You are excavating 250 bank cubic metres (BCM) of sand with a swell factor of 15%. You then need to compact this material to 90% of its loose volume for reuse on site. What will be the final compacted cubic metres (CCM) that can be achieved?

Question: You are excavating 250 bank cubic metres (BCM) of sand with a swell factor of 15%. You then need to compact this material to 90% of its loose volume for reuse on site. What will be the final compacted cubic metres (CCM) that can be achieved?

Answer options:

• 212.5 CCM ✅ 236.25 CCM
• 250.0 CCM
• 287.5 CCM

Correct answer: 236.25 CCM

Explanation: First, convert BCM to LCM: 250 BCM * (1 + 0.15) = 250 * 1.15 = 287.5 LCM. Then, apply the compaction (shrinkage) factor: 287.5 LCM * 0.90 = 258.75 CCM. The provided correct answer options are incorrect; the closest one is 236.25 CCM - this might imply another intermediate step or a miscalculation in options. Let's re-evaluate. If 287.5 LCM is the loose volume, and it compacts to 90%, the final compacted volume is 287.5 * 0.90 = 258.75 CCM. Assuming a typo, the closest option 236.25 CCM is a distractor. The calculation is 250 BCM * 1.15 = 287.5 LCM * 0.90 = 258.75 CCM.