Land Grading Calculator
Enter your yard’s length, width, and how many inches you’re cutting high spots and filling low spots to find your net soil volume and truck loads.
Swell = bulking when dug (bank → loose). Shrink = reduction once compacted (loose → compacted).
Everything is calculated in your browser. Nothing you type is sent anywhere or stored.
Hauling notes
—
Details
For the default 80 × 60 ft yard with 4 in of cut and 4 in of fill, accounting for 25% swell and 15% shrinkage leaves a small surplus of 4.36 yd³ of loose soil to haul off site — just 1 truck load, for an estimated $18 haul cost.
Grading volumes for common yard-leveling projects
Each row assumes 25% swell and 15% shrink, with 12 yd³ dump trucks — typical figures for residential yard soil.
| Project | Yard area | Net material (loose) | Truck loads |
|---|---|---|---|
| High-spot leveling, 30 × 20 ft — 3 in cut / 1 in fill | 600 ft² | 128.7 ft³ surplus (4.77 yd³) | 1 load |
| Side-yard regrade for drainage, 50 × 15 ft — 2 in cut / 2 in fill | 750 ft² | 9.2 ft³ surplus (0.34 yd³) | 1 load |
| Shed pad leveling, 12 × 10 ft — 6 in cut / 0 in fill | 120 ft² | 75.0 ft³ surplus (2.78 yd³) | 1 load |
| Whole-yard regrade, 150 × 100 ft — 3 in cut / 3 in fill | 15,000 ft² | 275.7 ft³ surplus (10.21 yd³) | 1 load |
| New lawn after pool removal, 40 × 25 ft — 0 in cut / 18 in fill | 1,000 ft² | 1,764.7 ft³ import needed (65.36 yd³) | 6 loads |
How to calculate cut and fill for land grading
- Map your yard's high and low spots. Measure the overall length and width, then estimate how many inches of soil need to come off the high areas and go onto the low ones to reach your target grade.
- Convert the cut (high-spot) volume to loose measure. Multiply the bank volume (area × cut depth ÷ 12) by 1 plus your soil’s swell percentage, since soil expands once it’s dug up.
- Convert the fill (low-spot) volume to loose-equivalent measure. Divide the compacted fill volume (area × fill depth ÷ 12) by 1 minus your soil’s shrink percentage, since fill settles once it’s spread and compacted.
- Subtract cut from fill to see if you're balanced. A negative result means your regrading produces extra soil to haul away; a positive result means you’ll need to bring in fill dirt.
- Convert the net volume to truck loads. Divide the net cubic yards by your truck’s hauling capacity and round up for the number of loads and an estimated cost.
Worked example
Using the calculator’s defaults: an 80 × 60 ft yard, 4 in cut, 4 in fill, 25% swell, 15% shrink, 12 yd³ trucks at $18 per load.
- Yard area (80 ft × 60 ft)4,800 ft²
- Cut volume, bank measure (4,800 × 4 in ÷ 12)1,600 ft³
- Cut volume, loose (1,600 × 1.25 swell)2,000 ft³
- Fill volume, compacted (4,800 × 4 in ÷ 12)1,600 ft³
- Fill volume, loose-equivalent (1,600 ÷ 0.85 shrink)1,882.4 ft³
- Net (fill loose − cut loose: 1,882.4 − 2,000)−117.6 ft³ (surplus)
- Net in cubic yards (117.6 ÷ 27)4.36 yd³ surplus
- Truck loads & haul cost (1 load × $18/load)1 load — $18.00
Planning a yard grading project
Good grading directs water away from your house and leaves a level, even lawn — a few planning steps keep the project on budget.
- Aim for positive drainage away from the house.A standard target is at least a 2% slope (about 1/4 in per foot) sloping away from the foundation for the first 6-10 ft.
- Strip and set aside topsoil before regrading.Push existing topsoil to the side, regrade the subsoil underneath, then spread the topsoil back over the finished grade for planting.
