Excavation Estimating and Takeoff Services

We quantify excavation from your civil and structural drawings — cut and fill volumes with bank, loose and compacted states kept distinct, plus shoring, dewatering, rock and haul quantified as their own items — delivered as an editable Excel workbook with the marked-up plan set.

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What We Take Off

Soil is measured in three different volumes and they are not interchangeable. It sits in the ground as bank measure, it rides in a truck as loose measure after swelling, and it goes back as compacted measure after shrinking. Using one figure for all three is the most common error in earthmoving, and it produces a haul quantity that is wrong and an import quantity that is wrong in the opposite direction.

Mass excavationbulk cut volume in bank measure from the existing and proposed surfaces, with the calculation method and the surfaces used stated

Structural excavationfootings, foundations, pits, pile caps and grade beams, quantified separately from mass excavation because the equipment, the productivity and the over-excavation allowance all differ

Trench excavationby linear foot and depth for utilities and footings, with width driven by the pipe size and the required bedding rather than assumed

Swell and shrinkbank, loose and compacted volumes converted with the factors stated on the face of the estimate, so the haul quantity and the fill quantity are both checkable

Backfill and fill placementby compacted volume with material type, lift thickness and compaction requirement, separating site-won material from imported fill

Import and exporthaul quantities in loose measure with haul distance, round-trip cycle and disposal or borrow location identified, since haul is a distance problem rather than a volume one

Rock excavationby volume and method where the geotechnical report identifies it, separating rippable from blasted rock, with vibration monitoring and pre-condition surveys where adjacent structures require them

Unsuitable materialundercut and replacement volumes where the geotechnical report calls for it, and a stated assumption where it does not exist yet

Topsoilstripping volume, stockpile location and respread, with the depth taken from the specification rather than a nominal figure

Shoring and excavation supportsheet piling, soldier pile and lagging, trench boxes, slide rail and tiebacks by area or linear foot, priced as the engineered systems they are

Slope and benchingwhere open cut is used, the additional excavation volume that safe slopes require, which is real dirt the neat-line calculation does not include

Dewateringwell point, sump or deep well systems by duration and by system, plus discharge treatment and permitting where required

Erosion and sediment controlsilt fence, inlet protection, construction entrance, sediment basins and the maintenance obligation through the project duration

Site access and haul roadsconstruction, maintenance and removal, which on a wet or constrained site is a genuine cost rather than an overhead

Existing utilitieslocating, protection, support in place and any relocation, plus the productivity loss of working around live services

Demolition interfaceremoval of existing pavement, foundations and buried structures encountered in the excavation footprint

Compaction testingthe testing frequency the specification requires, as a scheduled activity with hold points

Winter and wet weather provisionsfrost protection, drying, stabilisation and the productivity loss of working saturated ground

How Excavation Quantities Are Measured

Every quantity below is reported in the unit the scope is actually bought and bid in — not converted into a single convenient unit that hides where the cost sits.

Mass excavationCY bank measureIn place, from the surfaces. The starting quantity everything else is converted from.

HaulCY loose measureAfter swell. Using bank measure for haul understates truck loads on every job.

Fill placementCY compactedAfter shrink. Using bank measure for fill understates import on every job.

Swell and shrink factorsstated percentagesOn the face of the estimate by material type, so both conversions can be checked rather than trusted.

Structural excavationCY by elementSeparate from mass. Different equipment, different productivity, different over-excavation.

TrenchLF by depth and widthWidth driven by pipe size and required bedding, not assumed at a standard dimension.

RockCY by methodRippable and blasted separated. The cost difference is large and the method comes from the geotechnical report.

ShoringSF of face or LFEngineered systems priced as such, by type — sheet pile, soldier pile and lagging, trench box or slide rail.

Dewateringsystem and durationBy system and weeks of operation rather than by volume, because it is a time-based cost.

TopsoilCY strip and respreadAt the specified depth, with stockpile handling counted as its own movement.

Haul distancemiles and cycle timeHaul cost is a cycle time problem. The same cubic yard at two miles and twenty miles is not the same price.

