Topsoil Calculator
Measure the bed by length × width — or paste in a square-footage total — choose the depth, and get topsoil in cubic yards with a whole-yard ordering figure, an optional cost line, and tons only when you supply the density your soil yard actually quotes.
Footprint and depth
Example: a 20 × 10 ft bed at 3 in deep with a 10% cushion is 2.037 cu yd → order 3 cu yd.
Treat the output as an ordering estimate — grading, drainage, fill under structures, and anything load-bearing or permit-related needs a qualified contractor or engineer.
The dirt arithmetic, spelled out
cu yd = area sq ft × (depth in ÷ 12) ÷ 27. The worked path: 200 sq ft
× ¼ ft = 50 cu ft = 1.852 cu yd. A 10% cushion for settling and uneven grade lifts it to 2.037 cu yd, ordered as 3 whole yards with 0.96 cu yd to spare. Both conversions are definitions — 12 inches
to the foot, 27 cubic feet to the yard — so the only judgment in the whole chain is the cushion
you control.
Volume is measured; weight is quoted
A yard of soil is a yard of soil — but what it weighs depends on the week's rain and the mix's compost fraction, which is why this page ships without a density constant. When your supplier says what their screened topsoil runs per yard, type it into the density field and the tons line appears using their number, not an invented one. The same honesty rule governs cost: the only price in the output is the one you typed.
Same pipeline, different material
Dirt, rock, sand, and bark all follow area × depth → waste → whole-unit order. For crushed stone or pea gravel use the gravel calculator; for bedding and fill sand the sand calculator runs the identical pipeline; for bark beds the mulch calculator adds standard 2 cu ft bag counts; and if the fresh soil is going under new turf, the sod calculator counts the rolls that land on top.
Frequently asked questions
How many cubic yards of topsoil do I need?
Multiply the area in square feet by the depth in feet (inches ÷ 12) to get cubic feet, then divide by 27. A 200 sq ft bed at 3 inches is 50 cubic feet, or about 1.85 cubic yards — add a cushion for settling and uneven grade and order 2 or more.
Why doesn’t the calculator tell me the weight in tons?
Because topsoil has no single honest density: moisture and organic content swing the weight of the very same yard substantially between a dry week and a wet one, and screened, blended, and compost-rich mixes all differ. Suppliers who sell by weight quote their own material’s figure — enter that and the tool converts; leave it blank and you still get exact cubic yards.
How deep should new topsoil be?
That is an agronomy and grading judgment this tool deliberately does not make — common practice differs between overseeding a lawn, laying new sod, and filling raised beds. Pick the depth your project or landscaper specifies and the tool computes the volume for it exactly.
Does the tool handle bagged soil?
No — bag counts are left off on purpose. Retail soil bags are labeled by volume (0.75, 1, 1.5, 2 cu ft are all common) and yields vary by product, so the honest conversion is the one on your bag: divide the cubic-feet figure this tool shows by your bag’s labeled volume and round up.
What does rounding to whole cubic yards mean for my order?
Bulk soil is typically sold by the cubic yard, so the tool rounds the waste-adjusted volume up to a whole-yard order and shows the spare. If your yard sells half-yard scoops, the unrounded figure is right there to order from instead.
Nothing you type leaves your device. See how estimates are constructed and tested on the methodology page.