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Soil Swell & Shrinkage Haul Volume Calculator

Convert an in-situ (bank) soil volume into its loose (hauled) volume and its recompacted volume, using swell and shrinkage factors.

Computed in your browser — nothing you enter is uploaded. Figures are presented for United States against IRC 2024, and every formula is cited under regulatory standards below.

Last verified 2026-08-26 · v1.0.0

Market
Imperial · sales tax

Loose (haul) volume

163.49 yd³

Check your inputs

Swell and shrinkage factors vary significantly by soil type and moisture content — use site-specific values from a geotechnical report or local hauling experience where available, rather than generic averages.

Bank (in-situ) volume
130.8 yd³
Compacted (recompacted) volume
117.72 yd³

Running these inputs gives 125 m³ (loose) as the loose (haul) volume. Note that bank (in-situ) volume sits at the low end of the range this calculator was checked against, so treat the output as indicative rather than settled. Expect some drift against the real job; the calculation is solid but conditions on site are not. Currently reading for United States under IRC 2024 — pick a different market above and the figures re-cast accordingly.

Estimated cost — your price

This site holds no price list for this material — local prices vary too much to publish honestly. Enter your supplier's price and the result is costed with it.

Preliminary estimate, not certified engineering. This tool produces an indicative quantity calculation for planning purposes only — it is not a certified structural analysis, a guaranteed material takeoff, or a substitute for building department approval. Always verify measurements on-site and have a licensed contractor or structural engineer review any load-bearing, code-sensitive, or safety-critical work before purchasing materials or starting construction. Spotted an arithmetic or standards error? Report it to contact@craftquantities.com with your inputs — confirmed fixes become pinned regression tests.

[Schema Verified] Computed in alignment with American Concrete Institute (ACI 318-19) formulas and International Residential Code (IRC 2024) spatial boundaries.

Regulatory standards & verification citations

  • Standard earthwork volume states: loose (haul) volume = bank volume x (1 + swell%); compacted volume = bank volume x (1 + shrinkage%), where shrinkage is typically expressed as a negative percentage

Your workspace

Most jobs need more than one number. Add the calculators you need next and they open right here, underneath this one — your figures stay on screen and nothing is lost to a page change.

Frequently asked questions

Why does the same soil have three different volumes?
Bank volume is the natural undisturbed state; loose volume is what the same soil occupies once excavated and hauled (with extra air gaps from loosening); compacted volume is what it occupies once placed and recompacted — typically denser than even its original bank state.
Why does this matter for truck hauling?
Trucks haul LOOSE volume, not bank volume — sizing your fleet or ordering material based on bank volume alone will underestimate how many truckloads you actually need.
Does rock behave the same way as soil?
Rock typically has a much higher swell factor than soil (blasted rock can swell 40-70%+) since angular rock fragments pack far less efficiently than their original solid rock mass — always use rock-specific factors for rock excavation.