Free excavation cost estimator
Estimate excavation cost by cubic yards, soil type, depth, equipment hours, labor, haul-away, dumping, and site conditions. Compare trenching, basement, foundation, and site-work excavation before you hire a contractor.
Enter your excavation volume in cubic yards, pick the soil type and depth, and add equipment hours, labor, haul-away, and dumping. The calculator works out excavation, labor, haul, and site add-ons. Prices vary by region, soil, access, and provider, so use this as a planning estimate and confirm with your excavating contractor.
Enter the excavation volume in cubic yards. Pick the soil type, depth band, and access condition.
Prices are editable defaults per cubic yard and per hour. Add haul-away, dumping, and shoring as needed.
It turns your volume, soil type, depth, equipment hours, labor, haul-away, and site conditions into a planning cost. Topsoil and sand are cheapest, clay and mixed soil cost more, and rock excavation raises the price sharply.
Most excavators charge by the cubic yard or by equipment hour, with a soil-type factor that scales the rate. Depth, site access, groundwater, project type, haul-away, dumping, shoring, and permits add to the base. Region and provider set the per-yard rate.
Excavation pricing changes with soil, depth, groundwater, access, underground utilities, and local disposal fees. Always confirm volume, soil class, access, and final quote with your contractor, especially for rock or wet conditions.
Excavation averages about 50 to 200 dollars per cubic yard depending on soil, depth, and access. A typical residential trench or foundation dig of 50 to 200 cubic yards runs about 1,500 to 8,000 dollars. Rock excavation, deep digs, and wet ground raise the cost sharply. This calculator lets you set the per-yard rate for any quote.
Topsoil and sand run about 50 to 90 dollars per cubic yard. Clay and mixed soil run about 80 to 150 dollars. Rock excavation runs about 150 to 300 dollars per cubic yard or more. Depth, access, groundwater, and project type raise the per-yard rate. Set the base price in this calculator to match your local market.
A full basement excavation of 200 to 400 cubic yards runs about 5,000 to 15,000 dollars, depending on soil, depth, access, and haul-away. Deep digs, tight access, groundwater pumping, and shoring all add to the base. Use the basement project type and your volume in this calculator.
Yes. Hauling excavated soil off-site and dumping it adds a per-cubic-yard charge plus trucking. Clean topsoil is cheaper to dispose of than mixed fill or contaminated soil, which may require special handling. Use the haul-away option to add that line.
Yes. Rock excavation is the most expensive soil class because it needs hydraulic breakers, blasting, or special equipment. It can run two to four times the cost of soil excavation per cubic yard. Use the rock soil type in this calculator to see the higher rate.
No. It is a planning estimate. Soil class, depth, groundwater, access, underground utilities, disposal fees, permits, taxes, and labor vary by provider, region, and site conditions.