Fill Dirt Calculator
This fill dirt calculator adds the settling allowance that most tools leave out, so the number you order still fills the hole a month later. Measure the void, pick your fill, and get cubic yards, tons and truckloads.
Your result
What to order
18 cubic yards of fill dirt, which allows 20% for settling
The hole itself measures 14.81 yd³. The extra 2.96 yd³ is what settling will take.
- Hole volume
- 14.81 cubic yards before any allowance for settling
- How this is worked out
- 14.81 yd³ hole × 1.2 for 20% settling = 17.78 yd³ × 2,000 lb ÷ 2,000 = 17.78 tons
Calculate fill dirt volume for any shape of hole
Length × width × depth in feet ÷ 27 = cubic yards. That's the whole calculation for a square hole or a trench. Everything else is a variation on measuring the void properly.
- Measure in feet, including the depth. Fill dirt fills a three-dimensional void, so depth is a real measurement, not a spread thickness in inches.
- Average an uneven bottom. Old pools slope from a shallow end to a deep end. Take both and use the midpoint. For a rough hole, measure the depth in three or four places.
- Divide cubic feet by 27. That gives cubic yards, which is the unit every dirt yard quotes in.
- Add the settling allowance. Between 15 and 30% depending on the fill. This is the step almost every other calculator skips.
Say you are filling a trench 40 ft long, 2 ft wide and 3 ft deep. That is 240 cubic feet, or 8.9 cubic yards. With general fill settling about 20%, you order 10.7 yards.
Why you must add a compaction factor
Loose dirt shrinks by 15 to 30% once it's compacted. That is the single reason fill jobs come up short, and it's why this is a fill dirt calculator with compaction built in rather than bolted on: the hole is measured accurately, the right number of yards is ordered, and a month of rain and traffic later there is a dip where the fill went.
Dirt arrives fluffed up from being dug out and tipped. Air fills the gaps between the clods. Compacting it, or just letting rain and time do the work, drives that air out and the surface drops. How far it drops depends on what the fill is made of.
| Hole volume | Sandy or gravelly fill (+15%) | General fill / loam (+20%) | Clay-heavy fill (+30%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 yd³ | 11.5 yd³ | 12 yd³ | 13 yd³ |
| 20 yd³ | 23 yd³ | 24 yd³ | 26 yd³ |
| 40 yd³ | 46 yd³ | 48 yd³ | 52 yd³ |
| 80 yd³ | 92 yd³ | 96 yd³ | 104 yd³ |
Compacting in layers is what makes the difference last. Fill in 6 to 8 inch lifts and tamp each one rather than dumping the whole load and hoping. A plate compactor hired for a day costs less than a second delivery.
How much fill dirt do I need?
A hole 10 ft square and 2 ft deep needs 7.4 cubic yards before settling, and about 8.9 with general fill. A 40 ft trench 2 ft wide and 3 ft deep takes 10.7 yards. An average backyard pool swallows 125.
Those numbers climb faster than people expect, because depth multiplies. Adding a foot to a 10 by 10 hole is another 3.7 yards, which is most of a pickup load on its own. It is worth measuring the depth in a few places before ordering rather than eyeballing it once.
The first column below is the raw void. The second is what to actually order, with 20% already added for settling, and the third is roughly what it weighs on the truck.
| Job | Hole volume | Order | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 × 10 ft, 1 ft deep | 3.7 yd³ | 4.4 yd³ | 4.4 tons |
| 10 × 10 ft, 2 ft deep | 7.4 yd³ | 8.9 yd³ | 8.9 tons |
| Trench 40 × 2 × 3 ft | 8.9 yd³ | 10.7 yd³ | 10.7 tons |
| Pool 16 × 32 ft, 3–8 ft | 104.3 yd³ | 125.2 yd³ | 125.2 tons |
Filling a pool, trench or low spot
An old pool is the job people most often get wrong, because the bottom slopes. Averaging a 3 ft shallow end and an 8 ft deep end gives 5.5 ft, and a 16 by 32 ft pool at that average holds about 104 cubic yards before settling.
Pools also need the shell broken up before filling, or water collects in what is effectively a buried bathtub. Punch holes through the floor, collapse the walls into the hole, and fill in compacted lifts. Skipping that is how you end up with a sinkhole in the lawn two winters later.
Trenches and low spots
Trenches are the easy case: length by width by depth, no averaging. Low spots are the awkward one, because the depth varies across the whole area. Measure the deepest point, measure a few shallower ones, and use the average with the total square footage.
