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Soil and Rock Bulking Factors
Soil or rock expansion - swell - after mining
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One cubic of soil or rock at the borrow expands and does not translate into one cubic of fill in the lorry, stockpiled or placed and compacted on the site.
Bulking or Swell factors for some common materials are indicated below:
| Material | Density at the Borrow (kg/m3) |
Bulking (Swell) Factor (%) |
| Basalt | 2.4 - 3.1 | 75 - 80 |
| Clay | 1.8 - 2.6 | 20 - 40 |
| Dolomite | 2.8 | 50 - 60 |
| Earth | 20 - 30 | |
| Gneiss | 2.69 | 75 - 80 |
| Granite | 2.6 - 2.8 | 75 - 80 |
| Gravel, dry | 1.80 | 20 - 30 |
| Gravel, wet | 2.00 | 20 - 30 |
| Gravel, wet w/clay | 50 - 60 | |
| Limestone | 2.7 -2.8 | 75 - 80 |
| Loam | 15 - 25 | |
| Quartz | 2.65 | 75 - 80 |
| Rock | 40 - 80 | |
| Sand, dry | 1.60 | 20 - 30 |
| Sand, wet | 1.95 | 20 - 30 |
| Sandstone | 2.1 - 2.4 | 75 - 80 |
| Slate | 2.6 - 3.3 | 85 - 90 |
| Soil | 1.2 - 1.6 | 20 - 30 |
- 1 kg/m3 = 0.001 g/cm3 = 0.0005780 oz/in3 = 0.16036 oz/gal (Imperial) = 0.1335 oz/gal (U.S.) = 0.0624 lb/ft3 = 0.000036127 lb/in3 = 1.6856 lb/yd3 = 0.010022 lb/gal (Imperial) = 0.008345 lb/gal (U.S) = 0.0007525 ton/yd3
Example - Swell Factor
After excavation 300 cubic yards with bulking factor 40% swells to
(300 cy) (100% + 40%)/100% = 420 cy
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