Fill Dirt Wanted in Portland, OR
Connecting people who have dirt with people who need dirt.
Connecting people who have dirt with people who need dirt.
Excavators, grading contractors, developers, and haulers working Portland job sites can post surplus fill dirt or respond to active requests, turning a disposal cost into a short-haul match that keeps usable soil out of landfills. Homeowners needing fill for yard grading, drainage correction, or low-spot repair can post a wanted listing to connect with nearby contractors who already have material to move. Matching local supply to local demand cuts fuel costs, driver hours, and wasted trips for everyone involved. Browse the listings, map, and project stats below to see what is available and who is requesting fill dirt in the Portland area right now.
13 listings near Portland, OR
Clean Fill Dirt Wanted: 300 yards
Gresham, OR
Fill Dirt Wanted: 100 yards
Silverton, OR
Clean Fill Dirt Wanted: 100 yards
Portland, OR
Fill Dirt Wanted: 100 yards
Gresham, OR
Clean Fill Dirt Wanted: 100 yards
Salem, OR
Fill Dirt Wanted: 70 yards
Gervais, OR
Clay Wanted: 20 yards
Stayton, OR
Clean Fill Dirt Wanted: 12 yards
New
Estacada, OR
Clay Wanted: 5 yards
Portland, OR
Fill Dirt Wanted: 3 yards
New
Kalama, WA
Excavation and grading contractors on Portland job sites generate surplus material on nearly every project. Instead of paying to haul that material to a distant disposal site, posting it as available on a dirt marketplace converts a cost center into a zero-haul or short-haul solution. Matching a surplus site with a nearby site that needs fill cuts round-trip haul distance, which is the largest variable cost in moving material, reducing fuel, driver hours, and truck wear.
A strong surplus listing gives the receiving party everything they need to decide quickly. Include the following details when you post:
Contractors who post complete listings receive faster responses and fewer back-and-forth messages, which keeps projects moving and avoids the cost of staging material on site longer than necessary.
Not all fill dirt serves the same purpose. Clean fill is soil free of organics, debris, and contaminants, used to raise grade in non-load-bearing areas. Structural or select fill is engineered and compacted in lifts to support foundations, pavements, and slabs, and it typically requires compaction testing to a specified percentage of maximum dry density. Contractors sourcing fill for foundation work, pavement subgrade, or slab prep need to verify material specifications before accepting a marketplace match.
Before committing to a load of fill from any source, ask the supplier these questions:
Getting clear answers before a truck rolls protects the project schedule and avoids the cost of removing unsuitable material after placement.
Excavated soil expands when it is dug and compacts when placed, so bank cubic yards and truck cubic yards are not the same number. Typical loose swell for common fill runs roughly 20 to 30 percent. That means a contractor or homeowner who needs 100 compacted cubic yards of finished fill should order more loose material than the finished volume suggests, after accounting for both swell during loading and shrink during compaction.
A simple example: if your finished graded area requires 100 compacted cubic yards and the material has a 25 percent swell factor and a 10 percent shrink factor on compaction, you will need to order approximately 115 to 125 loose cubic yards to hit your target. Communicating your volume needs clearly in a fill dirt wanted listing helps suppliers respond with accurate quantities and avoids under-delivery or wasted extra trips.
Portland homeowners need fill dirt for a range of common residential projects: correcting yard drainage, filling low spots, building up grade around foundations, creating raised garden beds, and backfilling behind retaining walls. Many of these projects require only a few truckloads, which makes them a natural match for contractors who have small volumes of surplus material left over from nearby excavation work. Posting a fill dirt wanted listing connects you to that local supply without paying full quarry or delivery rates.
A clear wanted listing gets better responses. When you post, include:
When fill arrives from an unfamiliar source, inspect each load before it is spread. Watch for visible debris such as concrete chunks, wood, or plastic; a strong organic or chemical odor; and soil that is heavily clay-laden if your goal is drainage improvement. Importing problem soil onto a residential lot creates more work and cost than it saves, so a quick visual check before unloading protects your project.
The Portland metro sits in the Willamette Valley, where native soils are often heavy clay, including the Jory and Woodburn series common across Multnomah and Washington counties. Importing fill that is also high in clay can worsen drainage rather than correct it, so soil type matching matters for any project where drainage or load-bearing performance is the goal. Portland contractors and homeowners should ask about the origin and texture of fill dirt before accepting a load, especially for work near foundations, drainage swales, or garden areas.
Willamette Valley clay soils have significant swell and shrink behavior as moisture content changes through the wet and dry seasons. This affects compaction scheduling and lift thickness on grading projects: placing and compacting fill during the wet season, when native soil is near or above its plastic limit, can result in poor compaction and unstable subgrade. Contractors should plan fill placement windows around soil moisture conditions and adjust lift thickness accordingly.
