Soil needed
0 cu yd
Cubic feet
0
1.5 cu ft bags
0
Weight
0 t
Your area
How much topsoil do you need?
Topsoil, like all bulk material, is sold by the cubic yard. This soil calculator doubles as a top soil calculator, a fill dirt calculator and a raised bed soil calculator: multiply your area (length x width in feet) by the depth in feet and divide by 27. New lawns usually want 3-4 inches; raised beds are measured by their fill height. It also converts to bags and estimates the weight so you can plan delivery. Working with several materials? The cubic yards calculator handles any of them, and the mulch calculator covers beds and borders.
Frequently asked questions
How much topsoil do I need?
Multiply the area you are covering (length x width in feet) by the depth in feet, then divide by 27 to get cubic yards. For a new lawn, 3 to 4 inches of topsoil is typical; for patching, 1 to 2 inches. A 20 ft x 10 ft area at 3 inches deep needs about 1.85 cubic yards.
How much soil do I need for a raised garden bed?
Multiply the bed length x width x height (in feet). A 4 ft x 8 ft bed filled 12 inches deep holds 32 cubic feet, or about 1.2 cubic yards — roughly 21 bags of 1.5 cu ft soil. Use the raised-bed mode above and set how many beds you are filling.
How many bags of topsoil are in a cubic yard?
It depends on the bag size. A cubic yard is 27 cubic feet, so it takes about 18 bags of 1.5 cu ft, 27 bags of 1 cu ft, or 14 bags of 2 cu ft. Above roughly one cubic yard, bulk delivery is usually cheaper than bags.
How much does a yard of topsoil weigh?
Screened topsoil weighs roughly 1.1 US tons (about 2,000-2,400 lb) per cubic yard when it is reasonably dry; wet or clay-heavy soil weighs more. Keep that in mind for delivery limits and for how much your vehicle or trailer can carry.
What is the difference between topsoil and fill dirt?
Topsoil is the nutrient-rich upper layer used for growing lawns, gardens and beds. Fill dirt is subsoil used to raise or level ground and for structural fill; it is denser and has little organic matter. Use fill dirt to build up a low area, then cap it with topsoil for planting.
How do you calculate cubic yards of soil?
To calculate cubic yards of soil, multiply the length x width x depth in feet, then divide by 27 (27 cubic feet = 1 cubic yard). If the depth is in inches, divide it by 12 first. For a raised bed, use the bed length x width x fill height instead of an area and depth.