Dirt calculator

Raising a 20 × 10 ft area by 6 in of compacted fill takes about 4.63 cubic yards of loose dirt, roughly 5.32 tons.

What are you filling?

Length

Width

Depth to fill

Will it be compacted?

Truck holds

cu yd

Ask your hauler what their truck carries.

Prices used for the cost estimate

Price per cubic yard, delivered

Sales tax

4.63 cubic yards to order

5.32 tons

1 truckload

What to order Order 5 cu yd of fill dirt (1 truckload of 10 cu yd).

Cost estimate

Enter your supplier's delivered price per cubic yard under Prices.

All quantities and the working

Space to fill	100 cu ft (3.70 cu yd)
Allowance for compaction	× 1.25: compacted soil weighed 1.08 to 1.52 times its loose weight in Wisconsin's tests (median 1.26)
Weight	10,648 lb at 2,300 lb per loose cu yd (5.00 to 5.56 tons across the published weights)

How it was worked out

200 sq ft × 6 in = 100 cu ft ÷ 27 = 3.70 cu yd × 1.25 = 4.63 cu yd loose

Why you need more dirt than the hole

Dirt arrives loose, and fill is compacted in layers so it won't settle later. Compacted soil packs more into the same space, so a cubic yard of space takes more than a cubic yard of loose dirt. In research for the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, nine natural soils weighed 1.08 to 1.52 times as much compacted as loose (median 1.26). The calculator adds 25% when you say the fill will be compacted; choose "left loose" for a pile you will spread and leave.

200 sq ft × 6 in = 100 cu ft ÷ 27 = 3.70 cu yd × 1.25 = 4.63 cu yd loose

Measured dry unit weights of natural soils (WHRP 0092-22-05, Table 4.9)
Wisconsin soil sample	Loose, lb per cu ft (dry)	Compacted, lb per cu ft (dry)	Compacted ÷ loose
Soil 1	99	116	1.17
Soil 5	106	133	1.25
Soil 6	97	116	1.20
Soil 7	79	120	1.52
Soil 8	96	104	1.08
Soil 9	93	117	1.26
Soil 10	100	137	1.37
Soil 11	66	86	1.30
Soil 14	86	116	1.35

Fill dirt for common jobs

Loose cubic yards to order for compacted fill (×1.25)
Area	2 in	4 in	6 in	12 in
100 sq ft	0.77	1.54	2.31	4.63
200 sq ft	1.54	3.09	4.63	9.26
500 sq ft	3.86	7.72	11.57	23.15
1,000 sq ft	7.72	15.43	23.15	46.30
2,000 sq ft	15.43	30.86	46.30	92.59

Weight and truckloads

The calculator weighs fill dirt at 2,300 lb per loose cubic yard, between Caltrans's 2,160 lb for dry, loose clay soil and EPA's 2,392 lb for loose sandy loam; wet dirt weighs more. Trucks vary, so enter what your hauler's truck carries and the calculator counts the loads. For the top layer a lawn will grow in, buy screened topsoil instead; the topsoil calculator covers it.

Sources

Weight-Volume Relationships and Conversion Factors for Soils and Aggregates of Wisconsin (WHRP 0092-22-05), Wisconsin Highway Research Program, Michigan State University, December 2023. Measured loose and compacted weights of base aggregates, recycled asphalt and recycled concrete; tons per compacted cubic yard.
Maintenance Manual Volume 1, Appendix: Useful Information, California Department of Transportation, July 2014. Loose weights of crushed gravel, limestone, granite, screenings, sand and soil; 111 lb of asphalt mix per square yard per inch; 2.0 tons per compacted cubic yard of base.
Standard Volume-to-Weight Conversion Factors, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, March 2016. Loose weights of gravel, rock, sand, sandy loam soil and shredded wood chips.