Free. No signup. Saves your estimate.

Excavation Job Cost Estimator

Equipment hours plus trucking plus labor plus materials equals your bid. Add line items by category, set overhead, contingency, and profit percentages, and see your total bid in real time. Your estimate is saved automatically so you can come back and adjust it. Cross-linked to the Equipment Rate Calculator and Volume Calculator.

Loading estimator…

The formula

direct_costs = equipment + trucking + labor + materials + subs + mobilization

with_overhead = direct_costs × (1 + overhead%)

with_contingency = with_overhead × (1 + contingency%)

total_bid = with_contingency × (1 + profit%) ← your number

Production rates for excavation

Use these as starting points for estimating equipment hours. Actual production varies with soil conditions, operator skill, and site access.

MachineCY/hrNotes
Mini excavator (3–6 ton)15–30Residential, tight access
Mid-size excavator (13–20 ton)50–100General excavation
Full-size excavator (30–45 ton)100–200Mass excavation, large sites
Skid steer / CTL20–40Loading, grading, backfill
Dozer D4–D6100–250Bulk push, site stripping

Rates assume bank cubic yards in normal soil. Rock excavation: 25–50% of normal rate. Backfill and compaction: 50–75% of excavation rate due to lift-and-compact cycles.

Contingency by job type

  • Grading / site prep: 5–10%. Relatively predictable if geotechnical data is available.
  • Utility trenching: 10–15%. Risk of hitting unmarked utilities, rock, or water table.
  • Septic systems: 10–15%. Soil conditions can change what system is approved after the perc test.
  • Demolition: 10–20%. Hidden conditions: asbestos, underground tanks, abandoned utilities.
  • Rock excavation: Often priced as a unit-price add-on ($/CY) rather than a flat contingency, since it is a known unknown.

Frequently asked questions

How do I estimate equipment hours for a job?

Start with production rates by machine class. A mid-size excavator (20 to 30 ton) moves 50 to 100 cubic yards per hour in general excavation. A mini excavator in tight residential work does 15 to 30. Divide total volume by production rate to get equipment hours. Add 10 to 20 percent for mobilization, repositioning, and non-productive time.

Should I show contingency as a line item to the customer?

Most small excavation contractors do not. Showing contingency invites the customer to ask you to remove it. Many contractors build contingency into their unit prices or add it to overhead instead. Either way, the money needs to be in the bid. Excavation is full of unknowns — rock, water, unmarked utilities, bad soil — and 10 to 15 percent contingency is not padding, it is reality.

What is a typical overhead percentage for a small excavation contractor?

Ten to 20 percent is typical. This covers office or yard rent, bookkeeping, estimating time, vehicle expenses, phone and radio, general liability insurance, licensing, and administrative time. Leaner solo operators may be 8 to 12 percent. Contractors with an office, yard, and staff tend toward 15 to 20 percent. The number should come from your actual books, not a guess.

Should I include mobilization as a separate line item?

Yes. Mob/demob is a real cost: lowboy trailer, fuel, permits for oversize loads, and your time driving. A mini excavator on a tag trailer might cost $200 to $500 per mobilization. A full-size excavator on a lowboy can cost $500 to $1,500 depending on distance. Showing it as a line item helps the customer understand why a half-day job still has a minimum cost.

What profit margin should I target?

Industry average for specialty contractors is 6 to 10 percent net profit. Top performers hit 10 to 20 percent. For job-level estimating, a 15 percent profit markup on top of cost plus overhead is a reasonable target. This calculator applies profit on top of direct costs, overhead, and contingency combined.

Is this free forever?

Yes. No signup, no email, no watermark. SpoilStack is a paid job tracker for excavation contractors. This estimator is free.

Related free tools