Topsoil Calculator
Volume, weight, bags & cost, calculated live
Area to cover
Depth
Buffer & supply
Material estimate
Order this much
0 cu yd
rounded up for bulk delivery
1 cu yd covers roughly 0 sq ft at this depth
A second topsoil delivery often costs as much in flat delivery fees as the first one. The topsoil calculator above removes that risk. Enter your area, depth, and a settling buffer, and you get an instant order quantity in cubic yards, tons, and bags.
Getting this number right before you order saves real money. A delivery minimum below your actual need wastes the trip fee. A delivery short of your actual need means paying that fee twice.
This guide covers:
- The formula behind every number the calculator gives you
- How to pick the right depth for your project
- When bulk topsoil beats bagged, and the math behind it
- A worked example you can check by hand
Table of Contents
- How to Use the Topsoil Calculator
- How the Numbers Are Calculated
- Picking the Right Depth
- Topsoil, Garden Mix, or Fill Dirt
- Bulk vs Bagged
- Worked Example
- Weight and Delivery
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Order With Confidence
How to Use the Topsoil Calculator
Four fields drive every result in the topsoil calculator above.
- Enter your area’s length and width in feet.
- Pick a project type from the depth dropdown, or enter a custom depth in inches. The dropdown fills in the depth field for you.
- Set your settling buffer. The calculator defaults to 15%, a bit above the 10% minimum most suppliers recommend.
- Pick a bag size if you’re buying bagged, or enter a price per cubic yard if you’re buying bulk.
How the Numbers Are Calculated
Volume starts with the standard formula for a rectangular fill: Volume (cu yd) = (Length x Width x Depth in inches / 12) / 27. A 20 by 10 ft area at 4 inches deep gives 200 x 0.33, or about 67 cu ft, which is 2.47 cu yd before any buffer.
The settling buffer accounts for compaction after delivery and watering. Multiply your raw volume by 1 plus your buffer percentage, then round up to the nearest half yard, since most bulk suppliers sell in half yard increments.
The calculator also shows a coverage reference: 1 cu yd covers roughly 324 / depth in inches square feet. At 4 inches deep, that’s about 81 sq ft per cubic yard, a quick way to sanity check your order against the area you’re filling.
Picking the Right Depth
Depth depends entirely on what you’re building. Here’s how the common project types compare.
| Project Type | Typical Depth | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Lawn top dressing | 0.25 to 0.5 in | Thin layer to fill low spots and feed existing grass |
| New lawn or seeding | 4 to 6 in | Gives grass roots room to establish |
| Sod installation | 2 to 4 in | Sod brings its own root mat, so it needs less base |
| Garden or flower bed | 6 to 8 in | Deeper for root crops like carrots and potatoes |
| Raised bed | 8 to 12 in | Go to 12 in for vegetable beds with deep roots |
When in doubt, depth guides from gardening and landscaping references consistently land in these ranges. Go with the deeper end if your native soil is rocky, compacted, or sandy.
Topsoil, Garden Mix, or Fill Dirt
Not every project calls for the same material. Screened topsoil has been sifted to remove rocks and clumps, making it the right pick for lawns and visible beds. Garden mix blends topsoil with compost, which suits vegetable beds and containers where plants need extra nutrients.
Fill dirt is a different product entirely. It lacks organic matter, compacts hard, and works for grading, leveling, and filling holes, not for growing anything. Using fill dirt where you need topsoil is a common and costly mistake, since plant roots struggle in dense, nutrient poor soil.
Bulk vs Bagged
Cost per cubic yard tells the real story between bulk and bagged topsoil. Bulk runs $25 to $50 per cubic yard, plus a delivery fee that typically falls between $50 and $100. Bagged topsoil costs $3 to $8 per bag, which works out to $40 to $95 per cubic yard equivalent once you account for how many bags fill a yard.
Bag count depends on bag size. A cubic yard holds about 36 bags at 0.75 cu ft each, 27 bags at 1 cu ft, or 14 bags at 2 cu ft. Below 1 cubic yard, bags are usually more practical since most bulk suppliers have delivery minimums of 2 to 3 cubic yards. Past 1 cubic yard, bulk wins on price almost every time.
Worked Example
Take the topsoil calculator’s own defaults: a 20 by 10 ft area, 4 inches deep, with a 15% settling buffer. Here’s the math step by step.
- Area: 20 x 10 = 200 sq ft
- Depth in feet: 4 / 12 = 0.33 ft
- Volume before buffer: 200 x 0.33 = 67 cu ft, or 2.47 cu yd
- With 15% buffer: 2.47 x 1.15 = 2.84 cu yd
- Rounded up to the nearest half yard: 3.0 cu yd to order
- Estimated weight: 2.84 x 1.1 tons per cu yd = 3.12 tons
- Bagged option: 2.84 cu yd x 27 cu ft = 77 cu ft, or about 103 bags at 0.75 cu ft each
Enter the same numbers into the calculator above and you should land on this exact material list.
Weight and Delivery
Moist topsoil weighs roughly 2,200 lbs, or 1.1 tons, per cubic yard. Actual weight ranges from 1,500 lbs for dry, loose soil to 3,000 lbs for saturated soil, so a load right after rain weighs noticeably more than the same volume on a dry week.
Payload limits matter if you’re hauling yourself. A standard half ton pickup carries roughly 1,500 to 2,200 lbs safely, which caps you at well under a full cubic yard of moist topsoil per trip. For larger projects, ask your supplier about splitting a big order into two deliveries rather than overloading one truck.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many bags of topsoil are in a cubic yard?
A cubic yard holds about 36 bags at 0.75 cu ft each, 27 bags at 1 cu ft, or 14 bags at 2 cu ft. Bag count drops as bag size goes up.
How deep should topsoil be for a raised bed?
Plan for 8 to 12 inches in a raised bed. Go deeper, closer to 12 inches, for root vegetables like carrots and potatoes.
Why does the calculator add a settling buffer?
Fresh topsoil compacts after delivery and after the first watering, settling 10 to 15% lower than the loose volume you ordered. The buffer keeps you from coming up short.
Is bulk or bagged topsoil cheaper?
Bulk topsoil runs $25 to $50 per cubic yard plus a delivery fee. Bagged topsoil works out to roughly $40 to $95 per cubic yard equivalent, so bulk wins past about 1 cubic yard.
How much does a cubic yard of topsoil weigh?
Roughly 2,200 lbs, or 1.1 tons, when moist. Actual weight ranges from 1,500 to 3,000 lbs per cubic yard depending on moisture and soil composition.
What is the difference between topsoil and fill dirt?
Topsoil contains organic matter and nutrients for planting. Fill dirt is denser, lacks organic content, and is meant for grading and leveling, not growing.
Order With Confidence
Three things separate an accurate topsoil order from a guess. Measure your area before you open the calculator, not after. Match your depth to your project type instead of defaulting to a flat number. Keep the settling buffer on, since the volume you order is never the volume left after watering.
Use the topsoil calculator above to get your exact cubic yard, weight, and bag count before you place an order.
