Excavation Calculator
A 20 by 10 foot hole, 3 feet deep, at 30 percent swell is 22.22 bank cubic yards and 28.89 loose cubic yards, which is 3 loads in a 10 yard truck.
Last updated . The soil menu writes the high end of a planning swell range. Truck capacity starts at 10 cubic yards.
Bank volume is the hole, a rectangle or a circle. Loose volume is the dug soil after swell. Loads round the loose yards up.
A trench with bedding and native soil put back: trench calculator. Weight of fill at 1,400 kg/m³: fill dirt calculator.
Excavation volume
Swell is how much the dug soil grows. The menu writes the high end of a planning range so the loose volume is the larger figure. It is not a soil test. Truck capacity starts at 10 cubic yards, a planning bed, not a truck you hired.
Results
How bank, loose, and trucks are calculated
A 20 × 10 × 3 foot rectangle is 600 cubic feet, and 600 ÷ 27 is 22.22 bank cubic yards, 16.99 m³. Loose yards are bank × (1 + swell ÷ 100). At 30 percent that is 28.89 yd³ · 22.09 m³. The swell added is 6.67 yd³ · 5.10 m³. A 10 cubic yard truck holds that loose pile in 3 loads.
The soil menu is this page’s planning range, and it writes the high end: sand 15, gravel 20, loam 30, clay 40, blasted rock 70. Type another percent if a test or a hauler gives you one. A circle uses π × radius² × depth. Fill dirt weight and a trench’s bedding split are separate pages.
Swell on the 20 by 10 by 3 foot hole
Bank stays 22.22 yd³. The truck is 10 yd³.
| Soil | Swell used | Loose | Loads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sand | 15% | 25.56 yd³ · 19.54 m³ | 3 |
| Loam | 30% | 28.89 yd³ · 22.09 m³ | 3 |
| Clay | 40% | 31.11 yd³ · 23.79 m³ | 4 |
| Blasted rock | 70% | 37.78 yd³ · 28.88 m³ | 4 |
Worked example
Enter 20 ft, 10 ft, and 3 ft. Leave loam, swell 30, and a 10 yd³ truck. Bank reads 22.22 yd³ · 16.99 m³. Loose reads 28.89 yd³ · 22.09 m³. Truck loads read 3.
Excavation questions
How many yards is a 20 by 10 by 3 foot excavation?
Leave the shape on rectangle, 20 ft by 10 ft by 3 ft. Soil stays on loam, so swell stays 30. Bank reads 22.22 yd³ · 16.99 m³. Loose reads 28.89 yd³ · 22.09 m³. Swell added reads 6.67 yd³ · 5.10 m³. Truck loads read 3 at 10 yd³.
What is the difference between bank and loose?
Bank is the hole, 20 × 10 × 3 ÷ 27 = 22.22 cubic yards. Loose is that hole after the soil swells. At 30 percent, 22.22 × 1.30 = 28.89 cubic yards. The extra 6.67 yards is the swell. Truck loads use the loose number, rounded up.
What if the soil is sand?
Choose Sand (10–15%). Swell becomes 15, the high end of that planning range. Bank stays 22.22 yd³ · 16.99 m³. Loose reads 25.56 yd³ · 19.54 m³. Truck loads stay 3. You can type a different percent. The menu is not a soil test.
What if the soil is clay?
Choose Clay (30–40%). Swell becomes 40. Loose reads 31.11 yd³ · 23.79 m³. Truck loads read 4. Bank stays 22.22 yd³ · 16.99 m³. The high end is intentional, so the loose pile is the larger figure in the range.
What if swell is zero?
Set swell to 0. Loose matches the bank, 22.22 yd³ · 16.99 m³. Swell added reads 0.00 yd³ · 0.00 m³. Truck loads still read 3, because 22.22 ÷ 10 rounds up. Zero swell means the dug soil is the same size as the hole.
How many yards in a 10 foot circle, 3 feet deep?
Choose Circle. Leave the diameter at 10 ft and the depth at 3 ft, and set swell back to 30. Bank reads 8.73 yd³ · 6.67 m³. Loose reads 11.34 yd³ · 8.67 m³. Truck loads read 2. The area is π × 5², then times the depth.
What if the truck holds 8 cubic yards?
Set the shape back to rectangle, 20 by 10 by 3, swell 30, and truck capacity to 8. Loose stays 28.89 yd³ · 22.09 m³. Truck loads read 4. Ten yards was 3 loads. Eight yards is 28.89 ÷ 8, which rounds up to 4. The 10 yard start is a planning bed, not a hired truck.