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Topsoil Calculator: How Many Yards or Bags Do You Need?

Work out how many cubic yards and bags of topsoil a garden bed, lawn or yard needs from its size and depth, and what it costs. Pick a depth for a new lawn, a garden bed or a raised bed, add a settling allowance and compare bulk with bagged.

Your numbers

Areas to cover

Area 1
ft
ft

Up to 6 areas, added together. A triangle's height is measured square to its base.

Depth and settling

in
%
t/yd³

Loam, about 80 lb per cubic foot (Engineering ToolBox), a typical figure. Wet soil weighs more; use your supplier's figure when you have it.

New lawn: UNL Extension says to spread topsoil to at least 4 in. Raised bed: University of Illinois Extension says at least 6 to 12 in. Garden bed 6 in is a typical figure.

Loose soil settles once it is watered and rolled. 10% is a typical allowance, not a published figure; change it to suit the soil.

Bags, prices and delivery

$
$
$

Optional. Added to both costs.

Topsoil to order

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In cubic feet
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Total area
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Weight (1.08 t/yd³)
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Bags (0.75 cu ft bag)
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Bulk cost
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Bagged cost
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An estimate for quoting and ordering, not a substitute for measuring on site. Round bulk orders up to what the yard sells.

Weight uses a typical figure for loam; wet topsoil weighs more. Check what the truck can carry before you promise one delivery.

The calculation runs in your browser and ParrotNotes does not store your numbers. They sit in the page address so you can bookmark or share the result.

How much topsoil do I need?

Topsoil is sold by the cubic yard or by the bag, so the sum is area × depth. Measure each area in feet and work out its square feet, multiply by the depth in inches and divide by 12 for cubic feet, then divide by 27 for cubic yards. A circle is π × (diameter ÷ 2)²; a triangle is base × height ÷ 2.

Worked example: a new lawn 50 ft by 20 ft is 1,000 square feet. At 4 in deep that is 1,000 × 4 ÷ 12 = 333.3 cubic feet, or 12.35 cubic yards. With a 10% settling allowance, order about 13.6 yards, which weighs roughly 14.7 tons at a typical 1.08 tons a yard.

How deep should topsoil be?

For a new lawn, University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension says to spread the topsoil back out to a minimum depth of four inches after grading. For a raised bed, University of Illinois Extension says the bed should be at least 6 to 12 inches deep for good root growth. The quick picks above use 4 in and 12 in; the 6 in garden bed pick is a typical figure, not a published one.

Topping up an existing lawn takes far less: a thin layer that the grass can grow through. Enter the depth you plan to spread; the same maths works for mulch or compost, and the gravel calculator has a mulch setting with bag sizes.

Bulk or bags: which is cheaper?

A cubic yard is 27 cubic feet: 36 bags of 0.75 cubic feet, 27 of 1 cubic foot, 18 of 1.5 or 13.5 of 2. Bags make sense for a raised bed or a few planters; past a yard or two a bulk load usually wins, even with a delivery fee.

Enter both prices and the delivery fee and the calculator shows the two totals side by side. An 8 × 4 ft raised bed at 12 in is 32 cubic feet before settling: 36 one-cubic-foot bags with the 10% allowance, or 1.3 yards loose.

What a yard of topsoil weighs

Loam weighs about 80 lb per cubic foot in the Engineering ToolBox density tables, which is 2,160 lb, or about 1.08 tons, per cubic yard. Wet soil weighs more. The calculator lets you change the figure when the supplier gives one for the product you are buying.

Weight matters for the truck and the driveway, not for the price: most yards sell topsoil by volume. Ask how many yards the truck carries and where it can tip, and whether the material has to be barrowed round the house.

Tips for the site visit

Measure every area on its own, check the grade in a few places and note low spots: they take more soil than the plan shows. Look for access for the truck and somewhere to tip a load.

Then write down what the homeowner told you: what they want to grow, drainage problems, whether sod or seed goes on top, the budget and the date. Those notes decide the quote as much as the yards do.

Sources, checked October 2026. All figures are estimates:

More for building-materials and home-services sales: Building materials sales, Door-to-door sales, Construction daily report.

The yards are the easy part of the quote

The volume goes on the quote. What the homeowner said on the walk-through about the grade, drainage, where the truck can tip and what they plan to grow goes in ParrotNotes: record the visit and get the summary and next steps.

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Topsoil calculator FAQ