Active fill dirt wanted listings from Portland-area homeowners, contractors, and developers are posted directly on the marketplace. Browse the map and listings on this page to see current requests by neighborhood or project type. If you have surplus material from a Portland job site, post an available dirt listing with your location, volume, and material type so nearby requesters can contact you directly. Matching local supply to local demand cuts haul distance, which is the largest variable cost in moving material.
Yes. Excavation and grading contractors can post surplus material as available on the marketplace. A complete listing should include material type, estimated volume in bank cubic yards, site location, availability window, and whether you can deliver or the receiver must arrange pickup. Posting surplus dirt converts a disposal cost into a short-haul or zero-haul match, reducing fuel, driver hours, and truck wear compared to hauling to a distant disposal site.
Clean fill dirt free of organics, debris, and contaminants can often be matched to a nearby site that needs it, avoiding disposal fees entirely. Posting surplus material on a dirt marketplace connects you with Portland-area homeowners and contractors who are actively requesting fill. For material that contains organics, debris, or potential contaminants, consult your project engineer or a licensed disposal facility, as those materials may not qualify as clean fill and may be subject to local disposal requirements. Always confirm material classification before offering it as fill to another party.
The number of truckloads depends on the volume you need in compacted cubic yards, the swell factor of the material, and the capacity of the trucks delivering it. Excavated soil typically swells 20 to 30 percent when loose, so the volume loaded onto a truck is greater than the bank cubic yard volume at the source. A standard end-dump truck carries roughly 10 to 14 cubic yards of loose material. Divide your total loose volume requirement by truck capacity to estimate load count, and build in a 10 to 15 percent buffer for material variation. State your volume need clearly in your wanted listing so suppliers can respond with accurate load estimates.
Fill dirt delivery in the Portland metro is typically handled by the excavation contractor or hauler who has the surplus material, or by a third-party trucking company arranged by either party. When you post a fill dirt wanted listing, specify whether you need delivery or can arrange your own pickup. Expect the supplier or hauler to confirm truck size, number of loads, and a delivery window before the first truck arrives. Make sure your property has adequate access for a loaded end-dump or belly-dump truck, including clearance for the truck bed to raise if needed. Have a plan for where each load will be placed so trucks can unload and turn around efficiently.
Fill dirt pricing in Portland varies depending on material type, volume, haul distance, and whether delivery is included. Homeowners and contractors who post fill dirt wanted listings on a marketplace can sometimes receive material at low or no cost from excavation contractors who need to dispose of surplus soil from nearby job sites. Free or low-cost matches are most common when the receiving site is close to the source, reducing haul cost for the supplier. Clean fill with good soil classification and no debris tends to attract more offers than mixed or clay-heavy material. Posting a clear wanted listing with your location, volume, and preferred soil type improves your chances of finding a low-cost match.
Structural fill for foundations, pavement subgrade, or slab support requires material that can be compacted in lifts to a specified percentage of maximum dry density, and it typically requires compaction testing to verify performance. Browse active available dirt listings in the Portland metro and filter for material described as select fill, granular fill, or compactable fill. Before accepting any load for a structural application, ask the supplier for soil classification, gradation data, and any existing test reports. If no documentation is available, budget for independent testing before placement. A dirt marketplace can help you locate nearby sources, but verifying suitability for structural use is the contractor's responsibility.
Fill dirt evaluation typically starts with a visual inspection: check for debris, organic material, strong odors, and obvious contamination. For structural applications, laboratory testing may include grain size analysis, Atterberg limits (to classify plasticity), Proctor compaction testing to establish maximum dry density, and field density testing after placement. For non-structural uses such as yard grading or raised beds, a visual check and a basic texture assessment are often sufficient. Ask any marketplace supplier for existing test data before committing to a load, especially for foundation-adjacent or drainage-critical work in the Portland area.
The Portland metro sits in the Willamette Valley, where native soils are often heavy clay, including the Jory and Woodburn series common in Multnomah and Washington counties. Importing fill that is also high in clay can worsen drainage rather than correct it. For drainage correction or garden projects, request fill with a loamy or sandy texture rather than heavy clay. For structural applications, confirm that the fill is not an expansive clay, as Willamette Valley clay soils have significant swell and shrink behavior with seasonal moisture changes, which affects compaction scheduling and lift thickness. Always ask suppliers about the origin and texture of fill before accepting a load.
Posting a fill dirt wanted listing takes only a few minutes. Include the following details to attract the best responses:
A complete listing reduces back-and-forth messages and helps contractors with surplus material decide quickly whether your project is a good match for their available dirt.