in a yard 48 ft³ ÷ 27 ft³ in a yd³ = 1.78 yd³
- Round up once, to the supplier's step 1.78 yd³ = 2 yd³
Assumptions
The figures behind the example. Sourced figures link to their source below; a default is a starting value to check against your label or supplier.
| Assumption | Value | Details and changes |
|---|---|---|
| Compaction allowance (loose = compacted x (1 + this / 100)) | 0% | |
| Default No allowance unless you enter one. Kafka's DG specification says 25; WisDOT measured 27 to 60 for graded base. Check your label or supplier. | ||
| Landscape waste or overage | 0% | |
| Default No silent overage. Check your label or supplier. | ||
| Supplier's smallest yard step | 0.5 yd³ | |
| Default Suppliers sell bulk in steps. Check your label or supplier. | ||
| Dump truck load | 12 yd³[1] | |
| Default TxDOT: single-axle trucks normally carry 6 yd3, tandem-axle trucks usually 12 or 14. | ||
| Fill dirt weight (the source does not say loose or compacted) | 0.8 ton/yd³[2] | |
| Default New Mexico EMNRD's factor for fill dirt. | ||
| Fill dirt weight at New Mexico EMNRD (the source does not say loose or compacted) | 0.8 ton/yd³[2] | |
| New Mexico EMNRD gives short tons per cubic yard of commodity production: gravel (1/4 in to 2 in) 1.42, sand 1.45, top soil 0.8, fill dirt 0.8, base course 1.25. The table does not say whether the yard is loose or compacted. | ||
Feet and inches, like 12' 6"
Loose volume at each allowance
The example low spot ordered loose at the default allowance and at each source's figure
| Allowance and its scope | As the source states it | As extra loose volume | Yards in place | Loose yards | Loose yards at the step | Tons at the fill dirt weight | Dump truck loads |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Default: none unless you enter one | 0 % allowance | 0 % allowance | 1.78 yd³ | 1.78 yd³ | 2 yd³ | 1.42 tons | 1 |
| Kafka Granite, decomposed granite pathways, share of the material depth | approx. 25% (per Kafka Granite's specification, checked Nov 12, 2026) | 25 % allowance | 1.78 yd³ | 2.22 yd³ | 2.5 yd³ | 1.78 tons | 1 |
| WisDOT, graded base aggregate, low end of its range | 27% | 27 % allowance | 1.78 yd³ | 2.26 yd³ | 2.5 yd³ | 1.81 tons | 1 |
| FHWA, new gravel road layer, reduction in volume of at least this much (context only) | 30% | 42.86 % allowance | 1.78 yd³ | 2.54 yd³ | 3 yd³ | 2.03 tons | 1 |
Product names are trademarks of their owners. HoneyDoMath is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by these makers. Figures come from each maker's published sheets and are shown for information only.
The calculator starts with no allowance. Kafka's figure is that company's decomposed granite specification and WisDOT's is for graded base aggregate, not for soil. FHWA gives a reduction in volume for a gravel road layer, shown here as the extra loose volume it equals, for context only.
Common jobs
Fill for common jobs: yards in place, loose yards at the default allowance, tons and dump truck loads
| Job (size × depth after compaction) | Yards in place | Loose yards at the default allowance | Tons at the fill dirt weight | Dump truck loads |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trench backfill 40 ft × 12 in × 3 ft | 4.44 yd³ | 4.44 yd³ | 3.56 tons | 1 |
| Low spot 15 ft × 10 ft × 4 in | 1.85 yd³ | 1.85 yd³ | 1.48 tons | 1 |
| Pad 12 ft × 12 ft × 8 in | 3.56 yd³ | 3.56 yd³ | 2.84 tons | 1 |
Each row is worked out on its own at the default allowance in the assumptions; enter an allowance to see the loose volume grow.
Questions
How much extra dirt should I order for compaction?
Material delivered loose takes up more room than it does once it is compacted in place, so the volume to order is larger than the volume you measure. The calculator applies one allowance, which you can change in the assumptions, and starts with none. The allowances table shows the figures Kafka Granite, WisDOT and FHWA publish, each for its own material, and none of them is a figure for ordinary soil.
What is the difference between fill dirt and topsoil?
