# Soil Haulage Calculator

Natural to loose volume, tonnes and truck loads without overloading.

- Page: https://jianzhujisuan.com/en/soil-ton
- Category: Material weights (https://jianzhujisuan.com/en/c/material-weight)
- Chinese version: https://jianzhujisuan.com/zh/soil-ton.md
- Data checked: 2026-10-25

## Quick result

With the default inputs (Natural volume 100 m³, Soil type (natural density) Ordinary soil (1.90 t/m³), Initial bulking Ks 1.2, Payload per truck 25 t): **Total mass 190.00 t**

## Inputs

| Parameter | Type | Default | Unit | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Natural volume | number | 100 | m³ | In-situ volume from the drawings |
| Soil type (natural density) | select | Ordinary soil (1.90 t/m³) | — |  |
| Initial bulking Ks | number | 1.2 | — | Sand 1.1-1.2, clay 1.2-1.3 |
| Payload per truck | number | 25 | t |  |

## Formula

- **Loose volume**: natural volume × Ks
- **Total mass**: natural volume × natural density
- **Loose density**: natural density ÷ Ks
- **Loads**: ceil(mass ÷ payload)
- **Loose volume per load**: total loose ÷ loads
- **Body volume**: per-load loose × 1.1

## Worked example

100 m³ of ordinary soil at Ks 1.2 with 25 t trucks: 120.00 m³ loose, 190.00 t, eight loads at 23.75 t and 15.00 m³ loose each — a 16.50 m³ body.

## Questions

### Why not dispatch by volume?

Because excavation bulks the soil — more volume, same mass — so loading by volume overloads. One cubic metre of soil becomes 1.2 m³ loose at the same 1.9 t: dispatch a truck per 1.2 m³ and each carries only 1.9 t, which is wasteful; fill the 20 m³ body and it is 38 t. Payload is the only measure that works both ways.

### Ks or Ks′?

For carting away and loading, use the initial factor Ks — loose over natural — because that is the freshly dug state. For how much soil backfill needs, use Ks′ — compacted over natural. Ks is typically 1.1-1.3 and Ks′ 1.02-1.08; swapping them overstates haulage by 20%, which is a fifth of the carting cost.

### Why is construction waste so light?

Because it is full of voids — broken brick, concrete lumps, mortar, timber and packaging mixed together can be 50% air. Waste bulks at 1.4-1.7 t/m³ against 2.4 for solid concrete. Carting is often priced by volume but weighed in tonnes, and that mismatch is a common source of disputes.

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