Trench Shoring Calculator

9 ft trench in Type C soil: upright, wale and strut sizes, plus lateral pressure, force per foot, and the slope alternative. $4.99 one-time, offline.

On site and need shoring numbers before your crew enters the trench? Pick the soil type, enter depth and width, and get lateral pressure and member sizes in seconds.

Select soil classification (Type A, B, or C), enter trench depth and width, add any surcharge from nearby equipment, and choose your shoring method. Everything updates as you type. There is no calculate button.

WHAT IT CALCULATES:

Soil and Pressure:

• Type A, B, or C, selected with one tap
• Lateral pressure at the bottom of the trench, using 25, 45, and 80 psf per foot of depth for Types A, B, and C
• Pressure with your surcharge added for nearby equipment loads
• Total force per foot of trench wall, from a triangular pressure distribution

Shoring Specifications (pick one of three methods):

• Timber: upright (sheeting) size, wale size, cross-brace (strut) size, and brace spacing, stepped by depth band
• Aluminum Hydraulic: 2 in or 3 in cylinder, maximum shore spacing (8 or 6 ft on center), and minimum plywood sheeting (3/4 in or 1 in), stepped at 8 ft of depth
• Trench Shield/Box: the minimum box pressure rating in psf, computed from your depth, soil type and surcharge. The shield depth and width rows echo back the trench dimensions you entered, as a spec to match when you pick a box

Slope Alternative:

• Maximum unshored slope for the selected soil: 3/4:1 (53 degrees) for Type A, 1:1 (45 degrees) for Type B, 1.5:1 (34 degrees) for Type C
• Total top width of the excavation if you slope instead of shore

Depth Check:

• Flags when a protective system is required at the depth you entered
• Over 20 ft, flags that the system must be designed by a professional engineer

KEY FEATURES:

• Based on the OSHA 29 CFR 1926 Subpart P soil classification and maximum slope ratios
• Every value recalculates live as you type
• One screen. No menus, no setup, no projects to manage
• The calculator works completely offline. No account, no login, nothing you type leaves your device
• $4.99 once. No subscription, no in-app purchases

WHAT IT DOES NOT DO:

Straight talk before you buy. This is a fast field estimate, not a substitute for a designed system. It does not do benching, layered or submerged soil profiles, or a full Appendix C/D table lookup. Dimensions are in feet and pressures are in psf; there is no metric mode. Trench shield selection is on you — the app gives you the pressure rating to match, not a product.

The app also includes a More Pro Tools card linking to our other apps on the App Store. Nothing in the calculator needs it, and nothing needs a connection.

Built for competent persons, safety officers, excavation contractors, and civil engineers who need fast trench shoring numbers on the job site.