shovelfuls
Dug-out dirt amounts
Shovelfuls is the plural of shovelful—the amount a shovel can hold and move at once.
Like similar measurements (handfuls, spoonfuls), it describes approximate quantities rather than precise amounts: He added several shovelfuls of compost to the garden bed.
The alternative plural shovelsful exists but is less common.
Quantities moved by digging
- scoopsPortions or exclusives
- bucketfulsLarge measured quantities
- handfulsQuantities a palm holds
- heapsLarge informal quantities
loads · piles · mounds · barrowfuls · cartloads · truckloads · portions · amounts
Ground matter for planting
- dirtLoose dry earth
- earthSoil or electrical grounding
- sandFine rock particles
- gravelLoose small rock fragments
clay · mulch · compost · topsoil · fill · excavation · trench · pit
Combustible sedimentary rock
- snowFrozen crystalline precipitation
- ashCombustion's powdery remains
- manureAnimal waste as fertilizer
- grainCereal plant's harvest unit
salt · sugar · flour · feed · ore · sawdust · wood chips · fertilizer
spadefuls
Quantities moved by digging
- scoopsPortions or exclusives
- bucketfulsLarge measured quantities
- handfulsQuantities a palm holds
heaps · loads · piles · mounds · barrowfuls · cartloads · truckloads · portions · amounts · volumes
soil
Ground matter for planting
gravel · clay · mulch · compost · topsoil · fill · excavation · trench · pit · hole
coal
Combustible sedimentary rock
grain · salt · sugar · flour · feed · ore · sawdust · wood chips · fertilizer · ice melt
concrete
Solid building mixture
sand · gravel · rubble · debris · fill · foundation · site · mixing · wheelbarrow · masonry
toil
Strenuous, prolonged effort
backbreaking · tiring · strain · fatigue · drudgery · muscle · manual · repetition · blisters · aching
shovelfulscubic meters
Volume measurement unit
liters · cubic feet · gallons · cubic centimeters · cubic yards
shovelfulspinches
Tiny measured quantities
specks · grains · truckloads · tons · thimblefuls