Earthwork Cut & Fill Calculator
Calculate the volume of soil to cut or fill when grading a site from an existing elevation to a target finish grade. Used by contractors and civil engineers for site grading, road construction, and land development projects.
About this calculator
Earthwork cut and fill calculations determine how much soil must be removed (cut) or added (fill) to bring a site from its current grade to a desired finished elevation. The formula used is: Volume (yd³) = |Finish Grade − Existing Grade| × Area / 27, where the grade difference is in feet and area is in square feet. Dividing by 27 converts cubic feet to cubic yards, the standard unit for earthwork quantities. If the finish grade is lower than the existing grade, the result represents a cut (excavation); if higher, it represents a fill. This simplified approach assumes a uniform grade change across the entire project area, which is appropriate for small, relatively flat sites. Larger or irregular sites require grid-based or contour methods using survey data to accurately compute volumes across varying terrain.
How to use
Suppose you have a project area of 5,000 sq ft where the existing grade is 102.5 ft elevation and the desired finish grade is 100.0 ft. Step 1: Grade difference = |100.0 − 102.5| = 2.5 ft. Step 2: Volume in cubic feet = 2.5 × 5,000 = 12,500 ft³. Step 3: Convert to cubic yards: 12,500 / 27 ≈ 463 yd³. Since finish grade is lower than existing grade, this is a cut — you need to excavate and haul away approximately 463 cubic yards of soil. Factor in swell (typically 10–30%) when estimating truck loads for removal.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between cut and fill in earthwork grading?
Cut refers to the excavation and removal of soil from areas where the existing ground surface is above the desired finish grade. Fill refers to the placement and compaction of soil in areas where the existing ground is below the desired finish grade. On a grading project, engineers try to balance cut and fill volumes so that excavated material from high spots can be used as fill in low spots, minimizing hauling costs. When there is more cut than fill, excess soil must be exported from the site; when there is more fill than cut, additional borrow material must be imported, both of which add significant cost.
Why do earthwork volumes change between in-situ and compacted measurements?
Soil changes volume when it is disturbed, transported, and compacted, a phenomenon described by swell and shrinkage factors. Native soil in the ground (bank measure) expands — or swells — by roughly 10–30% when excavated and loaded into trucks, because air voids are introduced during digging. When that same soil is placed and compacted as fill, it shrinks below its original bank volume because compaction drives out air and densifies the material. This means one cubic yard of cut does not equal one cubic yard of usable fill. Geotechnical reports provide material-specific swell and shrinkage factors that must be applied to raw volume calculations for accurate earthwork cost estimates.
When should I use a more advanced method instead of this simple cut and fill calculator?
This calculator assumes a uniform, flat grade change across the entire project area, which is appropriate for small pads, parking lots, or simple rectangular sites. For larger, topographically complex sites — such as road alignments, subdivisions, or hillside developments — a single average grade difference does not capture the real variation in terrain. In those cases, engineers use methods such as the grid method (dividing the site into a grid and computing average cut or fill at each cell), the contour method (using planimeter areas between contour lines), or digital terrain modeling software like Civil 3D or Bentley InRoads. These advanced approaches provide much greater accuracy and are standard practice for formal construction bidding and permitting.