HesapHanem

Cut and Fill Calculator

Enter cut and fill volumes with an optional swell factor.

How it is calculated

Enter the excavated (cut) volume and the fill volume in cubic metres, plus a swell or shrink percentage. The tool first applies the factor to the cut: adjusted cut = cut × (1 + swell ÷ 100), then takes net = adjusted cut − fill. A positive net is shown as a surplus (soil left over to haul away or stockpile), a negative net as a deficit (soil to import), and exactly zero as balanced. The swell box may be left empty, which counts as 0%, and a negative percentage acts as shrinkage. Cut and fill cannot be negative. The factor is applied only to the cut, not to the fill, and the same single factor is used for the whole job, regardless of soil type or compaction.

Worked example

A site needs 1,200 m³ of cut and 1,350 m³ of fill, and you assume a 20% swell. Adjusted cut = 1,200 × 1.20 = 1,440.00 m³. Net = 1,440 − 1,350 = 90, which is shown as 90.00 m³ surplus. The tool also lists the adjusted cut (1,440.00 m³) and the fill (1,350.00 m³). With no swell at all the same job would be 150.00 m³ short, so the swell assumption flips the result from a deficit to a surplus, which shows how much the factor matters.

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Common mistakes

  • Entering the swell as a decimal such as 0.2. The field is a percentage, so 20 means 20%; 0.2 adds almost nothing.
  • Expecting the factor to be applied to the fill as well. Only the cut volume is adjusted, so if your fill figure is in a different measure (loose or compacted) convert it first.
  • Entering volumes in cubic yards or cubic feet. The result is labelled m³ and no conversion is done.
  • Reading a surplus as free soil. Surplus is the loose volume left after the fill demand; hauling or stockpiling it costs money, and a deficit means paying for imported material.
  • Using one swell figure for several soil types. Rock, clay and sand swell by different amounts; if the cut is mixed, calculate each group separately and add the results.

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.

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Comments (1)

  • Editorial team

    The sign of the answer can hinge on one assumption. With 1,200 m³ of cut and 1,350 m³ of fill, a shrink of −10 percent gives a 270.00 m³ deficit, while a swell of 25 percent on 1,000 m³ against 1,000 m³ of fill gives a 250.00 m³ surplus. Run your swell as a low, middle and high case before pricing haulage or imported material. What soil types does your site have, and where do your swell figures come from?

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