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Earthworks volume

A prism. Not a cross-section end-area take-off and not a mass-haul diagram.

Length (m)

Width (m)

Average depth (m)

Bulking factor

CalculateReset

Method

In-place volume = length × width × depth. Loose volume multiplies by the factor you enter. Worked case: 30 × 8 × 0.6 m is 144 m³ in place, 180 m³ at 1.25.

What the earthworks volume is

This page is the average-end-area screen: the mean of two cross-section areas times the distance between them. It is a quantity between two sections you already have. It is not a mass-haul and not a compaction specification.

Both areas must be the cut, or both the fill, or you must keep the signs. Mixing a cut area and a fill area in one average hides the balance. The distance is along the alignment between the sections, not the slope distance up the batter, unless that is the quantity you meant.

Bulking and shrinkage are not applied. A bank cubic metre and a loose cubic metre differ. If a programme needs the loose volume, apply the factor after this page and say which factor you used.

Use it to check a section quantity before it is copied into a schedule. It does not design a slope angle or a drainage ditch.

• Related: slope
• infrastructure guide

Last checked 3 October 2026. A scenario, not a design. See methodology, standards and the disclaimer.