Fill Dirt & Materials Estimator

Calculate Fill Dirt

Calculate fill dirt volume in cubic yards and convert it into tons based on your dimensions and selected units.

Depth (inches)

Width (feet)

Length (feet)

Fill dirt is sold by the cubic yard, weighed by the ton, and delivered by the truckload. The same hole can show up on three quotes as three different numbers — because contractors quote loose volume, suppliers quote compacted volume, and homeowners measure the hole. Get the math right once and you save yourself a second delivery fee.

Enter your project length, width, and depth in the calculator above. You’ll get cubic yards needed, equivalent tons, the truckload count, and an order quantity that already accounts for compaction. The full formulas, density numbers, and pricing below back up every number the calculator gives you.

The single most common mistake on a fill dirt order: measuring the hole, ordering that exact volume, and ending up 15–25% short after compaction. Fill dirt compresses under its own weight and under the plate compactor. Always order loose volume, not finished volume.

The Fill Dirt Formula (And Why One Number Isn't Enough)

Cubic yard math is the same for every bulk material. Length times width times depth in feet, divided by 27. The catch with fill dirt is that this number is the finished hole, not the order quantity.

Step 1 — Get the volume of the hole

Cubic Yards = (Length ft × Width ft × Depth ft) ÷ 27

If your depth is in inches, divide by 12 first. A 20 ft × 10 ft area filled 6 inches deep: 20 × 10 × 0.5 = 100 cubic feet ÷ 27 = 3.7 cubic yards.

Step 2 — Add the compaction allowance

Loose Cubic Yards to Order = Finished Volume × Compaction Factor

Most fill jobs use a compaction factor of 1.15 to 1.25 (a 15–25% bulking allowance). The exact number depends on soil type and how aggressively you compact. Sandy fill needs the low end. Clay-heavy fill needs the high end. Structural fill under a slab needs the high end plus a safety margin.

Step 3 — Convert to tons (if the supplier sells by weight)

Tons = Cubic Yards × Density (tons per yd³)

Standard dry fill dirt runs 1.1 to 1.35 tons per cubic yard. Wet fill is heavier — sometimes 1.5+ tons per yard. If you’re paying by the ton, schedule delivery after a few dry days. You don’t want to buy water weight.

Step 4 — Convert to truckloads

Truckloads = Loose Cubic Yards ÷ Truck Capacity

Single-axle dump trucks haul 5–7 yards. Tandem dumps haul 10–14 yards. Tri-axle trucks haul 16–20 yards. Most residential deliveries arrive in a tandem. Round up — there’s no such thing as half a truckload.

Worked Example — A Real Backyard Fill Job

Let’s run real numbers on a common job: filling a low spot in a backyard, 24 ft long, 16 ft wide, with an average depth of 8 inches. You’re going to compact it with a plate compactor and seed the top.

Volume of the hole: 24 × 16 × (8 ÷ 12) = 24 × 16 × 0.667 = 256 cubic feet. Divide by 27 = 9.48 cubic yards.
Add compaction allowance: 48 × 1.20 (standard mixed soil) = 11.4 cubic yards loose volume to order.
Convert to tons: 4 × 1.25 tons/yd³ = 14.3 tons.
Truckloads: 4 ÷ 12 (tandem dump capacity) = 0.95. Round up to one truckload — a tandem dump holds the full order with margin.
Cost estimate at $12/yd³ + $100 delivery: 4 × $12 = $137 material + $100 delivery = ~$240 total.

If you measured only the hole (9.48 yd³) and ordered 9 yards, you’d run short after compaction. The 11.4 yd³ order gets you to finished grade with a little extra for the edges where the compactor can’t reach.

Bank, Loose, and Compacted — The Three States of Dirt

Excavation crews don’t talk about “cubic yards” the way homeowners do. Dirt exists in three different states, and each one has a different volume — even though it’s the same material.

Bank cubic yards (BCY) — undisturbed dirt sitting in the ground. This is what an excavator measures before digging.
Loose cubic yards (LCY) — dirt that’s been dug up and dumped. It’s full of air pockets and takes up more space than it did in the bank — typically 20–35% more.
Compacted cubic yards (CCY) — dirt that’s been spread and compressed back down. Usually 10–25% less volume than the loose state, and slightly less than the original bank state.

When a supplier delivers fill, they deliver loose cubic yards. When you measure your hole, you measure compacted cubic yards (or close to it). The difference is the compaction allowance you have to add to your order.

Compaction Factor by Soil Type

Not every dirt compacts the same. Clay packs hard but loses a lot of volume getting there. Sand packs easily and barely loses volume. Mixed fill — what most suppliers actually deliver — sits in the middle. Use the right factor for the dirt you’re buying, not the dirt you wish you were buying.