Erosion controlLF, EA and durationInstallation plus the maintenance obligation over the project duration, which is the part usually omitted.

Who This Is For

General contractors carrying this trade directly, or checking a subcontractor's number before it goes into the bid.

Subcontractors pricing their own scope in this division.

Developers and owners validating a number they've already been given.

Material suppliers and distributors verifying a customer's order.

What You Receive

An itemized Excel takeoff, organized by division
A marked-up plan set — every quantity traces back to a location on the drawings
Labor, material and equipment split out separately
Waste and overage factors shown as visible line items
An assumptions and exclusions schedule

Marked-up excavation plan crop

What Moves the Number on Excavation

Swell and shrink. The same soil occupies three different volumes — in the ground, in the truck and compacted in place. Swell can be a substantial percentage on excavation and shrink a substantial percentage on placement, and the factors vary by material. An estimate that carries one volume through all three states will be wrong on haul, wrong on import, or both, and the two errors do not cancel.

Haul distance and cycle time. Earthmoving cost is driven by truck cycles, not by cubic yards. The same volume moved two miles and twenty miles is not the same price, and haul road condition, traffic, loading rate and dump turnaround all feed the cycle. Where the disposal or borrow site is not identified, we say so, because the assumption is a large one.

Rock. Rock excavation costs a multiple of soil and the multiple depends on whether it can be ripped or must be blasted. That is a geotechnical answer, not a site plan one, and on developed sites blasting brings vibration monitoring, pre-condition surveys of neighbouring structures and restricted hours. Assuming no rock on a site with no geotechnical report is the largest open risk in this trade.

Groundwater and dewatering. Dewatering is a time-based cost — a system running for the duration of the excavation, not a volume. Well point, sump and deep well systems differ by an order of magnitude, discharge may require treatment and permitting, and on a long foundation programme the duration is the number that matters.

Shoring and site constraint. Whether an excavation can be open cut with safe slopes or must be shored is decided by the property line, the adjacent structures and the depth. Open cut means more excavation volume than the neat lines suggest; shoring means an engineered system, sometimes tiebacks into neighbouring property, and monitoring. Neither is a small adjustment to the other.

Unsuitable material. Undercut and replacement of unsuitable soil is a geotechnical requirement that appears as a volume nobody can see on the drawings. On a wet or organic site it can exceed the planned excavation, and where no report exists the assumption belongs on the face of the estimate rather than inside a unit rate.

Weather and season. Earthwork is the trade most exposed to weather. Saturated ground cannot be compacted, frozen ground cannot be placed, and drying, stabilisation and frost protection are real costs. A programme that puts mass earthwork in a wet or frozen season is a different estimate from the same work in summer.

What We Need From You

A complete set is ideal, but rarely what exists. Send what you have — we will tell you at quote stage what can be quantified firm and what has to be an allowance.

Civil grading plan with existing and proposed contours or surfaces
Geotechnical report — the governing document for rock, groundwater, unsuitable material and compaction requirements
Structural foundation plans and sections, for structural excavation and over-excavation
Utility plans with inverts, for trench depth and width
Site plan showing property lines, adjacent structures and access
Specification sections for Division 31 earthwork, including fill material and compaction requirements
Erosion and sediment control plan
Disposal and borrow site information, or confirmation that none has been identified
Any survey, existing utility locates or prior site investigation

How It Works

1 Send your plans — PDF, DWG, DOC, images or ZIP, up to 100MB per file.
2 Get your quote — a flat price for the scope with a delivery date, confirmed in writing.
3 Approve — nothing starts until you confirm.
4 We take it off — quantities from the drawings and schedules.
5 Delivery — workbook, marked-up set, assumptions schedule.

How Pricing and Turnaround Work

Every project is priced individually from your drawings. Send the plan set and you get a flat quote for the scope before any work starts — no hourly billing, no open-ended engagement.

Turnaround depends on the size of the package and how many trades are in scope — which is why you get a firm delivery date with your quote rather than a generic promise.

