Stockpile Volume Measurement
Accurate aerial measurement of material stockpiles. Utilizes advanced photogrammetry to provide precise volume calculations, aiding in inventory management and cost control.
- ±1–3%
- Volume accuracy
- 20+
- Piles measured per flight
- ~1 hour
- On site
- 24h
- To a signed report
Elevation model · surface used to compute volume
In short
Drone stockpile measurement uses photogrammetry to build a surface model of a material pile and compute its volume against a base plane or prior surface, typically within 1–3% of true volume. Agriflyte measures entire aggregate yards in a single flight across the Oklahoma City metro and delivers a signed per-pile report within 24 hours.
Built for the people who have to make the call.
Earthwork contractors
Get paid for the dirt you actually moved.
Aggregate & material yards
Inventory numbers that survive an audit.
Quarry operations
Monthly reconciliation without shutting down the pit.
Ag & co-op storage
Grain and feedstock piles measured the same way.
Truck counts and pacing off a pile are estimates dressed up as numbers.
Most yards still reconcile inventory from load tickets and a walk-around, and the error compounds every month. When the number on the books and the material on the ground disagree at year end, the argument has no evidence behind it — and someone climbs an active pile with a GPS rover to settle it.
- Estimates that drift 10–20% from actual volume
- Crews walking unstable piles to collect points
- A day or two of production interrupted for inventory
- Progress payments argued over instead of documented
Every pile in the yard measured from the air, in one visit, with a signed report.
A single mapping flight builds a surface model of the entire yard. We define each pile’s toe, compute volume against a base plane or your prior surface, and hand back a report with per-pile volumes, tonnage at your material densities, and the change since last measurement. Nobody climbs anything.
- Full-yard photogrammetric capture in one flight
- Per-pile toe definition and base-plane or surface-to-surface computation
- Tonnage conversion using your material densities
- Period-over-period change reporting for reconciliation
What it changes, in numbers.
±1–3%
Volume accuracy
vs. ±10–20% typical for truck-count estimates
20+
Piles measured per flight
whole yard in one capture
~1 hour
On site
vs. a 1–2 day GPS walkover
24h
To a signed report
per-pile volumes and tonnage
Figures are capability specifications and typical ranges for this service — actuals vary with site conditions, control and material. We put project-specific numbers in every quote.
Deliverables, in formats your team already opens.
Specifications
- Accuracy
- ±1–3% of true volume on well-defined piles
- Basis
- Base plane, best-fit plane, or prior surface
- Units
- Cubic yards, cubic meters, tons at your densities
- On-site time
- 45–75 minutes for a typical yard
- Cadence
- One-off, monthly, quarterly or year-end
Four steps from your call to usable data.
- 1
Yard walkthrough
We confirm pile locations, material types and the densities you book against.
- 2
Single capture flight
The whole yard is mapped in one mission, with production running.
- 3
Compute volumes
Toes defined per pile, volumes computed and cross-checked against the prior surface.
- 4
Report and reconcile
Signed per-pile report with change since the last measurement.
What people ask before they book this.
Something not covered here? Email deyan@agriflyte.com and you’ll get a real answer, not a brochure.
- How accurate is drone stockpile volume measurement?
- Agriflyte computes stockpile volumes within roughly 1–3% of true volume on well-defined piles, compared with the 10–20% error typical of truck-count and walk-around estimates. Each report states the method, the base surface used and the accuracy achieved, so it stands up in an inventory audit.
- Do you have to shut down the yard to measure piles?
- No. One mapping flight covers an entire yard — 20 or more piles — in about an hour with production running. Nobody climbs an active pile with a GPS rover, which removes both the safety exposure and the one to two days of interruption a walkover costs.
- Can you report volumes in tons instead of cubic yards?
- Yes. Agriflyte converts computed volumes to tonnage using the material densities your operation books against, and reports both. Reports also include change since the last measurement, which is what reconciliation and progress payments actually turn on.
Need this on a site in the OKC metro?
Send the parcel and what you need to see. You’ll get a flight plan, a deliverable list and a flat quote — usually the same day.