What is the term for soil material removed from the ground?

• A. Pad
• B. Infill
• C. Cut
• D. Fill

Answer: (C)

In earthwork terms, the soil material removed from the ground is called a cut. When a site is graded to reach the final design surface, any portion of the existing ground that lies above that surface is excavated, producing cut material. This is paired with fill, which is soil added where the ground is too low. A pad is simply a prepared area for a structure, not the material removed, and infill isn’t the standard term for excavation—it refers more to filling gaps or voids. So the term that best describes soil removed from the ground is cut.