Work out excavation volume instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.
Excavation is measured as bank volume, the space left in the ground, but hauled as loose volume because digging breaks up the soil structure. Bulking is about 10-15 percent for sand, 25-30 percent for clay and up to 50 percent for rock, and it is the loose figure that determines the number of truck movements.
Bank volume
V bank = length x width x depth
Loose volume
V loose = V bank x (1 + bulking)
V bank = length x width x depth. Excavation is measured as bank volume, the space left in the ground, but hauled as loose volume because digging breaks up the soil structure.
Yes. Add working space for formwork and access, and battered sides or shoring for stability. Vertical faces in anything but rock are a serious excavation hazard.
This calculator takes 4 inputs: Excavation length, Excavation width, Excavation depth, Bulking on excavation. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic worked example — replace them with your own site or project figures.