Soil Type	Compaction Factor	Volume Loss	Best For
Sandy fill	1.05 – 1.10	5 – 10%	Drainage layers, pipe bedding
Loamy / common fill	1.15 – 1.20	13 – 17%	General yard fill, low spots
Clay-heavy fill	1.20 – 1.30	17 – 23%	Pond bottoms, slope grading
Mixed structural fill	1.25 – 1.35	20 – 26%	Under slabs, driveways, footings
Crushed stone / gravel	1.10 – 1.15	9 – 13%	Base under concrete or pavers
Topsoil (no compaction)	1.15 – 1.20	13 – 17%	Settlement only, no plate compactor

If you don’t know the soil type — and most homeowners don’t, because suppliers describe their product as “fill dirt” and leave it at that — use 1.20 as your default factor. It’s the safe middle of the range for the kind of mixed soil that shows up in a residential delivery.

Fill Dirt Coverage — How Much Area One Cubic Yard Fills

This chart works backwards from the cubic yard formula. Useful when you’ve already ordered a load and want to know how far it’ll spread, or when you want to spot-check whether the calculator output looks sensible.

Fill Depth	Coverage per 1 yd³	Yards per 1,000 sq ft	Typical Use
2 inches	162 sq ft	6.2 yd³	Light dressing only
3 inches	108 sq ft	9.3 yd³	Topsoil over fill
4 inches	81 sq ft	12.3 yd³	Shallow grading
6 inches	54 sq ft	18.5 yd³	Standard yard fill
8 inches	40 sq ft	24.7 yd³	Moderate low-spot fill
12 inches (1 ft)	27 sq ft	37.0 yd³	Deep fill, pad build-up
18 inches (1.5 ft)	18 sq ft	55.6 yd³	Foundation backfill
24 inches (2 ft)	13.5 sq ft	74.1 yd³	Major grading, pads

Cubic Yards to Tons — Fill Dirt Weight by Moisture

Fill dirt density is about 2,200 to 2,700 pounds per cubic yard depending on type and moisture. Suppliers that sell by the ton convert at a fixed factor; the smart move is to know which direction the conversion is biased before you accept the quote.

Material State	Weight per Cubic Yard	Tons per Cubic Yard
Fill dirt — dry	2,000 – 2,400 lb	1.00 – 1.20
Fill dirt — average moisture	2,200 – 2,700 lb	1.10 – 1.35
Fill dirt — wet (after rain)	2,700 – 3,200 lb	1.35 – 1.60
Clay fill — dry	2,300 – 2,600 lb	1.15 – 1.30
Clay fill — wet	2,800 – 3,400 lb	1.40 – 1.70
Sandy fill — dry	2,400 – 2,900 lb	1.20 – 1.45
Structural fill (engineered)	2,500 – 3,000 lb	1.25 – 1.50
Topsoil (for comparison)	1,800 – 2,200 lb	0.90 – 1.10

If your supplier prices both ways, run the math in both units before you order. On a 10-yard load of dry fill at $15/yd³, you’d pay $150. On the same 10 yards billed as 12 tons at $14/ton, you’d pay $168. Small difference per yard, real money on a 30-yard job.

Fill Dirt Cost in 2026 — What You’ll Actually Pay

Fill dirt is one of the cheapest bulk materials on the market because it’s a byproduct of excavation. Contractors digging foundations have to haul the dirt somewhere — supply yards take it, screen it, and resell it. That’s why prices vary so much: it depends entirely on what came through the gate that week.

Fill Dirt Type	Price per Cubic Yard	Typical Use
Common / unscreened fill	$5 – $12	Bulk fill, may have rocks and debris
Subsoil fill	$8 – $15	Basic leveling, low-spot fill
Clean fill (screened)	$12 – $20	Residential fill, free of debris
Structural fill (engineered)	$15 – $30	Under slabs, driveways, foundations
Sandy / drainage fill	$18 – $35	French drains, pipe bedding
Topsoil (for comparison)	$20 – $55	Planting beds, lawn establishment

Delivery fees run $50 to $150 per trip within a 10–20 mile radius of the supply yard. Longer hauls add $3–$8 per mile. Most yards require a 2 or 3 cubic yard minimum; below that, the trip fee swallows the order.

Common Fill Dirt Projects — Order Quantity at a Glance

These estimates already include a 20% compaction allowance and round up to the nearest sensible truck load. Use them as a sanity check on whatever the calculator gives you.

