Soil Remediation Cost Calculator
Estimate soil excavation and disposal costs by contaminant type, volume, and disposal method.
About this calculator
This calculator estimates the cost of a dig-and-haul soil remediation project — excavating contaminated soil, hauling it off-site, and disposing of or treating it. Net excavation volume (length × width × depth) is inflated by 10% to account for overbreak and sloped excavation walls, then converted to cubic yards and to US short tons using the soil's bulk density, since disposal facilities bill by weight or volume depending on the site. Truck loads are estimated from whichever constraint binds first — a 20 cubic-yard or 22-ton typical end-dump capacity. Per-yard costs are built up from several components: excavation cost rises with depth beyond 3 meters (deeper digging is more expensive per yard due to shoring and safety requirements); disposal cost depends heavily on which of three fixed tiers you select — non-hazardous Subtitle D landfill (~$45/yd³), hazardous Subtitle C landfill (~$250/yd³), or thermal treatment (~$180/yd³); hauling cost scales linearly with one-way distance at roughly $0.25 per yard per mile; and backfill and compaction are flat per-yard rates.
Environmental monitoring is a base fee plus a small per-yard adder. All of these are summed to a subtotal, then a user-set contingency percentage (commonly 10-20% for remediation work, per the input's own guidance) is added on top for the final total. These are planning-level unit costs meant for early budgeting, not a substitute for competitive contractor bids, and they don't include mobilization or post-remediation site restoration, which the tool's own usage guidance recommends adding separately.
Inputs
Results
Excavation volume (yd³)
2,590
Total project cost ($)
$296,125.00
≈ 7 Teslas
Cost per yd³ ($)
$114.00
How to Use This Calculator
- Enter excavation dimensions (length, width, depth in meters) from the site remediation plan.
- Set soil bulk density and select disposal type (landfill, soil treatment facility, or on-site treatment).
- Review excavated volume in cubic yards, soil tonnage, and number of truck loads.
- Check estimated excavation, transport, and disposal costs per ton and total cost.
- Add mobilization and site restoration costs to complete the project budget estimate.
How the result changes with Excavation length (m)
| Excavation length (m) | Excavation volume (yd³) | Total project cost ($) | Cost per yd³ ($) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | 1,295 | $150,937.00 | $117.00 |
| 23 | 1,985 | $228,371.00 | $115.00 |
| 45 | 3,885 | $441,312.00 | $114.00 |
| 75 | 6,474 | $731,687.00 | $113.00 |
What each input means
- Excavation length (m)
- Length of the excavation area in meters.
- Excavation width (m)
- Width of the excavation area in meters.
- Excavation depth (m)
- Depth of contaminated soil to remove. Costs increase significantly below 3m.
- Soil bulk density (t/m³)
- In-place bulk density. Sand ~1.6, clay ~1.4, gravel ~1.8 t/m³.
- Disposal type (0-2)
- 0 = non-hazardous (Subtitle D), 1 = hazardous (Subtitle C), 2 = thermal treatment.
- Haul distance one-way (miles)
- Distance from site to disposal facility.
- Contingency (%)
- Contingency factor for unknowns. 10-20% typical for remediation.
What each result means
- Excavation volume (m³)
- Total excavation volume including 10% overbreak.
- Excavation volume (yd³)
- Volume in cubic yards (US standard for bidding).
- Soil weight (tons)
- Total weight in US short tons for disposal facility.
- Truck loads
- Number of 20 yd³ end-dump truck loads.
- Excavation cost ($)
- Cost to excavate soil.
- Disposal cost ($)
- Landfill tipping or treatment fees.
- Hauling cost ($)
- Transportation cost to disposal facility.
- Backfill cost ($)
- Clean fill import, placement, and grading.
- Environmental monitoring ($)
- Dust control, air monitoring, and decontamination.
- Total project cost ($)
- Total estimated cost including contingency.
- Cost per yd³ ($)
- All-in cost per cubic yard of soil remediated.
How this is calculated
Worked example, using the default values
- Identify Input Parameters4 parametersExcavation length (m) = 30, Excavation width (m) = 20, Excavation depth (m) = 3, Soil bulk density (t/m³) = 1.6 = 7 input(s) provided
- Calculate Excavation volumeExcavation volume = grossVolume * 1.307952590 = 2590
- Calculate Total project costTotal project cost = subtotal + contingency296125 = $296,125
- Calculate Cost per yd³114 = $114
- Calculate Excavation volumeExcavation volume = netVolume * 1.11980 = 1980
- Calculate Soil weightSoil weight = soilTons * 1.102313492 = 3492
Engine last updated . Checked against 2 independently-derived tests — how we verify calculators. Built by Paul Gunder, a software engineer, not a licensed financial, medical, or legal professional.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the calculator add 10% to my excavation dimensions before pricing anything?
That 10% overbreak factor accounts for the reality that excavation walls can't be cut perfectly vertical — sloped or benched walls for safety, plus some inevitable over-digging, mean the actual volume removed is larger than the simple length × width × depth of the contaminated footprint. The gross volume (with overbreak) is what feeds every downstream cost calculation, not the net volume.
How much does my disposal type selection change the total cost?
Substantially — the calculator uses three fixed per-yard rates: about $45/yd³ for non-hazardous Subtitle D landfill disposal, $250/yd³ for hazardous Subtitle C landfill disposal, and $180/yd³ for thermal treatment. Since disposal cost is one of the largest line items alongside excavation, switching from non-hazardous to hazardous classification alone can more than 5x the disposal-cost portion of your total.
What does the contingency percentage cover, and should I change the 15% default?
The contingency is applied as a flat percentage on top of the summed subtotal (excavation, disposal, hauling, backfill, compaction, and monitoring) to cover unknowns like unexpected soil conditions or scope changes. The input's own help text notes 10-20% is typical for remediation work, so the 15% default sits in the middle of that range — projects with more site uncertainty may warrant pushing toward the higher end.
What costs does this calculator leave out that I should budget separately?
It doesn't include mobilization (getting equipment and crews to the site) or post-remediation site restoration beyond basic backfill and compaction — both are called out in the tool's own usage guidance as items to add on top of this estimate. It's also a planning-level unit-cost tool meant for early budgeting, not a substitute for actual competitive contractor bids.
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