Dirt & Soil Removal Pricing Guide

Pre-job weight and trip calculation

Measure the soil pile in cubic yards. Multiply by soil-type weight (2,200 lbs for topsoil, 2,800 for clay, add 25% if wet). Divide total weight by your truck payload capacity to determine trip count. Price the job based on total trips, not just visible volume.

Dirt removal typically costs $150–$300 for under 1 ton, $300–$600 for 1–3 tons, and $600–$800+ for 3–5 tons. Clean soil disposal is often free at fill sites, so your price is primarily labor and transport. Wet clay and contaminated soil cost more because they are heavier per yard and require paid disposal at C&D or environmental facilities. Always price by weight, not by how the pile looks — a small pile of wet clay can easily weigh 2+ tons.

One cubic yard of dry topsoil weighs approximately 2,200 lbs. Clay weighs roughly 2,800 lbs per cubic yard. Wet soil after rain can exceed 3,000 lbs per yard. For reference, one cubic yard of dirt outweighs a standard 3-seat sofa by 10 times. This extreme weight is why junk trucks hit payload limits with the bed only half full on dirt jobs — you must calculate by weight, not by visual volume.

Yes, in limited quantities. Most junk removal trucks with dump inserts on F-350 or Ram 3500 chassis handle 2–2.5 cubic yards of topsoil or 1.5–2 yards of clay per load before hitting payload limits. Check your GVWR on the driver's door sticker and subtract your truck's curb weight. The difference is your maximum payload. Never exceed it — overloading voids insurance, damages suspension ($800–$1,200 per leaf spring), and risks DOT fines up to $2,500.

Clean fill is accepted free at active construction sites, new housing developments, municipal fill programs, and some landscaping supply yards. Search your county's solid waste website for registered fill sites, or drive your service area looking for active grading projects and ask the site foreman. Build relationships with 3–5 sites and call weekly to confirm availability. Fill sites close without notice when they reach grade. Free disposal turns dirt removal into a high-margin job since your only costs are labor and fuel.

Contaminated soil disposal costs $25–$55 per ton at licensed C&D facilities for lightly mixed material. Petroleum-contaminated or chemically contaminated soil requiring environmental waste handling runs $75–$120 per ton. A 3-ton load of contaminated soil can cost $225–$360 to dispose versus $0 for clean fill. Always ask the customer about soil origin before quoting — discovering contamination after you have loaded it leaves you with an expensive disposal problem and no way to recoup the cost.