Soil Volume Calculator
Convert one measured soil state into bank, loose and compacted quantities, choose a soil-class factor preset, and add a dump-truck type when you need a haul estimate.
Soil Volume Calculator
How the soil volume conversion works
Choose the state your measurement describes, enter either a direct volume or area × average depth, choose a visible soil-class or truck-type planning preset, and replace its values with project-specific data when available. The calculator keeps the three states visible so a quoted loose quantity is not mixed with an in-place quantity.
The calculator keeps bank, loose and compacted states visible in the result card. Soil-class and dump-truck presets are explicit planning starting points: selecting one writes visible factors or capacity that you can replace with project, supplier, legal-payload or geotechnical data.
Bank, loose and compacted soil are different quantities
Bank volume is the in-place quantity before excavation. Loose volume is the material after it is disturbed and ready for hauling. Compacted volume is the finished quantity after placement and compaction.
Use L = loose ÷ bank and C = compacted ÷ bank. If bank volume is known, loose = bank × L and compacted = bank × C. If a loose or compacted quantity is known, the calculator works backward to bank volume before converting to the other states.
Engineering example with explicit factors
For 100 m² at an average 0.50 m depth, the selected state is 50 m³. With a project factor L = 1.20 and C = 0.90, the bank-equivalent result is 50 m³, loose haul volume is 60 m³, and finished compacted volume is 45 m³.
Those factors are examples, not universal soil constants. Moisture, gradation, excavation method, placement lift, compaction target and the material source can change the relationship. Replace the examples with the geotechnical report, project specification or supplier data.
Truck loads and a simple workday check
Truck loads use the loose volume because that is the quantity being hauled: loose volume ÷ legal or planned truck capacity, rounded up. A 60 m³ loose quantity with a 10 m³ payload needs 6 loads.
The optional schedule uses two-way travel plus loading and unloading. For example, a 55-minute cycle, two trucks and an 8-hour day allow 16 loads per day in this simple model. Actual production also depends on queues, site access, weather, traffic and legal payload limits.
Boundaries before you order or place material
This tool converts quantities; it does not choose a borrow source, prove a swell or shrink factor, classify unsuitable soil, or design a pavement section. Keep cut, fill, stripping, topsoil and unsuitable excavation separate when the estimate needs a material balance.
For structural work, confirm the factor, moisture condition, lift thickness, compaction target, drainage and acceptance testing with the responsible engineer or project specification.
Related quantity tools
For a roadway segment, compare this conversion with the roadway fill volume calculator. For a uniform aggregate layer, use the road base calculator.
FAQ
What is the difference between bank and loose volume?
Bank volume is in-place soil before excavation. Loose volume is disturbed soil ready for hauling, so it is often larger, but the project factor must come from the material and method.
Can I start with a compacted fill quantity?
Yes. Select Compacted / finished, enter the quantity, and provide the compacted-to-bank factor. The calculator derives bank and loose haul volume.
Should I use a fixed swell factor for every soil?
No. A fixed factor can misstate orders. Use project, geotechnical or supplier data that matches the soil, moisture and state being estimated.
How are truck loads rounded?
Loose volume is divided by the entered capacity and rounded up to a whole load. Use the legal payload for the vehicle and route, not only the body volume.
Does this replace a cut-and-fill or geotechnical estimate?
No. It is a transparent state conversion. A full earthwork balance needs survey sections, material classification, shrink or swell testing, unsuitable quantities, haul routes and project requirements.