Project	Typical Dimensions	Order Qty	Cost @ $12/yd³
Filling a tree stump hole	4 ft × 4 ft × 18 in. deep	1 yd³ (min)	$60 – $150
Low spot in backyard	10 ft × 8 ft × 6 in.	2 yd³	$80 – $180
Filling old pool (small)	16 ft × 32 ft × 4 ft avg	90 yd³	$1,080 – $1,800
Filling old pool (large)	20 ft × 40 ft × 5 ft avg	180 yd³	$2,160 – $3,600
Backfill against foundation	60 lin ft × 3 ft × 6 ft	48 yd³	$580 – $960
Driveway pad build-up	20 ft × 24 ft × 12 in.	21 yd³	$255 – $420
Garage slab subgrade	24 ft × 24 ft × 8 in.	17 yd³	$205 – $340
Septic / utility trench backfill	80 ft × 2 ft × 4 ft	28 yd³	$340 – $560
Raised garden bed (deep)	8 ft × 4 ft × 2 ft	3 yd³	$36 – $60 (fill) + topsoil
Yard grading / slope correction	40 ft × 30 ft × 8 in. avg	36 yd³	$430 – $720
Berm / privacy mound	30 ft × 6 ft × 3 ft (triangular)	11 yd³	$130 – $220

Calculating Fill Dirt for Irregular Shapes

Real holes are rarely rectangles. Slopes change depth across the area. Pools and ponds are curved. The trick on irregular shapes is to break the area into pieces, calculate each piece, and add the results. Or — in the field — take depth readings at multiple points and average them.

Circular areas (round pools, fire pit excavations)

Cubic Yards = (π × Radius² × Depth ft) ÷ 27

Example: a 24 ft diameter round pool (radius 12 ft) that’s 4 ft deep at the average depth. 3.14 × 144 × 4 ÷ 27 = 67 cubic yards of fill needed before the compaction allowance. With 20% added, order 80 yards.

Triangular areas (corner planters, wedge-shaped low spots)

Cubic Yards = (Base × Length ÷ 2 × Depth ft) ÷ 27

Example: a triangular corner planter with 10 ft sides and 1 ft of depth. (10 × 10 ÷ 2) × 1 ÷ 27 = 1.85 cubic yards. Order 2 yards.

Sloped areas (one side deeper than the other)

Take depth readings at five or six spots across the area and average them. Then plug the average depth into the standard formula. Never use only the deepest point — that’s how homeowners over-order by 30–50%.

Irregular shapes (most real yards)

Break the area into rectangles, triangles, and circles. Calculate each section separately. Add them all together. A 5% buffer on top covers the rough edges where the shapes don’t fit perfectly.

How to Place Fill Dirt — The Lift Rule

This is the part most calculator pages skip, and it’s the difference between fill that holds grade for 20 years and fill that sinks 6 inches in one winter. You don’t dump 4 feet of dirt and compact it in one pass. You spread it in lifts — thin layers — and compact each lift before adding the next.

Lift thickness for a hand-pushed plate compactor — 4 to 6 inches of loose dirt per lift. More than 6 inches and the bottom doesn’t compact.
Lift thickness for a walk-behind rammer (jumping jack) — 6 to 8 inches per lift in cohesive soils like clay.
Lift thickness for a ride-on roller — 8 to 12 inches per lift, depending on machine weight.
Passes per lift — minimum 3 to 4 passes with a plate compactor, more for clay or thick lifts.
Moisture content — slightly damp soil compacts better than dry or wet. If the dirt’s dust-dry, mist it. If you can squeeze water out of a handful, wait for it to dry.

Skip the lifts and you’re building in failure. The top 6 inches will look fine. The bottom 18 inches will compact under load over months and years, and the surface above will dip, crack, or — under a slab — split the concrete.

Fill Dirt vs Topsoil vs Structural Fill — What to Order

“Fill dirt” is a category, not a spec. Three different products fall under it, and ordering the wrong one is the most common spec mistake on residential dirt jobs.

Material	What It Is	Use For	Don’t Use For
Common fill	Unscreened subsoil with rocks, clay, occasional roots	Bulk fill where appearance doesn’t matter — under future construction, low spots	Final grade, anywhere visible, anywhere you’ll plant
Clean fill	Screened to remove debris, rocks over 1 in., and organics	Backfill near structures, yard leveling, base layer under topsoil	Planting (no nutrients), load-bearing slab base (use structural)
Structural fill	Engineered material with specified gradation and compaction characteristics	Under slabs, driveways, footings, retaining walls	General yard fill (overkill and overpriced)
Topsoil	Nutrient-rich top layer with organic matter, screened for planting	Top 4–6 inches over fill, lawn establishment, gardens	Bulk fill — too expensive, settles too much, contains organics that decompose

The standard residential layering on a yard fill job: structural or clean fill for the bottom 80–90% of the depth, compacted in lifts, then 4 to 6 inches of topsoil on top for seeding or sod. Don’t try to substitute topsoil for fill or vice versa.

