Soil & Topsoil Calculator
Find how much topsoil or dirt you need — enter your area and depth to get the cubic yards, the weight in tons, and the number of 40 lb bags, with a coverage and cost breakdown.
United States — national average · 2026 prices
Material only unless stated as installed. Excludes tax, permits and local labour. Verify with local suppliers — see how we calculate.
How this calculator works
Every figure above comes from the formula below, applied to the assumptions listed. Nothing is looked up from a hidden table — you can reproduce the result by hand.
Formula
cubic yards = area (sq ft) × depth (in) ÷ 324
tons = cubic yards × 1.1
bags = cubic feet ÷ 0.75 cu ft per 40 lb bag, rounded up
Assumptions & limits
- Topsoil density is taken as 1.1 tons per cubic yard, typical for screened topsoil. Clay-heavy or wet soil is heavier; peat-rich blends are lighter.
- A 40 lb bag is treated as 0.75 cubic feet, so about 36 bags fill a cubic yard.
- Bulk topsoil is priced at $30 per cubic yard and bags at $4.
- Soil settles substantially — often 10–25% — after watering and over the first season. Order on the high side for raised beds you want to stay full.
- Default depth is 4 inches. New lawns want 3–6 in of topsoil, garden beds 6–12 in, and topdressing an existing lawn only about 1/4 to 1/2 in.
- Volume only. This says nothing about whether the soil is right for what you are planting — that is a soil test, not a calculation.
Worked example
A 200 sq ft garden bed filled to 4 inches deep
- Cubic yards = 200 × 4 ÷ 324 = 2.47 yd³
- Cubic feet = 200 × 4 ÷ 12 = 66.7 cu ft
- Bags = 66.7 ÷ 0.75 = 88.9 → 89 bags
- Tons = 2.47 × 1.1 = 2.72 tons
Result:2.47 cubic yards — 89 bags versus roughly $74 of bulk soil, so order bulk and allow for settling.
Built and maintained by Christoph Ballmer, Honeygoat GmbH
Method and constants last checked against the calculator code on August 17, 2026. Independent trade review is not yet in place for this calculator — see how we handle review.
Read the site-wide calculation methodology · estimate vs. quote and safety limits
How much topsoil do I need?
Topsoil — sometimes searched as dirt or fill — is ordered by the cubic yard in bulk or in 40 lb bags. Find the volume by multiplying the area in square feet by the depth in inches and dividing by 324 for cubic yards. The calculator above also gives the weight in tons and the bag count so you can choose bulk or bagged.
cubic yards = area (sq ft) × depth (in) ÷ 324 · tons ≈ cubic yards × 1.1
Topsoil depth & bags
| Use | Typical depth |
|---|---|
| Topdressing a lawn | ¼–½ inch |
| New lawn / seeding | 3–6 inches |
| Garden & raised beds | 6–12 inches |
| 1 cubic yard | ≈ 36 × 40 lb bags · ≈ 1.1 tons |
For other bulk materials, see the mulch calculator, the sand calculator, or the cubic yards calculator.
Topsoil, garden soil, compost — or fill dirt?
| Material | What it is | Bulk $/yd³ (2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Screened topsoil | Sifted native soil — lawns, grading the top layer | $30–$50 |
| Garden soil / mix | Topsoil blended with compost — beds and boxes | $40–$60 |
| Compost | Amendment, mixed in — not a fill material | $30–$50 |
| Fill dirt | Unscreened subsoil — holes and deep grading | $10–$30 |
The split that saves money: anything deeper than the growing zone gets fill dirt, and only the top few inches get topsoil. Paying topsoil prices to fill a deep hole buys organic matter that decomposes and settles.
Common mistakes
- Filling deep holes with topsoil. The organics break down and the spot keeps sinking for years — subsoil below, topsoil only on top.
- Ignoring settling. Delivered topsoil settles 10–25% after watering. For raised beds you want full, order the extra now.
- Spreading too thin for a new lawn. Seed in half an inch of topsoil over compacted clay fails; new lawns want 3–6 inches of rooting depth — then the grass seed calculator takes over.
- Buying unscreened “topsoil”. Unscreened loads carry rocks, roots and clods. For lawns and beds, pay for screened.
Weights assume typical moisture — wet or clay-heavy soil runs heavier than the 1.1 tons per yard used here. Confirm what is in the load with your supplier.
Frequently asked questions
How much topsoil do I need?
Multiply the area in square feet by the depth in inches and divide by 324 for cubic yards. For example, a 200 sq ft bed at 4 inches deep needs 200 × 4 ÷ 324 ≈ 2.5 cubic yards. The calculator above converts that to tons and 40 lb bags as well.
How many bags of topsoil are in a cubic yard?
A 40 lb bag of topsoil holds roughly 0.75 cubic feet, so a cubic yard (27 cu ft) equals about 36 bags. Bulk topsoil by the yard is much cheaper than bags once you need more than about ten, which is where the calculator helps you decide.
How much does a yard of topsoil weigh?
A cubic yard of topsoil weighs roughly 2,000–2,400 pounds, around 1 to 1.2 tons when dry, and noticeably more when wet or rich in clay. The calculator uses about 1.1 tons per cubic yard, which is typical for screened topsoil.
How deep should topsoil be?
For a new lawn, 3–6 inches of topsoil gives roots room to establish; for garden beds, 6–12 inches is common; and for topdressing an existing lawn, about a quarter to a half inch is enough. Set your depth above to match the job.