Fill dirt weight per yard, wet and dry
A cubic yard of dry fill dirt weighs about 2,000 lb, which is one ton. Wet clay fill can reach 3,000 lb a yard, and that difference decides what can legally carry it.
The fill dirt estimator above converts your yards to tons so you can check that before booking anything. It matters more than it sounds: a half-ton pickup is rated for about 1,000 lb, so a single cubic yard is already double what the truck should carry. Fill dirt is a delivery job, not a collection job, for anything past a wheelbarrow or two.
Moisture is the variable nobody quotes on. The same yard of clay can arrive at 2,000 lb after a dry week or 3,000 lb after a wet one, and you pay for the water either way if the yard sells by weight. Ordering by volume avoids that, which is one reason fill is more often quoted by the cubic yard than by the ton.
How much fill dirt fits in a dump truck
A single-axle dump truck carries about 6 cubic yards and a tandem about 12. Those two cover most residential deliveries, and they are what people mean when they ask how much is a load of fill dirt.
Weight is what limits a load, not volume. A tandem rated for 12 yards of dry fill will be over its axle limit well before it is full if the material is wet clay, so a driver may deliver a part load and charge for the trip regardless. Ask what the truck is rated to carry rather than what it holds.
| Truck | Cubic yards | Approx. weight |
|---|---|---|
| Pickup (½-ton) | 1 | 1 tons |
| Single-axle dump | 6 | 6 tons |
| Tandem dump | 12 | 12 tons |
| Tri-axle dump | 16 | 16 tons |
Yards usually price a full load cheaper per yard than a part load, so it is often worth rounding up to fill the truck. Check access first: a tandem needs room to raise its bed, and low branches or a soft lawn will stop the delivery at the kerb.
Fill dirt cost estimate, and where to get it free
Clean fill dirt runs about $8 to $25 per cubic yard collected, or $15 to $40 delivered. How much fill dirt costs you comes down almost entirely to distance, because a yard of fill dirt is among the cheapest material a supplier sells and haulage usually costs more than the dirt itself.
You can often get it for nothing. Excavation contractors pay by the load to dispose of clean fill, so a site digging a basement or a pool nearby has dirt it actively wants to be rid of. Local classifieds and contractor boards carry free fill listings constantly. You cover the trucking, which is the real cost either way.
The catch is that free fill is unscreened. Expect rocks, roots and the occasional lump of concrete, and inspect a load before you accept a pile of it. For a deep hole under a driveway that is fine. Under a patio slab it is not. Full pricing is on the fill dirt cost page.
Fill dirt calculator FAQ
How much fill dirt do I need?
Multiply length by width by depth in feet, then divide by 27 for cubic yards. A hole 20 ft by 10 ft by 2 ft deep is 14.8 cubic yards. Add 15 to 30% on top for settling, so order about 18 yards of general fill.
How much does fill dirt cost?
Clean fill dirt runs roughly $8 to $25 per cubic yard picked up, or $15 to $40 delivered once haulage is added. It’s one of the cheapest materials a yard sells, so delivery often costs more than the dirt itself.
How much does a yard of fill dirt weigh?
About 2,000 lb, or one ton, for typical dry fill. Wet or clay-heavy dirt can reach 3,000 lb a yard. That weight is why fill is quoted by the truckload rather than the bag, and why a pickup can only take one yard.
How much does fill dirt settle?
Loose fill loses 15 to 30% of its volume once compacted. Sandy fill settles least at around 15%, general fill about 20%, and clay-heavy fill up to 30%. Order the raw hole volume and you’ll be short by roughly a fifth.
How much is a truckload of fill dirt?
A single-axle dump truck carries about 6 cubic yards and a tandem about 12. At $15 to $40 delivered per yard, that puts a single-axle load somewhere between $90 and $240, depending on how far you are from the pit.
How much topsoil goes over fill dirt?
Four to six inches for grass, and 8 to 12 inches for beds or vegetables. Nothing grows in fill dirt, so stop the fill short of finished level by the depth of your cap and top it with screened topsoil.
How to calculate fill dirt?
Work out the volume of the void in cubic feet, divide by 27 to get cubic yards, then multiply by 1.15 to 1.30 depending on the fill. For a pool or anything with a sloping bottom, average the shallow and deep measurements first.
Is fill dirt the same as topsoil?
No. Fill dirt is subsoil with the organic matter screened out, which is exactly why it compacts well and grows nothing. Topsoil is the living layer above it. You use fill to build volume and topsoil to plant into.