Soil Swell and Shrinkage Calculator
Enter a soil quantity in any one state, bank, loose or compacted, along with the swell and shrinkage percentages. The calculator converts to the other two states in cubic yards.
How to convert soil volume states
- Pick whether you know the bank, loose or compacted volume.
- Enter that volume in cubic yards.
- Set the swell and shrinkage percentages, then read the other two states.
Examples
Bank to loose and compacted
bank = 100 cy, swell 25%, shrinkage 10%
loose 125 cy, compacted 90 cy
Loose back to bank
loose = 125 cy, swell 25%
bank 100 cy, compacted 90 cy
Frequently asked questions
What are bank, loose and compacted volumes?
Bank is undisturbed soil in place. Loose is the same soil after excavation, which takes up more space. Compacted is soil placed and compacted in fill, which takes up less space.
What is the swell factor?
Swell is the volume increase from bank to loose. At 25% swell, 100 bank cubic yards become 125 loose cubic yards, because digging adds voids and air to the soil.
What is the shrinkage factor?
Shrinkage is the volume decrease from bank to compacted. At 10% shrinkage, 100 bank cubic yards become 90 compacted cubic yards once placed and compacted in fill.
How do I convert loose volume back to bank?
Divide the loose volume by one plus the swell fraction. With 25% swell, 125 loose cubic yards divided by 1.25 equals 100 bank cubic yards.
Why must shrinkage be less than 100 percent?
Compacted volume is bank times one minus the shrinkage fraction. At 100% shrinkage that would be zero or negative volume, which is impossible, so the calculator rejects it.
Related tools
Cut and Fill Calculator
Estimate earthwork cut or fill volume by the average end area method. Enter two cross-section areas and the length to get cubic feet and cubic yards.
Slope Grade Calculator
Convert slope between rise over run, percent grade, degrees and a 1:N ratio. Enter any one form and get the rest, plus the slope distance.
Stadia Distance Calculator
Find horizontal and vertical distance by stadia tacheometry. Enter the rod intercept and vertical angle to reduce an inclined sight, with K and C constants.
555 Timer Calculator
Calculate 555 timer astable frequency, period, high and low times and duty cycle from R1, R2 and the timing capacitor. Free oscillator design helper.
Absolute Humidity Calculator
Calculate absolute humidity in grams of water vapor per cubic meter from air temperature and relative humidity. Fast, free and works in your browser.
Allele Frequency Calculator
Find allele frequencies from genotype counts. Enter the number of AA, Aa and aa individuals to get the A and a allele frequencies and allele totals.