Garden & Landscaping
Topsoil Calculator: How Much Topsoil? + Settling Allowance
Tell us your area, depth, and topsoil type — we'll tell you how much to order in cubic yards, tons, bags and what it'll cost, for 3 topsoil types in both imperial and metric. The settling allowance is built into the engine toggle — order enough so your raised bed isn't shallow in a month.
Here's the deal
Topsoil is the calculator most people get wrong because they don't know it settles. Garden-mix raised beds lose 15–25% of their height in the first month as the organic matter compacts. The toggle below adds the allowance automatically — and the page teaches WHY. Order enough so the bed isn't shallow in a month.
Wondering how much topsoil for:
Before you start · Step 1
What you need to measure
The calculator needs three numbers — the length and width of your area, and how deep you want the topsoil. For a raised bed, the depth is the soil layer inside the box, not the box wall height.
Length & width
Measure in feet with a tape measure. For odd shapes, break the area into rectangles and add them up. For a round bed, switch the calculator to circle and measure the diameter (straight across the middle).
Depth
The depth in inches: 0.5–1″ for lawn topdressing, 2–3″ for a flower bed, 4–6″ for a new lawn under seed/sod, 6–12″+ for a raised bed (Soilutions, homeprojectcalculators, eartheasy). The depth chips below match these presets.
Step 2 · The tool
Topsoil calculator
Pick your topsoil type (densities sourced — see the density-by-type table below), enter your dimensions, and the calculator returns cubic yards, tons, bags, wheelbarrows, coverage area, and a sourced bulk-price range (or your own price for exact). The “Settling & compaction” toggle is the topsoil-specific reframing of the standard overage — keep it on (default 10%) so your bed doesn't go shallow in a month (see the settling section below).
Enter your measurements,
then hit Calculate
Your full breakdown — yards, tons, bags, loads and cost — appears here.
Default: 10 × 10 at 3″ — press Calculate to compute your own.
Pick the right type
Which topsoil for which job
The two most common topsoil ordering mistakes: using fill dirt for planting (no nutrients — your veggies fail) and using garden mix for grading (settles too much in deep applications). The matrix below maps type to job, sourced from CalculatorSoup + eartheasy.
| Type | Best for | Avoid for · why |
|---|---|---|
| Screened topsoil | Lawns, planting beds, topdressing, visible areas (sifted, fewer rocks) | (no strong contraindication — the most flexible default) |
| Garden / compost mix | Veggie beds, flower beds, raised beds (richer nutrients from compost) | Grading / deep fill · too organic, settles more in deep applications |
| Fill dirt (unscreened) | Grading, building up low spots, deep fills · structural / mineral fill | Planting beds / veggie gardens · too mineral, lacks nutrients · plants won't thrive |
The calculator's type selector reflects this matrix — pick the type by the job, and the per-type density does the right weight conversion automatically.
Reference
Topsoil density by type
Topsoil density runs 1,700–2,700 lb/yd³ (~1,000–1,600 kg/m³) depending on type and moisture — and genuinely LIGHTER than sand at every type. Screened sits at ~2,200 lb/yd³ (~1,300 kg/m³ ≈ 1.10 US tons/yd³); garden / compost mix is the lightest (~1,850 lb/yd³ ≈ 0.925 tons) because organic matter is less dense; fill dirt with clay content is the heaviest of the three (~2,450 lb/yd³ ≈ 1.225 tons).
| Type | lb/yd³ | kg/m³ | US tons/yd³ | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screened topsoil | ~2,200 (range 2,000–2,200) | ~1,300 | 1.10 | topsoil.com · homeprojectcalculators |
| Garden / compost mix | 1,700–2,000 | 1,010–1,185 | 0.85–1.00 | homeprojectcalculators · eartheasy |
| Fill dirt (unscreened) | 2,200–2,700 | 1,300–1,600 | 1.10–1.35 | topsoil.com · CalculatorSoup |
Honest disagreement: CalculatorSoup uses a 100 lb/ft³ = 2,700 lb/yd³planning estimate — which matches SAND's density, not topsoil-supplier reality. The topsoil-supplier sources (topsoil.com, homeprojectcalculators) converge on the lighter organic-reality range; this calculator uses the supplier convergence for engine defaults and flags the CalculatorSoup convention here as a footnote rather than averaging them into a fake single number.
How far does a yard go
Topsoil coverage by depth
Cubic yards convert to coverage by depth — shallower depth, more coverage. The table below shows common-depth coverage from a single cubic yard of topsoil.
| Volume | At depth | Coverage (sqft) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 yd³ | 1" | ~324 |
| 1 yd³ | 2" | ~162 |
| 1 yd³ | 3" | ~108 |
| 1 yd³ | 6" | ~54 |
The calculator above uses your exact dimensions, but this table sets expectations: a 1,000 sqft new lawn at 4″ uses roughly 12.4 yd³ of topsoil; a 4×4 ft raised bed at 12″ uses roughly 0.6 yd³.
By application
How deep should topsoil be?