- Check for buried utilities before you cut.Call your local utility locate service before removing more than a couple inches of soil anywhere on the property.
- Compact fill in layers, not all at once.Filled low spots settle unevenly if dumped and left loose — spread and compact fill in 4-6 in lifts for a stable, even lawn.
- Time the work around seed or sod installation.Finish grading a few weeks before seeding or laying sod so the soil has time to settle before it needs a smooth, even surface.
- Reuse surplus soil elsewhere on the property.A small surplus from high-spot leveling can often fill garden beds or low spots elsewhere, saving a haul-off trip.
Common mistakes
- Grading toward the house instead of away from it.Even a gentle backward slope near the foundation can direct rainwater into a basement or crawl space — always check the finished grade slopes away.
- Skipping the swell factor on cut soil.Soil removed from a high spot expands once it’s dug — estimating haul-off by bank volume alone under-orders trucks.
- Skipping the shrink factor on fill soil.Fill settles once it’s compacted — ordering fill by the finished depth alone leaves you short once it’s spread and packed down.
- Not stripping topsoil before regrading.Regrading subsoil over buried topsoil traps poor-quality soil under your new lawn, hurting grass establishment.
- Filling low spots without compacting.Loose fill settles unevenly over time, leaving new dips and puddles months after the work is done.
- Ignoring drainage swales and downspout paths.Regrading a yard without accounting for where downspouts and swales carry water can create new wet spots elsewhere on the lot.
What this calculator assumes
Adjust your result if your project differs from these.
- Cut (high-spot) and fill (low-spot) areas are treated as equal to the total yard area unless calculated by zone.
- Swell and shrink percentages reflect typical residential topsoil and subsoil, not heavy clay or sandy fill.
- Fill depth is entered as the finished, compacted grade change, and is converted to loose-equivalent volume for ordering.
- Truck capacity is a usable cubic-yard figure — confirm your hauler’s actual payload before ordering loads.
- The calculator doesn’t verify slope direction — confirm your finished grade actually slopes away from structures.
- Haul cost is loads × price per load and doesn’t include dump fees, which vary by location.
Common questions
How much should a yard slope away from the house?
A common rule of thumb is at least a 2% slope (about 1/4 in per foot of run) for the first 6-10 ft away from the foundation.
Do I need to strip topsoil before grading?
Yes — set aside existing topsoil, regrade the subsoil underneath to the target shape, then spread topsoil back for planting.
What does a surplus of soil mean after grading?
It means your cut (high-spot removal) produced more loose material than your fill (low-spot buildup) needed — you’ll haul the extra off site or reuse it elsewhere.
What does 'import needed' mean for a grading project?
It means your fill areas need more soil than your cut areas produce — you’ll need to bring in additional fill dirt.
How many inches of fill can I add without compacting in layers?
As a rule of thumb, compact fill in lifts of 4-6 in rather than dumping and spreading a full depth at once, or it will settle unevenly.
Can I use this calculator for a whole-lawn regrade?
Yes — enter your yard’s overall length and width and an average cut/fill depth, or break an uneven lawn into a few zones for more accuracy.
Why does the fill volume seem larger than the cut volume?
Because fill volume is entered as the finished depth and converted up to loose-equivalent material — shrink means it takes more loose soil to reach a given compacted depth.
How long should I wait to seed after grading?
Give freshly graded and compacted soil a few weeks to settle before seeding or laying sod for the most even final surface.
Should I hire a grading contractor for a large yard?
For yards over a few thousand square feet or with significant elevation change, a contractor with grading equipment is usually faster and more accurate than hand tools.
Does grading affect my drainage swales?
Yes — always re-check that swales and downspout discharge paths still carry water away from structures after regrading.
Embed this calculator
Related calculators
Land Grading Calculator Result
—
materialcalculate.com/tools/land-grading-calculator/
Result
| Area | — |
| Cut volume | — |
| Fill volume | — |
| Net | — |
| Truck loads | — |
| Estimated haul cost | — |
Notes
Estimate generated by materialcalculate.com.