Earthwork
Import Soil Calculator
Calculate loose cubic yards to order, truckloads to dispatch, material cost, and delivery for imported structural or landscape fill.
Inputs
Live estimate
Material needed
23.15 cu yd
- Area
- 500 sq ft
- Cubic feet
- 500
- Cubic yards
- 18.52
- Estimated tons
- 30.09 tons
- Estimated truckloads
- 1.65
- Delivery cost
- $150
- Total cost
- $150
You will likely need
- •23.15 cu yd — material needed
- •Schedule 2 truck loads
- •Approximate delivered weight: 30.09 tons
- •Estimated total: $150
Diagram
Live estimate
- Mathematical quantity
- 23 cu yd
- Placement compaction (already applied)
- Informational
- Field conditions
- Not applied
- Adjusted requirement
- 23 cu yd
- Ordering rule
- Round up to whole truckload
- Suggested order
- 24 cu yd
Fill is placed in lifts and compacted; the engine applies the loose→compacted factor once via Advanced options.
What you actually need in the field, before rounding to a supplier-friendly ordering unit.
Estimator confidence
LowerThe primary result already includes the compaction factor from Advanced options. Loose delivered volume exceeds the compacted design depth.
Improve confidence: Verify the compaction percentage in Advanced options matches your spec (typical 15–25%).
Why this behavior applies: Aggregate base is specified as a compacted depth, so the loose delivered volume must exceed it. This calculator applies that factor once — in the primary quantity — and the intelligence layer only explains it.
- Loose vs compacted design depth — Fill compacts under placement.
- Specify soil type (screened topsoil vs blended fill) when quoting suppliers.
- Compact in 6–8 inch lifts to reach target density.
- Test import soil for contamination before using in growing areas.
- Ordering the compacted volume instead of the loose volume.
- Accepting unscreened fill dirt when topsoil was specified.
- Skipping compaction lifts and getting settlement issues later.
Smart tips
- Ordering 5–10% extra is standard on irregular layouts. Running short costs more than the excess.
- You're just over one truckload — a slightly larger truck could save a delivery fee.
How it's calculated
Area is derived from your shape inputs and converted to sq ft.
Depth is converted to feet; cubic feet = area × depth.
Cubic yards = cubic feet ÷ 27, then × (1 + waste %) × (1 + compaction %).
Estimated tons = cubic yards (with waste) × 1.3.
Truckloads = cubic yards (with waste) ÷ truck capacity.
Total cost = cubic yards (with waste) × price per cubic yard + delivery.
Material assumptions
- The compaction slider adds the extra loose volume you must order to hit your compacted final grade (shrinkage factor).
- Fill dirt density: about 1.3 short tons per cubic yard, loose.
- Order fewer, larger truckloads to reduce delivery cost per yard.
- The truckloads output is rounded up in the actionable line — dispatch whole trucks only.
Frequently asked questions
Related calculators
Actual compaction depends on soil type and moisture — confirm with your grading contractor.