How to Calculate Dump Truck Volume

Choosing the right dump truck is essential for fulfilling a particular job. They come in different sizes and capacities, so knowing the haul of the truck helps narrow down your choices and ensure that you choose the right truck for the job.

Things You'll Need:

Dump truck bed dimensions
Calculator
Pen & Paper

1. Gather the dimensions of the dump trucks you are considering renting. The dimensions of the bed of the truck are all that you need.


2. Think of the bed of the dump truck as a three dimensional triangle, or more simply, a box. Envisioning it this way helps make the calculations much easier.


3. Find out and write down the length of the truck bed in feet, and call it "l."


4. Find out and write down the width of the truck bed in feet, and call it "w."


5. Find out and write down the height of the truck bed in feet, and call it "h."


6. Use the following math formula and plug in your values. Length x Width x Height = Volume.  For example, l=12 feet, w=6 feet, h=6 feet. 12 x 6 x 6 = 432 cubic feet.


7. Divide your cubic feet result by 27. This will give you the volume of the dump truck in cubic yards, as this is the standard for such ratings. In this example, it would be 432 / 27 = 27 cubic yards. This is the load volume that this particular dump truck is capable of carrying.