Free tool
Earthworks volume from cross-sections
Enter the cut and fill area at each cross-section. Get the volume between sections by the average end area method, with optional swell and shrink.
Chainage in metres, areas in square metres. Separate values with spaces, commas or tabs. Chainages must increase.
Method and limits
- Average end area method: the volume between two sections is the distance between them times the average of their two areas. It is the standard quick method and is exact only when the area changes steadily between sections. It slightly overstates volume where the cross-section changes shape quickly, or near a transition from cut to fill. The tool does not split a section into cut and fill portions: you give the cut and fill area for each section.
- Swell and shrink factors are entered by you, as percentages. This tool does not suggest factors for any material. Loose volume = bank volume x (1 + swell). Compacted volume = bank volume x (1 - shrink). Use factors from your geotechnical report or your own records.
- Checked against exact fraction arithmetic on 100 random section lists; the totals matched to rounding error.
- This tool is a convenience, not a survey deliverable. Check results against your own work, and use certified methods for anything you sign off. Provided as is, in line with the terms. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere.