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Dirt Work & Grading Pricing Calculator
Estimate what to charge for dirt work. Grading and pad prep are priced per square foot; excavation, clearing, and hauling are priced by the hour of equipment time. Pick the work and your state for a local range.
Estimated from regional norms via the Lawnager Price Index. A starting point — adjust for access, materials, condition, and your costs.
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How to price dirt work & grading
Dirt work splits into two pricing models. Finish work you can measure — grading, leveling, and building or driveway pad prep — is priced per square foot ($0.50–$3.50/sq ft depending on cut/fill and base). Open-ended work — excavation, land clearing, and hauling — is priced by the hour of equipment time (machine + operator), roughly $90–$275/hr depending on the machine.
Soil and site conditions are the whole game: rock, heavy clay, wet ground, and slope slow every pass and can add 30–40%. Trucking and disposal of spoil is a real cost — price haul-off separately by the load or the hour.
Quote conservatively and protect yourself with an hourly rate or a written allowance for the unknowns you can't see until you dig. Buried debris, high water tables, and hardpan are where fixed-price dirt jobs lose money.
Frequently asked questions
How much does grading cost per square foot?⌄
Rough grading and leveling typically run $0.50–$2.00/sq ft, and building or driveway pad prep (with base) $1–$3.50/sq ft, depending on how much cut, fill, and compaction the site needs.
How do you price excavation and land clearing?⌄
By the hour of equipment time — machine plus operator — usually $120–$275/hr for excavation and $150–$350/hr for clearing, scaled by soil and site conditions. Hauling spoil off-site is billed separately.
Why is dirt work priced by the hour?⌄
Because so much is hidden until you dig — rock, clay, water, buried debris. Hourly (or a fixed price with a clear allowance for unknowns) protects you from the surprises a fixed sq-ft bid can't account for.