Topsoil Calculator

The short answer

One cubic yard is 27 cubic feet and covers about 100 square feet at a little over 3 inches of depth. A 500 square foot bed at 4 inches deep is about 167 cubic feet, or 6.2 cubic yards — order seven. Topsoil settles noticeably after watering, commonly by 20 to 25%, so a bed filled to the brim drops below the level you intended.

What it depends on

Depth depends on the purpose: topdressing a lawn needs a shallow layer, while a new raised bed or a grading correction needs much more. Soil type matters because volume is not a measure of quality — a yard of sandy topsoil and a yard of clay-heavy fill are the same volume and entirely different material. Delivery access is the practical limit, since a yard weighs more than a ton.

Where this stops being useful

This is a volume conversion. It does not cover soil testing, amendments, drainage or grading, and any work that changes site drainage or is near a property line may be regulated. A supplier can advise on material type and quantity. General information and planning only, not engineering, structural or code advice.

Topsoil is sold by the cubic yard and by the bulk bag, and the two are not directly comparable without checking the moisture content. Wet topsoil is significantly heavier than dry, and a supplier quoting by weight may deliver fewer cubic yards than the same order quoted by volume. Depth is also the variable people under-estimate. Raising a lawn by half an inch across a large area needs far more material than it looks, and uneven settlement happens where the depth was thin.

Soil is the only material on most jobs that genuinely cannot be returned once it is spread, which makes the order figure worth checking twice. Suppliers are used to being asked to confirm a volume over the phone, and that call takes a minute.

Topsoil is almost always part of a sequence rather than a standalone purchase: existing turf removed, soil brought up, soil amended, then either seed or sod laid on top. Each step depends on the one before, and skipping the amendment stage is why new lawns fail. Check whether the material is screened — screened topsoil spreads and levels easily, unscreened is cheaper but contains debris that will show through a new lawn. If you are importing soil, check local regulations first; some areas restrict soil movement for pest control.

Topsoil is sold by volume but it is one of the heaviest materials a garden project involves, so the estimate has two outputs that matter: how much to order and whether the ground can take the delivery. A cubic yard of moist topsoil weighs roughly a tonne or a little more, which means even a modest raised bed can arrive as several tonnes on a pallet or a tipper. The volume itself is straightforward: area times depth, with the depth converted to feet. The depth is the variable to think about. A light dressing to improve a lawn might be a quarter inch, spreading a skim over existing ground. Leveling a new bed usually takes three to six inches. A raised bed might be filled to ten or twelve inches, and a new lawn's base layer often wants four to six inches of good soil before turf or seed goes down. Quantity is not the only consideration. Topsoil varies enormously in quality: a screened loam is free of stones and rubbish and holds water well, while a cheap fill soil may be heavy clay or full of debris. For growing anything, ask for screened topsoil with some organic content, and expect it to settle after watering by a noticeable fraction of the depth you added, which is why a small over-order is normal. This calculator gives volume in cubic feet, cubic yards, cubic metres and an approximate weight. It assumes an even depth and a typical bulk density you can adjust. Measure the area carefully and consider a slight excess for settlement, and check the weight against what your access and surface can bear before ordering a full load.

This calculator returns estimates for planning and general information only. It is not engineering, architectural, structural, electrical or code advice, and it cannot replace a qualified professional who has seen the site. Material quantities depend on the actual dimensions, the product you buy and local building codes, so confirm the figures before ordering materials or starting work, and always follow local regulations.