Cut and Fill Calculator
Cut, fill and net earthwork by the grid method — the one a site engineer uses, not area times average depth. How it works
What you’ll needThe cut or fill at each of nine grid points (existing elevation minus proposed, from a level, a survey or the plans) and the spacing of the grid. Start from an example and change the points.
Net export
cubic yards
More cut than fill. This much has to leave.
- Cut
- 57.87cu yd
- Fill
- 11.57cu yd
- Total moved
- 69.44cu yd
- Material balance
- —cu yd
Show the calculationHide the calculation5 steps
The working
Cell area = Spacing²
= 25 ft²
= 625 ft²
Cell volume = (average of 4 corner depths) × Cell area
= 1.25 ft, 1.25 ft, -0.25 ft, -0.25 ft × area
= 28.94 cu yd, 28.94 cu yd, -5.79 cu yd, -5.79 cu yd
Total cut = Σ positive cells
= 57.87 cu yd
Total fill = Σ |negative cells|
= 11.57 cu yd
Net = Cut − Fill
= 57.87 cu yd − 11.57 cu yd
= 46.3 cu yd
Lay a grid over the site and, at each intersection, enter how far the existing ground sits above or below the proposed grade. The calculator works each cell separately, sums cut and fill on their own, and reports the net — while making sure the total moved is never hidden behind it.
How this calculator works
Only your inputs and exact unit conversions. Where a figure comes from anywhere else, it is recorded below with its source.
- Formula version
- 1.0.0
- Last reviewed
- 2026-09-01
- External data
- None
- Category
- Earthwork
What this calculates
Three volumes that are routinely confused. Cut is material removed where the ground is high. Fill is material placed where it is low. Net is the difference, and it decides whether material leaves the site or arrives. A fourth figure — total moved, cut plus fill — is what actually gets priced, and it is the one most tools hide.
The grid method
A square grid is laid over the site. At each intersection, the difference between existing and proposed elevation is recorded: positive where the ground must come down (cut), negative where it must come up (fill).
Each cell of the grid takes the average of its four corner depths and multiplies by the cell area. Cells with a positive average add to cut; negative, to fill. The two sums are kept separate the whole way through, because a site that nets to zero can still involve moving every yard on it.
Why not area times average depth
Averaging all the depths across a site and multiplying by the area gives you the net directly — and nothing else. It cannot tell you the cut or the fill, and on a site where they are both large and roughly equal it reports a small number for what is, in truck terms, a large job.
The grid method is what estimating software does with hundreds of points. This tool does it with nine, which is enough to be correct and few enough to follow.
Swell and shrink
Cut material bulks up once dug; fill material compacts once placed. Whether the cut covers the fill therefore depends on both factors, and both depend on the soil. They are optional inputs here and no default is assumed. With them entered, the calculator reports the loose surplus or shortfall; without them, it reports the in-place volumes and says what is missing.
A sloping pad on a 25 ft grid: 2 ft of cut on the high side, 1 ft of fill on the low side
- Grid spacing
- 25 ft (cell area 625 sq ft)
- North row
- +2, +2, +2 ft
- Middle row
- +0.5, +0.5, +0.5 ft
- South row
- −1, −1, −1 ft
- 01North cells (each)= (2 + 2 + 0.5 + 0.5) ÷ 4 × 625= 781 cu ft = 28.9 cu yd cut
- 02South cells (each)= (0.5 + 0.5 − 1 − 1) ÷ 4 × 625= −156 cu ft = 5.8 cu yd fill
- 03Total cut= 2 × 28.9= 57.9 cu yd
- 04Total fill= 2 × 5.8= 11.6 cu yd
- 05Net= 57.9 − 11.6= 46.3 cu yd export
46.3 cu yd to export, 69.4 cu yd moved
What it assumes
- 01A regular 2 × 2-cell grid with uniform spacing — nine spot depths.
- 02Ground and proposed surfaces vary linearly between grid points.
- 03Depths are existing minus proposed, so cut is positive and fill is negative.
- 04Swell and shrink apply only when entered.
What it does not do
- Nine points is a teaching grid. A real site uses many more, and the same arithmetic — this tool shows the method, not a survey.
- It does not handle a grid cell that is part cut and part fill within itself; the corner average decides the cell. Finer grids reduce this error.
- It does not model topsoil strip, subgrade preparation or over-excavation.
- It does not assume swell or shrink factors.
Common questions.
- What is the difference between net and total moved?
- Net is cut minus fill — what leaves or arrives. Total moved is cut plus fill — what gets handled. A balanced site has a net of zero and can still have a very large total moved. Contractors price the second number.
- Does the cut material cover the fill?
- Not one-for-one. Cut bulks up when dug and fill compacts when placed, so the answer depends on both factors for your soil. Enter your swell and shrink and the calculator reports the loose surplus or shortfall.
- Why only nine points?
- Because that is enough to make the grid method real and few enough to follow by hand. A survey uses hundreds and the same arithmetic. If you have the data, split the site into 2 × 2 blocks and run each.
Behind the numbers
The methods and definitions this calculator applies, explained in full and with their sources.
Where people go next
Ordered by what usually comes next in the same job, not by keyword.