Topsoil Calculator
Calculate topsoil for raised beds, lawns and leveling — cubic yards for delivery, or bags of 1 and 1.5 cu ft for smaller jobs.
How much topsoil do I need?
Topsoil is a volume job, like mulch — area × depth — but soil behaves differently in the pile and in the bed: it does not fluff up, and it compacts down. Raised beds are the classic topsoil job, and the classic mistake is filling them to the brim on day one; the soil settles roughly 10–20% in the first season.
Cubic yards = area (sq ft) × depth (in) ÷ 324
Example: an 8 × 4 ft raised bed filled 12 inches deep takes 32 cubic feet = 1.19 cubic yards — or, bagged, 36 bags of 1 cu ft with the 10% allowance in. The settlement the calculator cannot add is real too: most growers fill beds a little proud and top up the next season.
Bags or bulk?
| Bag size | Bags per cubic yard |
|---|
| 1 cu ft | 27 |
| 1.5 cu ft | 18 |
| 2 cu ft | 13.5 |
Under about half a yard, bags are clean and exact. Above that, a bulk delivery is normally much cheaper per yard — and a cubic yard of topsoil weighs well over a ton, which is a fact your car's suspension will explain if you try to bag-haul it.
Frequently asked questions
How deep should topsoil be in a raised bed?
Beds are usually 8–12 inches of soil over whatever is beneath. 12 inches suits root vegetables and gives the longest interval before topping up; 6–8 inches is plenty for salads and herbs.
Why does my bed look emptier after a few months?
Settlement: loose soil compacts 10–20% as it wets, dries and is worked by roots and weather. It is not disappearing and the supplier did not short you — top up with compost and soil mix in season two.
Is topsoil the same as garden soil or raised-bed mix?
Topsoil is the screened earth; bagged “garden soil” and raised-bed mixes blend topsoil with compost and other organics and cost more per volume. The volume math here is identical for all of them.
How much does a cubic yard of topsoil weigh?
Roughly 1.1–1.4 tons depending on moisture — a yard after rain is noticeably heavier than a dry yard. Order delivery accordingly and keep loads off weak driveways in wet spells.
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