Excavation Calculators
Calculate cut and fill volumes, gravel quantities, topsoil needs, and hauling requirements.
8 calculators available
Gravel Calculator
Calculate how much gravel you need for driveways, paths, and landscaping. Get cubic yards, cubic feet, cubic meters, and tons of gravel instantly.
Open calculator →Mulch Calculator
Calculate how much mulch you need for garden beds and landscaping. Get cubic yards, cubic feet, cubic meters, and bags of mulch for any area.
Open calculator →Sand Calculator
Calculate how much sand you need for leveling, paver bases, sandboxes, and construction. Get cubic yards, cubic feet, cubic meters, and tons of sand instantly.
Open calculator →Asphalt Calculator
Calculate how much asphalt you need for a driveway, parking lot, or road. Enter length, width, and thickness to get cubic yards, cubic feet, cubic meters, and tons of hot-mix asphalt.
Open calculator →Topsoil Calculator
Calculate how much topsoil you need for a garden bed, lawn, or landscaping project. Enter length, width, and depth to get cubic yards, cubic feet, cubic meters, and tons of topsoil.
Open calculator →Aggregate Calculator
Calculate how much crushed stone or aggregate you need for driveways, drainage, base layers, and landscaping. Enter length, width, and depth to get cubic yards, cubic feet, cubic meters, and tons.
Open calculator →Excavation Calculator
Calculate excavation volume, expanded soil, truckloads, and removal cost for basements, pools, trenches, foundations, and grading projects. Accounts for soil swell factor so you order the right number of trucks.
Open calculator →French Drain Calculator
Calculate gravel, perforated pipe, filter fabric, and trench excavation for a French drain system. Accounts for pipe displacement and waste factor so you order the right amounts.
Open calculator →Frequently Asked Questions
Gravel weighs approximately 1.4 tons per cubic yard. To convert tons to cubic yards, divide by 1.4. Check your supplier's product spec for exact weight.
A new gravel driveway needs 4 inches of compacted base plus 2 inches of surface stone — 6 inches total. High-traffic areas benefit from 8 inches.
One cubic yard covers about 100 sq ft at 3 inches deep, or 162 sq ft at 2 inches deep.
Fill dirt is subsoil used to raise grades and fill voids. Topsoil is the upper organic-rich layer used only for planting. Never use topsoil as structural fill — it compresses and settles.
A typical French drain trench is 12–18 inches wide and 18–24 inches deep, filled with 3/4" crushed stone around perforated pipe.
Every outdoor project starts with the ground. Whether you're grading a yard, laying a gravel driveway, adding topsoil to a garden bed, or digging a French drain, knowing exact material volumes prevents costly over-ordering and shortfalls on delivery day.
Excavation Calculator Tools
Enter area and depth to get cubic yards of gravel, crushed stone, or base material. Works for driveways, walkways, patios, and drainage layers.
Open calculator → Excavation CalculatorCalculate the volume of dirt to remove for a foundation, pool, or grade cut. Outputs cubic yards for hauling estimates and fill comparisons.
Open calculator → Topsoil CalculatorHow many cubic yards (or truckloads) of topsoil for a lawn, garden bed, or raised bed? Enter square footage and depth.
Open calculator → French Drain CalculatorLinear footage of pipe, gravel volume for the trench, and fabric area for any drainage run.
Open calculator → Sand CalculatorVolume and weight for bedding sand under pavers, sandbox fill, or concrete mix aggregate.
Open calculator → Mulch CalculatorCubic yards of mulch for garden beds. Standard depth is 2–3 inches; 3–4 inches for weed suppression.
Open calculator →Gravel and Fill Material Reference
| Material | Typical Use | Weight per Cubic Yard |
|---|---|---|
| Crushed limestone | Driveways, base layers | 1.4–1.6 tons |
| Pea gravel | Drainage, landscaping | 1.3–1.4 tons |
| River rock | Decorative, drainage | 1.3–1.5 tons |
| Crushed concrete | Base fill | 1.4–1.5 tons |
| Clean fill dirt | Grading, backfill | 1.1–1.4 tons |
| Topsoil | Lawn, garden beds | 0.9–1.1 tons |
- Pickup truck: 0.5–1 cubic yard
- Small dump trailer: 2–3 cubic yards
- Single-axle dump truck: 5–7 cubic yards
- Tandem dump truck: 10–14 cubic yards
- Standard trench: 12–18 inches wide, 18–24 inches deep
- Fill with clean 3/4" to 1.5" crushed stone (no fines)
- Use perforated pipe wrapped in filter fabric at the base
- Slope the trench at least 1/8" per foot toward the outlet
- Fill dirt is subsoil used to raise grades and fill voids
- Topsoil is the upper organic-rich layer used only for planting and lawn areas
- Never use topsoil as structural fill — it compresses and settles over time