Measure stockpile & earthwork volumes

The Volume Calculator reads your elevation model to measure earthwork across the whole scan, or what moved between two visits.

The calculator needs an elevation (surface-model / DSM) layer. Until your project has one, it shows an empty state; ask us to add it.

This panel measures the WHOLE scan, not one pile. For a single stockpile, pad or pond, use Volume & acreage on the 2D Map. See Measure an area.

Read a volume

1. Open the Terrain Analysis panel on your project's Details page.
2. Under Measure Against, pick a base level.
3. Read Cut (red, material above the base), Fill (blue, the space below the base you would fill) and Net (cut minus fill).

The units button in the header switches cubic yards or feet and cubic meters.

The base levels

• Lowest point on the scan — suits a pile on flat ground.
• Average elevation — the scan's average height, and the default.
• Highest point on the scan — measures the fill needed to reach it.
• Chosen datum — an elevation you type. Nothing is calculated until you do.

A chosen datum must be a WGS 84 ellipsoid height, as the panel says beside the box.

A benchmark or plan-sheet (NAVD 88) elevation is about 26 m / 85 ft away in Central Texas. Entering one gives a badly wrong answer, not a slightly wrong one.

Compare two scans

With two or more dated scans:

1. Click Compare in the panel header.
2. Choose the Newer Scan (A) and the Older Scan (B), then click Calculate Volumetric Change.
3. Read the cut, fill and net change. A cut/fill heatmap shows red where the ground rose and blue where it dropped.
4. With three or more scans, a Volume Change Over Time chart shows the running total.

The change is measured against the earlier scan's surface, over ground both scans cover.

Download the figures

CSV in the panel header downloads the figures, comparison rows included.

Good to know

• Volumes come from grid-cell integration over thousands of elevation samples. They suit planning, progress tracking and budgeting.
• Heights are WGS 84 ellipsoid heights everywhere in the panel, not NAVD 88 or a local benchmark.
• Every readout and export names the base level, because it changes the answer.
• A stamped, certified earthwork quantity comes from a licensed professional, not from this panel.
• This data is not a legal survey. Embry Solutions LLC does not perform land surveys. For boundary, subdivision, or title surveys, please consult a licensed Texas surveyor.