Build & renovate
Excavation & Soil Calculator
Soil grows when you dig it - clay by nearly a third - and the skip count is set by the loose volume, not the hole.
Calculator
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How it works
Dug volume = L x W x depth. Bulking factors: topsoil ~25%, clay ~30%, sand ~15%. An 8-yard skip holds about 6.1 m3 level-filled; a US 10-yard dumpster ~7.6 m3 - but heavy soil often hits weight limits first.
Frequently asked questions
How many skips for a trench?
A 10 m x 0.6 m x 1.2 m footing trench digs 7.2 m3, which swells to ~9.4 m3 of loose clay - two 8-yard skips, assuming the weight allowance holds.
How much does soil weigh?
Roughly 1.2-1.7 tonnes per dug cubic metre depending on type and moisture. That 7.2 m3 trench is 11-12 tonnes - grab lorries start making sense.