Tools and Standards

Takeoffs are produced in Bluebeam, PlanSwift, Trimble, STACK, organized against CSI MasterFormat divisions — this scope is specified under Division 31 — Earthwork (31 20 00 Earth Moving, 31 50 00 Excavation Support).

Quantities and assemblies are read against the published standards that govern this trade, because the standard is what decides whether two apparently identical items are actually the same line item:

OSHA 29 CFR 1926 Subpart P — excavation and trenching, which governs sloping, benching and protective systems
ASTM D698 / D1557 — standard and modified Proctor compaction tests
ASTM D6938 — in-place density and water content by nuclear methods
ASTM D2487 — Unified Soil Classification System
AASHTO soil classification, where the project follows DOT standards
Applicable state and local erosion and sediment control requirements

Pricing is built on RSMeans cost data localized to your project's market, then reconciled against current supplier quotes and our own completed project costs. Every estimate states its pricing basis and the date it was priced.

Why Excavation Is Estimated Wrong

One volume used for cut, haul and fill. The defining error in earthwork. Bank, loose and compacted are three different volumes for the same soil, and using a single figure produces a truck count that is short and an import quantity that is wrong. We state the swell and shrink factors on the face of the estimate so both conversions can be checked rather than trusted.

Haul priced by volume rather than cycle. A cubic yard hauled two miles and a cubic yard hauled twenty are the same quantity and very different costs. Applying a single haul rate without establishing distance, cycle time and dump turnaround is pricing a truck that never has to go anywhere.

Rock assumed absent. Where no geotechnical report exists, assuming no rock is assuming away the most expensive thing that can be in the ground. It is also invisible in the estimate, because the volumes are all correct until the excavator hits something it cannot dig. The assumption belongs on the face of the estimate.

Slope and benching volume ignored. An open cut excavation to a safe slope moves considerably more material than the neat lines around the structure. Calculating to the neat line and calling it the excavation understates the dig, the haul and the backfill together.

Dewatering priced as a lump. Dewatering is a system running for a duration. Pricing it as a one-time item ignores that a foundation programme running months longer than planned runs the pumps months longer too, and the discharge permitting and treatment may run with it.

Erosion control maintenance omitted. Silt fence, inlet protection and sediment basins are installed once and maintained for the whole project, with inspection obligations after every rain event. The installation is the small part; the maintenance obligation over a multi-month programme is the part that gets left out.

Related Estimating Services

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you handle swell and shrink?

Bank, loose and compacted volumes are kept distinct throughout, with the conversion factors stated on the face of the estimate by material type. Soil is measured in place, hauled after swelling and placed after shrinking, and carrying one number through all three is the most common error in earthmoving.

How do you price haul?

By cycle rather than by volume. Haul distance, round-trip cycle time, loading rate and dump turnaround decide the cost, so the same cubic yard at two miles and twenty miles is not the same price. Where the disposal or borrow site is not identified, we state that assumption explicitly.

What if there's no geotechnical report?

We say so on the face of the estimate and state what was assumed about rock, groundwater and unsuitable material. Those three items are the largest variables in excavation, none of them appears on a site plan, and an estimate that silently assumes the favourable case on all three is not describing the risk you are taking.

Do you include shoring and excavation support?

Yes, as engineered systems quantified by type — sheet piling, soldier pile and lagging, trench box, slide rail or tiebacks. Where open cut is possible instead, the additional excavation volume that safe sloping requires is carried, because it is real dirt the neat-line calculation does not include.

Do you price dewatering?

Yes, by system and by duration rather than as a lump. Well point, sump and deep well systems differ by an order of magnitude, and since dewatering runs for the length of the excavation, the duration assumption is stated so a programme change makes its cost visible.

Do you include erosion and sediment control?

Yes, installation and the maintenance obligation. Silt fence, inlet protection, construction entrance and sediment basins are installed once and maintained for the whole project with inspection after rain events — the maintenance over a multi-month programme is the part usually left out.

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