Dump Truck Calculator

1. Enter the loose volume to haul, in cubic yards (the swelled volume from the dig).
2. Pick the truck type, which sets the bed capacity and the legal payload.
3. Pick the material, which sets the loose density for the weight check.
4. Read the load count, and whether volume or weight is the limit.

Here is what each result line means:

Need the loose volume first? Start with the excavation calculator.

A dump truck calculator turns a volume of soil or aggregate into the number of truck loads it takes to haul it. You give it the loose volume, the truck size and the material, and it counts the loads two ways and takes the one that governs.

Hauling is billed and scheduled by the load, so the count drives both the time and the cost of moving spoil off a site or bringing fill in. Rounding up matters: a partial last load still ties up a whole truck and trip.

To convert the dig itself into loose yards, see the soil swell calculator.

The volume count divides the loose cubic yards by the bed capacity and rounds up. But a dump truck has two limits, volume and weight, and for soil the weight usually bites first.

1. Loads by volume = round up (loose cubic yards / bed capacity).
2. Total weight = loose cubic yards times the density, divided by 2,000, in tons.
3. Loads by weight = round up (tons / the legal payload).
4. Order the larger of the two counts.

A light material such as mulch fills the bed and the volume count wins. Dense or wet soil reaches the legal axle weight with the bed only part full, so the weight count wins and you need more loads than the bed size alone suggests.

100 loose cubic yards of fill dirt in a 12 cubic yard tandem (about 15 ton payload).

Calculation: By volume, 100 / 12 = 8.3, rounded up to 9 loads. By weight, 100 x 2,500 / 2,000 = 125 tons; 125 / 15 = 8.3, rounded up to 9 loads. Both land at 9 loads here. Switch to wet clay and the weight count climbs past the volume count, so weight becomes the binding limit.

30 loose yards of gravel in a 16-yard tri-axle is 2 loads by volume but about 3 by weight, so order 3.

Loose vs Bank Volume

Soil swells 15 to 60 percent when dug. You haul the loose volume, so counting loads from the in-ground size under-orders trucks.

Material Density

Dense gravel or wet clay weighs far more per yard than mulch, and weight, not the bed, sets the load count for heavy material.

Moisture

Wet soil can weigh a third more than dry. After rain the same bed legally carries fewer yards, so loads go up.

Truck and Axle Law

Legal payload depends on the axle count and local road limits, so the same bed size can carry different weights in different places.

Partial Last Load

Loads round up. An odd few yards over a whole number still books a full truck and trip.

Typical bed capacity and legal payload by truck class, with the loads for 100 loose cubic yards of fill dirt (about 2,500 pounds a yard).

Bigger trucks cut the load count but cost more per trip and need room to turn and tip. For dense fill the weight limit, not the bed, often decides, which is why the small trucks above show more loads than their bed size alone would give.

Hauling Spoil Off Site

Turn an excavation into the loads to cart dug soil away.

Bringing in Fill

Count the loads of imported fill, topsoil or gravel a job needs.

Budgeting a Haul

Haulers charge by the load or the hour, so the load count sets the bill.

Scheduling Trucks

Match the number of loads and trucks to the dig rate so the machine is not waiting on a truck.

Checking a Quote

Compare a hauler load count against the loose volume and the truck size.

1. Hauling the Bank Volume

Count loads from the loose, swelled volume, not the in-ground size, or you order too few trucks.

2. Ignoring the Weight Limit

A bed rated 14 yards may legally carry only 10 to 12 yards of wet dirt. Check the weight, not just the volume.

3. Rounding Loads Down

A partial last load still needs a whole truck. Always round the count up.

4. Assuming One Density Fits All

Mulch, topsoil, sand and wet clay weigh very different amounts. Pick the material.

5. Forgetting the Wet Premium

Rain adds weight. Soil hauled after a storm books more loads than the same dry soil.

6. Over-sizing the Truck

A big truck that cannot reach or turn on the site wastes its capacity. Match the truck to the access.

The calculator counts truck loads by volume and by weight and takes the binding one.

These are planning figures. Capacity, payload and density are typical midpoints; confirm the truck rating and the legal payload with the hauler, and weigh a sample load for a real density.

A tandem-axle dump truck typically holds 10 to 16 cubic yards, a tri-axle 12 to 18, a single-axle around 6, and a pickup dump about 2. Dense soil may fill it by weight before the bed is full.

Divide the loose volume by the bed capacity and round up. 100 loose cubic yards in a 12-yard tandem is 100 / 12 = 8.3, rounded up to 9 loads.

Soil is heavy. A bed rated 14 yards may hit its legal axle weight at 10 to 12 yards of wet dirt, so the weight count, not the bed size, sets the loads for dense material.

Loose. Soil swells 15 to 60 percent when dug, and the truck carries the loose, swelled volume. Counting loads from the in-ground size under-orders trucks.

Loose fill dirt is about 2,000 to 2,700 pounds a cubic yard dry, and more when wet. Topsoil runs near 2,100, gravel near 2,800.

A tandem legally carries roughly 12 to 18 tons and a tri-axle 15 to 25, depending on the truck and local road limits.

Up. A partial last load still needs a whole truck and trip, so the load count is always a whole number rounded up.

Yes. Wet soil can weigh a third more than dry, so the same bed legally carries fewer yards and the load count goes up after rain.

For a single truck, yes: one load is one round trip. With several trucks the loads are shared, so the job finishes in fewer cycles.

No. Capacities and payloads vary by truck and by local law. The presets are typical midpoints; confirm the rated body and legal payload with your hauler.

No. The calculator runs entirely in your browser and nothing is stored or sent.

• EngineerFix – How Many Cubic Yards Does a Dump Truck Hold? (Capacity by type; 1 yd3 = 27 ft3; material weights.)
• SANY – How Many Cubic Yards in a Dump Truck? (Standard 10 to 16 yd3; payload concept.)
• SANY – How Much Does a Dump Truck Weigh? (GVWR, legal payload, weight limit.)