The only source used here is the New Mexico EMNRD table, which lists fill dirt and top soil as separate materials with their own weight factors and does not say whether either is loose or compacted. The topsoil calculator on this site starts from its own depth and weight.
How many truck loads of dirt is that?
The allowances table divides the loose cubic yards by the dump truck load in the assumptions and rounds up once to whole loads. The calculator itself gives cubic yards, not loads. TxDOT says single-axle dump trucks normally carry a smaller load and tandem-axle trucks a larger one, so enter the load your hauler gives you.
Sources (5)
-
Seal Coat and Surface Treatment Manual, Section 5: Haul Trucks, Size (opens in new tab), Texas Department of Transportation, web manual page, undated.
Code or government.
“The single-axle trucks normally carry 6 cubic yards of aggregate. The bed capacity for tandem-axle trucks is usually 12 or 14 cubic yards.”
Checked November 12, 2026. Figures and codes change; verify with the source. Back to where this is used (Source 1) -
Conversion Factors for Construction Materials and Common Minerals (opens in new tab), New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department, Mining and Minerals Division, undated one-page table, adapted from BLM H-3890-1 Handbook for Mineral Examiners.
Code or government.
“To convert cubic yards to short tons, multiply the commodity production cubic yardage by the conversion factors listed below. ... Base course 1.25 ... Fill Dirt 0.8 ... Gravel ¼" – 2" 1.42 ... Sand 1.45 ... Top Soil 0.8”
Checked November 12, 2026. Figures and codes change; verify with the source. Back to where this is used (Source 2) -
Stabilized Pathway Specification, Section 32 15 40 (opens in new tab), Kafka Granite LLC, uploaded April 2023.
Manufacturer data.
“c. Allow for approximately 25% of material depth for compaction.”
Per Kafka Granite's specification, checked Nov 12, 2026. Figures and codes change; verify with the source. Back to where this is used (Source 3) -
Weight-Volume Relationships and Conversion Factors for Soils and Aggregates of Wisconsin (WisDOT ID G22-05 / 0092-22-05) (opens in new tab), Wisconsin Department of Transportation (Michigan State University and University of Wisconsin-Madison), December 2023, executive summary.
Code or government.
“Conversion factors for aggregates ranged between 1.50 and 1.98 and expansion factors ranged between 27% and 60%.”
Checked November 12, 2026. Figures and codes change; verify with the source. Back to where this is used (Source 4) -
Gravel Roads Construction & Maintenance Guide (FHWA-OTS-15-0002), Section 3.19 Calculating Quantity (opens in new tab), Federal Highway Administration / South Dakota LTAP (K. Skorseth), August 2015; guide p. 71.
Code or government.
“Material in the stockpile or in trucks is very loose and has very low density. ... In many parts of the country this will result in 30 percent or greater reduction in volume.”
Checked November 12, 2026. Figures and codes change; verify with the source. Back to where this is used (Source 5)
These are summaries of what the sources say, not professional advice. Codes and product data change. Check with your building department and the product label about your own project.
Sources
- [1] Texas Department of Transportation, Seal Coat and Surface Treatment Manual, Section 5: Haul Trucks, Size. Checked November 12, 2026. https://www.txdot.gov/manuals/mnt/scm/equipment_inspection/haul_trucks-i1008556/size-i1008586.html
- [2] New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department, Mining and Minerals Division, Conversion Factors for Construction Materials and Common Minerals. Checked November 12, 2026. https://www.emnrd.nm.gov/mmd/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/ConvFctrs.pdf
- [3] Kafka Granite, Stabilized Pathway Specification, Section 32 15 40. Checked November 12, 2026. https://www.kafkagranite.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Kafka-Granite-Stabilized-Pathway-Spec.pdf
- [4] Wisconsin Department of Transportation (Michigan State University and University of Wisconsin-Madison), Weight-Volume Relationships and Conversion Factors for Soils and Aggregates of Wisconsin (WisDOT ID G22-05 / 0092-22-05). Checked November 12, 2026. https://wisconsindot.gov/documents2/research/0092-22-05-final-report.pdf
- [5] Federal Highway Administration / South Dakota LTAP (K. Skorseth), Gravel Roads Construction & Maintenance Guide (FHWA-OTS-15-0002), Section 3.19 Calculating Quantity. Checked November 12, 2026. https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/construction/pubs/ots15002.pdf