Free cut and fill calculator.
Calculate cut and fill volumes for your site with this free cut and fill calculator. Work by site zone — enter a plan area, existing ground level and proposed level per zone — or switch to the survey grid method and enter existing and proposed levels cell by cell across a regular mesh. Either way you get cut volume, fill volume and the net material balance: positive is material to import, negative is surplus to remove. Output is bank-measure, for early-stage earthworks estimation rather than a substitute for a full design — convert to loose or compacted volume with our Soil Bulking & Swell Factor calculator.
Each block is one zone, sized so its footprint is that zone's share of the total site area — so a block's footprint × height is its volume. Red blocks rise above the proposed level plane: material to cut and remove. Green blocks sink below it: material to fill and place. Blocks are packed together for comparison, not positioned as they sit on the real site, so this is a quantity model, not a surveyed layout. Drag to orbit; blocks appear in table order.
Drop an Excel or CSV file or to replace the table below.
Column A: zone name. Column B: area. Columns C and D (optional): existing ground level and proposed level — omit them and every uploaded row is treated as fill at the default levels below.
Parsed entirely in your browser — your file is never uploaded to our servers.
| Zone | Area (m²) | Existing ground level (m) | Proposed level (m) | Cut / Fill (m³) | Row actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | |||||
| — | |||||
| — |
How we calculate this.
Calculate cut and fill volumes for your site with this free cut and fill calculator. Work by site zone — enter a plan area, existing ground level and proposed level per zone — or switch to the survey grid method and enter existing and proposed levels cell by cell across a regular mesh. Either way you get cut volume, fill volume and the net material balance: positive is material to import, negative is surplus to remove. Output is bank-measure, for early-stage earthworks estimation rather than a substitute for a full design — convert to loose or compacted volume with our Soil Bulking & Swell Factor calculator.
Basic Mode
For each zone (row): volume = area × |existing level − proposed level|. A zone where the existing level is higher than proposed is cut; where it's lower, it's fill. The net balance is total cut minus total fill, in bank (in-situ) measure — before any bulking or compaction adjustment. There is no limit on the number of zones — add rows for as many as your site needs.
| Assumption | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Volume method | Zone (grid) method: Σ area × |existing − proposed level| | Simplified from the standard grid/zone method used in early-stage cut/fill balance estimating — see the method notes on this page. |
Advanced Mode
For each grid cell: volume = grid spacing² × |existing level − proposed level|. A cell where the existing level is higher than proposed is cut; where it's lower, it's fill. The net balance is total cut minus total fill, in bank (in-situ) measure. Grid spacing is shared across every cell. Topsoil strip volume is calculated separately — site area (every cell's grid-spacing² footprint) × strip depth — and isn't part of the cut/fill balance above.
| Assumption | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Volume method | Grid (block) method: Σ (grid spacing²) × |existing − proposed level| | Simplified block/grid method used in topographic cut/fill takeoffs — see the method notes on this page. |
| Topsoil volume | Site area × topsoil strip depth | Independent of the cut/fill grading volumes — stripped and stockpiled separately, before grading. |
This is an early-appraisal planning estimate, not a quotation or a substitute for a surveyed takeoff. Last reviewed 5 Aug 2026.
Cut is material you excavate and remove because the existing ground is higher than the level you need. Fill is material you bring in and place because the existing ground is lower than the level you need.
The zone method (this page's default) lets you pick irregular zones of any size — quick for an early appraisal with hand-picked areas. The grid method divides the site into a regular mesh of equal-sized cells with a level at every cell instead, closer to how a real topographic survey grid is processed, at the cost of needing more data points. Switch between them with the Basic Mode / Advanced Mode toggle above the calculator.
It's a simplified relative: average-end-area sums (area × station spacing) along a corridor from surveyed cross-sections; the zone method applies the same area × depth principle to any number of independent zones you enter as rows, which is faster for an early appraisal but less precise than a full cross-sectional survey.
No — these are bank-measure (in-situ) volumes. Use the Soil Bulking & Swell Factor calculator to convert to loose volume for haulage, or compacted volume for fill placement.
No. This is an early-appraisal estimate from user-entered levels, not a surveyed earthworks design. Have a qualified engineer or surveyor verify quantities before they're used in a bid or for construction.
Yes — click or drop an Excel (.xlsx/.xls) or CSV file onto the upload area. The first column should be an item name and the second the measurement for that row; extra columns this calculator uses are read too if present. The file is parsed entirely in your browser — it's never uploaded to our servers. Download the blank template first if you're not sure of the layout.
Yes — use the metric/imperial switch above the calculator. Values you've already entered convert automatically; nothing is lost switching back and forth.
Start using Civils.ai today.
Join 200+ contractors and consultants cutting takeoff time by up to 90%. No setup fees, cancel anytime.
Get started