How to Order Fill Dirt Without Getting Burned

Always ask for screened vs unscreened — if the supplier says “fill dirt,” they mean whatever they have. Get specific. Unscreened costs less but means rocks, roots, and surprises in your driveway pile.
Confirm the price is per loose cubic yard — not per ton, not per truckload. Make sure you’re comparing apples to apples between quotes.
Get the delivery fee in writing — and confirm it includes the dump. Some yards charge for tailgating (spreading from the truck) on top of the trip fee.
Order in full truckloads when you can — splitting an order into two half-loads pays two delivery fees. A tandem dump is the sweet spot for most homes (10–14 yards) and the dump fee per yard is lowest at that size.
Check truck access before delivery — a tandem dump needs a 60-foot turnaround and 12-foot clear width. If the driver can’t reach the dump spot, you pay for the trip anyway and you shovel it from the street.
Schedule after a dry stretch — wet fill weighs 20–30% more per yard. If you’re paying by the ton, you’re paying for water.
Free fill is rarely free — Craigslist “free dirt” usually means dirt full of roots, rocks, and yard debris. Sometimes it’s worth it. Often it costs more in screening time than buying clean fill outright.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I calculate fill dirt in cubic yards?

Multiply your area’s length by width by depth (all in feet), then divide by 27. If your depth is in inches, divide by 12 first to convert to feet. For example, a 20 ft × 10 ft area filled 6 inches deep equals 100 cubic feet, or 3.7 cubic yards. Then multiply by 1.15 to 1.25 to add a compaction allowance, which gives you the loose volume you actually need to order.

How much fill dirt do I need to fill a hole?

Measure the hole’s length, width, and average depth, then run the cubic yard formula. For a hole with sloped sides, take depth readings at 5–6 spots and use the average — not the deepest point. Add 20% to whatever the calculator gives you to account for compaction. Round up to the nearest cubic yard, then again to the nearest delivery minimum (usually 2 or 3 yards).

How many cubic yards of fill dirt are in a dump truck?

A single-axle dump truck carries 5 to 7 cubic yards of fill dirt. A tandem-axle dump (the most common residential delivery truck) carries 10 to 14 cubic yards. A tri-axle dump carries 16 to 20 cubic yards. Tractor-trailer dump rigs go up to 25 cubic yards. Weight limits matter — wet fill is heavier and some trucks can’t legally load to volume capacity in spring road-restriction season.

How much does a cubic yard of fill dirt weigh?

A cubic yard of dry fill dirt weighs 2,000 to 2,400 pounds (about 1.0 to 1.2 tons). Average-moisture fill weighs 2,200 to 2,700 pounds per yard. Wet fill — after rain or in heavy clay — can hit 3,000+ pounds per yard. A full-size pickup is rated for 1 to 1.5 yards of dry fill at most. Don’t try to haul 2 yards of wet fill in a half-ton pickup.

Why do I need to order extra fill dirt for compaction?

Loose dirt is full of air. When you spread and compact it, those air pockets close and the volume shrinks 15 to 25% depending on soil type. If you order the exact volume of your hole, you’ll end up short — and a second delivery means a second delivery fee. The rule of thumb is to multiply your hole’s volume by 1.2 to get loose cubic yards to order. Sandy fill needs less; clay needs more.

Can I use topsoil instead of fill dirt?

No, and don’t try it. Topsoil contains organic matter that decomposes over time, which causes settling — sometimes years after the project is finished. It’s also two to four times more expensive than fill dirt. Use fill dirt for the structural mass (the bottom 80–90% of the depth) and top with 4 to 6 inches of topsoil only if you’re planting grass or garden over the surface.

How long does fill dirt take to settle?

Properly compacted fill dirt — placed in 4–6 inch lifts with a plate compactor — settles 2 to 5% over the first year and very little after that. Improperly placed fill (dumped in deep piles and walked over) can settle 10 to 20% in the first year and keep going. Wait through at least one full freeze-thaw cycle (one winter) before pouring anything structural over a fresh fill.

Can I get fill dirt for free?

Sometimes. Construction sites with extra excavation dirt often give it away to avoid disposal fees. Check Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, and local contractor groups. The catch: “free” fill is unscreened — expect rocks, roots, occasional concrete chunks, and sometimes contamination. Free fill makes sense for bulk grading where the dirt gets buried under more dirt. For anything visible or anything supporting a structure, buy clean fill.

What's the difference between fill dirt and clean fill?

Fill dirt is the generic term — any subsoil used to fill or grade. Clean fill is fill dirt that’s been screened to remove rocks over an inch or so, roots, and other debris. Clean fill costs 30–50% more per yard but spreads more evenly and compacts more predictably. For backfill against a foundation or fill that will be visible, clean fill is worth the upcharge. For deep bulk fill that gets buried, unscreened common fill is fine.