Cut and Fill Calculator

About this calculator

In earthwork planning, cut is the volume of soil excavated from areas above the design grade, and fill is the volume needed to raise areas below grade up to that same level. Because excavated soil expands once it's dug up and loosened (it no longer packs as tightly as it did in the ground), engineers apply a swell factor — typically 15–30% depending on soil type — to convert bank-measure cut volume into loose (hauled) volume before comparing it against fill demand.

The calculator subtracts fill from swell-adjusted cut to get the net earthwork balance: a positive result means surplus soil that must be hauled off-site or stockpiled, while a negative result means a deficit that requires importing borrow material. This balance is a core input for grading and site-development cost estimates on roads, pads, and foundations, since trucking soil on or off a site is one of the largest line items in earthwork budgets.