In excavating rock, three men—one rockman and two laborers—usually work together. For a day of 8 hours, the rockman receives $3 and each laborer gets $2. Together, therefore, the wages of the three amounts to $7 a day. These men will excavate about 6 cubic yards of rock in 1 day, making the rock excavation cost $1.17 per cubic yard. To this must be added the cost of explosives, which is about 10 cents per cubic yard, and the wear on tools. This latter expense can hardly be estimated, but may also be considered as 10 cents per cubic yard, thus bringing the total cost of rock excavation up to $1.37 per cubic yard for rock wasted at the building. =10.= To sum up, excavation in sandy soil wasted around the building costs 33 cents per cubic yard; if hauled ½ mile, it costs 53 cents per cubic yard. If the soil is compact gravel and is wasted around the building, excavation costs from 34 to 65 cents per cubic yard; if hauled ½ mile, from 54 to 85 cents per cubic yard. Wet excavation with no piling or pumping costs about the same as dry; with piling and pumping, it costs from 75 cents to $1.25 per cubic yard. Rock work costs $1.37 per cubic yard if wasted around the building. These figures do not include the contractor’s profit. CONTRACTOR’S METHOD OF FIGURING EXCAVATION =11.= Besides the actual cost of excavation, the contractor, in estimating, must include such items as office expenses, builder’s profits, etc. The following method of figuring, which is employed by the estimator of a large contracting firm in the eastern part of the United States, will therefore be found useful. As in the preceding case, the prices will be found to vary in different localities; therefore, the figures given should only be used as a guide in estimating. The prices are based on labor at $2 per day of 8 hours and a two-horse team and driver at $5 per day of 8 hours. The excavation is assumed to be made in ground varying from made ground to a moderately stiff clay. The prices do not include the cost of shoring or pumping, and are based on the assumption that there is no frost of any account while operations are being carried out. Four classes of excavation are recognized: 1. Excavation in trenches up to 5 feet deep, excavated material spread on site about trenches, including back filling around walls, costs from 40 to 50 cents per cubic yard. 2. Trenches from 5 to 10 feet deep, excavated material spread on site adjacent to trenches, including back filling around walls, costs from 65 to 75 cents per cubic yard. 3. For cellars, or similar digging, up to 6 feet deep and having an area large enough to use a plow for loosening the earth (say areas 50 ft. × 20 ft. and over), excavated material being spread on site adjacent to work, costs from 33 to 38 cents per cubic yard if a scoop can be used, and from 40 to 45 cents per cubic yard if the material must be loaded on a wagon to haul it out of the excavation.