The building life cycle consists of production, on-site construction, operation and demolition phases. The energy use due to construction (i.e. materials and on-site construction) represents a significant component of life cycle energy in case of naturally ventilated or partially air-conditioned buildings. Earthmoving is one of the major parts of construction processes and it involves the use of heavy equipment. This study presents the influence of technological, operational and site related parameters on the performance of earthmoving operations using five case studies. The energy use due to ‘excavation’ and ‘excavation and transport of soil’ is in the range of 14–89 MJ/cu.m. and 19–135 MJ/cu.m. respectively. The choice of equipment selection and its influence on the time (duration), cost, energy use and emissions of earthmoving operations are presented using trade-off analysis. It is observed that the cost of transporting soil could be higher than the excavation cost if the truck is not utilized effectively. A procedure for incorporating sustainability metrics into earthmoving operations during the planning phase is presented. The practical application of this work in industry practice is also demonstrated. The findings are expected to be useful for construction planners in decision making including sustainability metrics. © 2017 Elsevier Ltd