When most people search for fill dirt pricing, they find the per-yard cost and stop there. But material cost is only one piece of your total project cost. Equipment rental, labor, and site preparation can add 50–200% to the material price alone. Here is how to calculate your true total project cost so there are no surprises.
The Total Cost Formula
Total Project Cost = (Yards Needed x Price Per Yard) + Equipment Rental + Labor
Every fill dirt project breaks down into these three components. The material cost is the most predictable — we quote it by the yard with delivery included. Equipment and labor costs vary depending on whether you are doing the work yourself or hiring a contractor, and how much material needs to be moved and compacted.
Material Costs by Type
Current 2026 pricing for delivered material in our service areas:
| Material | Texas (DFW) | Colorado (Denver) |
|---|---|---|
| Clean Fill Dirt | $10/yd | $15/yd |
| Screened Topsoil | $17/yd | $20/yd |
| Structural Fill | $20/yd | $23/yd |
| Select Fill | $20/yd | $23/yd |
| Sand | $18/yd | $22/yd |
| Crushed Concrete | $15–25/yd | $20–30/yd |
| Road Base | $20–30/yd | $25–35/yd |
All prices include dump truck delivery. Minimum order is 10 cubic yards. Volume discounts are available on orders over 50 yards.
Equipment Rental Costs
Unless you plan to spread and compact fill by hand (realistic only for very small projects under 5 yards), you will need equipment. Here are typical rental rates in the DFW and Denver markets:
Plate compactor: $75–150 per day. Essential for compacting fill in lifts. Suitable for small to medium projects — driveways, walkways, small grading jobs. Available at most equipment rental shops and big-box hardware stores.
Skid steer (Bobcat): $250–400 per day. The workhorse for residential and small commercial fill projects. A skid steer can push, spread, grade, and load fill dirt efficiently. With a grading bucket attachment, one operator can spread 50+ yards per day.
Mini excavator: $300–500 per day. Needed when fill must be placed in a specific location that a skid steer cannot reach — behind retaining walls, in trenches, or in tight spaces. Also useful for mixing and placing material in lifts for compaction.
Full-size excavator: $400–800 per day. Required for large-scale grading, deep fills, and commercial projects. A full-size excavator paired with a skilled operator can move and grade hundreds of yards per day.
Most equipment rental companies offer weekly rates at 3–4x the daily rate, so if your project spans multiple days, the weekly rate is almost always the better deal.
Labor Costs
You have three options for labor: do it yourself, hire day laborers, or hire a professional grading contractor.
DIY (free but slow): Realistic for projects under 10–15 yards if you are renting a skid steer and know how to operate it. A wheelbarrow-and-rake approach works for 1–3 yards of topsoil in a garden bed but is not practical for larger fills.
Day labor: $25–50 per hour per worker, depending on your area and the skill level required. Two laborers with rakes and a plate compactor can handle spreading and compacting 10–20 yards per day for simple grading projects. Budget $200–400 per day for a two-person crew.
Professional grading contractor: $500–1,500 for a typical residential grading project, or $50–100 per hour for equipment with operator. The contractor brings the equipment, the expertise, and the liability coverage. For projects over 20 yards or any project with compaction requirements, a professional is usually worth the cost. They finish faster, grade more accurately, and their compaction work is more reliable.
Example Project Cost Calculations
Here are five common projects with full cost breakdowns based on DFW pricing:
1. Pool Removal Fill — 50 Yards
Material: 50 yd x $10/yd (fill dirt) = $500. Equipment: plate compactor rental, 2 days = $300. Labor: typically included in pool demolition contractor's price = $0 additional. Total: approximately $800. Note: the pool demolition contractor usually handles fill placement and compaction as part of their scope. The $800 is just the material and compactor — the demo itself runs $3,000–$8,000 separately.
2. Yard Leveling — 2,000 Sq Ft
This assumes leveling a yard that is 6 inches low on average (about 37 yards of fill needed) with 4 inches of topsoil on top (about 12 yards). Material: 37 yd x $10/yd (fill) + 12 yd x $17/yd (topsoil) = $370 + $204 = $574. Equipment: skid steer rental, 1 day = $250. Labor: DIY with rented skid steer = $0. Total: approximately $824. Add $300–500 if you hire a grading contractor instead of running the skid steer yourself.
3. Driveway Base — 12 Yards Structural Fill
Material: 12 yd x $20/yd (structural fill) = $240. Equipment: plate compactor rental, 1 day = $150. Labor: DIY = $0. Total: approximately $390. This is just the base preparation — add the cost of concrete or asphalt on top for the finished driveway surface.
4. French Drain Backfill
Material: 4 yd x $10/yd (fill dirt for top layer) + gravel for drain bed = $40 for fill + approximately $160 for gravel and pipe. Equipment: hand tools only for most French drains = $0. Labor: DIY = $0. Total: approximately $200. French drains are one of the few projects where hand labor is practical because the volumes are small and the work is linear (trench-based).
5. New Lawn Preparation — 12 Yards Topsoil
Material: 12 yd x $17/yd (screened topsoil) = $204. Equipment: plate compactor rental, 1 day = $75. Labor: DIY spreading with rake = $0. Total: approximately $279. This covers the topsoil layer only — add $150–300 for sod or $50–100 for grass seed, plus ongoing watering costs.
Use Our Free Online Calculator
For a quick material cost estimate, use our free calculator at filldirtnearme.net/calculator. Enter your project dimensions, select your material type, and it calculates the yards needed and the delivered material cost instantly. It handles the length-times-width-times-depth-divided-by-27 math and adds a compaction buffer automatically. The calculator gives you the material portion of your total cost — add equipment and labor estimates from the ranges above for your full project budget.
Get an Exact Quote
The examples above use standard pricing. Your actual cost depends on your delivery address (zone pricing), the specific material needed, and current availability. For an exact material quote, text us at (469) 523-6420 with your project details: what you are doing, where you are located, and approximately how many yards you think you need. We will confirm the material recommendation, calculate the exact quantity if needed, and quote a delivered price — usually within minutes during business hours. No forms, no waiting, no sales pitch.