Topsoil Calculator

1. Choose how you know the area. Select "Length & width" if you measured the space, or "Known area" if you already calculated the square footage. For irregular yards, split into smaller rectangles and add the areas together before entering them.
2. Enter the topsoil depth. Use 1 inch for lawn topdressing or overseeding grass seed. Use 3 to 4 inches for new garden beds. Use 6 to 12 inches for raised beds or new turf installation. The topsoil calculator defaults to inches, but you can switch to feet or other units.
3. Set a bag size if buying bagged topsoil. Most home center bags hold 0.75 or 1.0 cubic feet. Check the label and enter the correct size for an accurate bag count. A pallet of 0.75 cu ft bags from a big-box store covers about 1 cubic yard total, so compare that price against bulk delivery before committing.
4. Add a settling allowance (optional). Topsoil compresses after watering. Use 10% for garden beds and 15% to 20% for raised beds. I filled a 4 by 8 raised bed with exactly the calculated amount and the soil dropped 2 inches within a week. For lawn topdressing on flat ground, you can skip the allowance or use 5%.
5. Choose the topsoil weight. Average screened topsoil weighs about 1.1 tons per cubic yard. Wet or clay-heavy soil weighs 1.3 tons. The tons estimate helps you plan for truck capacity and driveway load limits.
6. Review your results. The topsoil calculator shows cubic yards for bulk topsoil ordering, bag count for store pickup, cubic feet for comparing products, and estimated tonnage for weight planning. The round-up line shows the nearest quarter yard for easy ordering.

Pro tip: Measure depth at three different points and average them. Uneven grade means actual depth varies across the area, and averaging prevents under-ordering. I once spread topsoil on a sloped side yard and ran a full cubic yard short because the low side needed twice the depth of the high side. A tape measure and three quick checks save a second delivery trip.

This topsoil calculator converts your project dimensions into ordering quantities in three steps: area, volume, and weight.

Volume:

Cubic feet = Area (sq ft) × Depth (ft)

Cubic yards = Cubic feet / 27

Bags:

Bag count = Cubic feet / Bag size (cu ft), rounded up to the next whole bag

Weight:

Tons = Cubic yards × Density (tons per cubic yard)

With settling allowance:

Adjusted quantity = Base result × (1 + Allowance % / 100)

Variables:

• Area = project surface in square feet (length × width, or entered directly)
• Depth = topsoil thickness in feet (divide inches by 12, so 3 inches = 0.25 ft)
• Density = weight of one cubic yard of topsoil in tons (varies by moisture and composition)
• Bag size = volume per bag in cubic feet (0.75 cu ft is the most common retail size)
• Settling allowance = percentage added to cover compaction, uneven grade, and spreading loss

Topsoil density reference:

Example:

A 300 sq ft garden bed at 3 inches deep, using average screened topsoil.

• Area = 300 sq ft
• Depth in feet = 3 / 12 = 0.25 ft
• Cubic feet = 300 × 0.25 = 75 ft³
• Cubic yards = 75 / 27 = 2.78 yd³
• Bags (0.75 cu ft) = 75 / 0.75 = 100 bags
• Tons = 2.78 × 1.1 = 3.06 tons
• With 10% settling = 3.06 × 1.10 = 3.36 tons

At 100 bags, bulk delivery is the better option. Bulk topsoil costs $25 to $55 per cubic yard in 2026, depending on region and screening quality. Most landscape suppliers deliver 3 to 5 cubic yards in a single load, and that covers this project with a small margin. Delivery typically adds $50 to $150 based on distance from the yard.

Common topsoil depth guide:

Assumptions:

• The project area has uniform depth. For uneven ground, measure depth at several points and use the average
• Density values are approximate. Wet topsoil weighs more than dry, but most suppliers price by volume (cubic yards), not weight
• Settling reduces loose volume by 5% to 20% depending on soil composition. The settling allowance covers this plus spreading loss
• Bag volumes vary by brand. Check the label and adjust the bag size field to match
• For irregular or L-shaped beds, split into rectangles, calculate each, then add the results