The right depth depends on the job. For lawn topdressing the layer is thin (0.5–1″); for a new lawn the prepared subgrade gets 4–6″ before seed or sod; a raised bed needs 6–12+″ of garden mix for the nutrient profile veggies need.
| Application | Depth | Recommended type |
|---|---|---|
| Lawn topdressing | 0.5–1" | Screened topsoil (Soilutions) |
| Flower bed | 2–3" | Screened or garden mix (homeprojectcalculators) |
| New lawn / seed / sod | 4–6" | Screened topsoil (Soilutions, freeasphaltcalculator) |
| Raised bed | 6–12"+ | Garden mix · organic-rich (homeprojectcalculators, eartheasy) |
The depth chips in the calculator above use these sourced presets: 1″ topdressing · 3″ flower bed · 6″ new lawn · 12″ raised bed.
Bulk, bags, delivery
How much does topsoil cost?
Topsoil cost depends mostly on type (richer mixes cost more) and quantity (bulk delivery is dramatically cheaper than bagged). The sourced ranges:
| Type | Bulk $/yd³ | Sourcing |
|---|---|---|
| Screened topsoil | $25–40 | homeprojectcalculators |
| Garden / compost mix | $40–60 | homeprojectcalculators (richer = pricier) |
| Fill dirt | $15–35 | Industry-typical — NOT pinned to a single freeze source. Varies the most regionally of the three; verify with a local quote. |
Delivery is commonly $50–150 flat regardless of order size (homeprojectcalculators) — which makes small orders disproportionately expensive per cubic yard. Bagged topsoil at 4–8× the bulk rate per yard is reasonable for very small projects (≤ 0.25–1 yd³); above that, bulk delivery wins by a wide margin (CalculatorSoup).
The signature insight
Settling & compaction — why organic soil shrinks
This is the topsoil-specific reality the sand and gravel calcs don't need to teach. Organic-rich topsoil settles after the first week or two — water evaporates from the freshly spread material, the soil compacts under its own weight, and organic matter (compost, peat) compresses. The result: order the exact volume and your raised bed is 1–2 inches shorter in a month.
The sourced allowance tiers (eartheasy, homeprojectcalculators, topsoil.com):
- 10–15% for standard mixes — screened topsoil, basic garden soil
- 15–25% for compost-heavy / organic mixes — most raised-bed soil blends, anything with significant compost or peat content
- 5–10% for pre-bagged / compressed — already compacted in the bag, less room to settle
Honest weight
Wet vs dry topsoil
Topsoil is sold by the cubic yard (a volume) but delivered by weight. The calculator above works in dry weight — the industry convention. But wet or compacted topsoil runs 25–30% heavier (~3,000–3,400 lb/yd³ for screened wet vs ~2,200 dry — inchcalculator, eartheasy, homeprojectcalculators). That's a bigger factor than sand (which adds 10–20%) because organic matter holds more water.
Logistics
What fits — pickup, dump truck, wheelbarrow
Topsoil at ~2,200 lb/yd³ dry (and 2,400+ moist) is heavy enough that hauling matters. Here's what fits in the three common transport modes:
A half-ton pickup (Ford F-150, Chevy Silverado 1500, Ram 1500) handles ~1 yd³ DRY at the payload limit — but the SAME volume moist is over the limit (topsoil.com). A dump truck delivery typically runs 10–14 tons (calcsummit, infinitycalculator) — call it 9–13 yd³ for screened topsoil. A wheelbarrow averages ~14 loads per cubic yard, more if the barrow is small or the topsoil is moist.
Questions
Topsoil calculator FAQ
How much does a yard of topsoil weigh?
Why does my raised bed need MORE topsoil than I calculated?
How much topsoil for a raised garden bed?
How much topsoil for a new lawn?
What's the difference between topsoil, garden soil, and fill dirt?
How much does topsoil cost per yard?
Is wet topsoil heavier than dry?
Receipts
Sources & methodology
Pinned sources
- topsoil.com · homeprojectcalculators — Per-type topsoil densities + coverage + hauling reality · 2026Screened topsoil ~2,000–2,200 lb/yd³ dry (universally LIGHTER than sand's 2,700). Coverage 1 yd³ at 1"/2"/3"/6" = ~324/162/108/54 sqft. Hauling: 1 yd³ of moist topsoil (~2,400 lb) is OVER the half-ton pickup limit (1,500–2,200 lb payload); structural-load note for elevated raised beds (4×8×12" moist bed ≈ 2,850 lb).
- eartheasy · homeprojectcalculators — Garden / compost mix density + the settling allowance tiers · 2026Garden / compost mixes 1,700–2,000 lb/yd³ (lighter — organic matter is less dense). Settling allowance: 10–15% for standard mixes, 15–25% for compost-heavy / organic, 5–10% for pre-bagged / compressed. The raised-bed-goes-shallow problem is real: order the exact volume and you're 1–2 inches short in a month.
- CalculatorSoup — Field disagreement on density + type-job guidance · 2026CalculatorSoup uses 100 lb/ft³ = 2,700 lb/yd³ as a planning estimate (matches SAND, not topsoil-supplier reality). The topsoil-supplier sources (topsoil.com, homeprojectcalculators) converge on the lighter organic-reality range used by this calculator. Honest disagreement preserved. Type-job: screened for lawns/beds, garden mix for veggies/raised beds, fill dirt for grading (NOT planting).
- Soilutions · freeasphaltcalculator — Application depths — topdressing / new lawn / sod prep · 2026Topdressing 0.5–1" (Soilutions). New lawn / sod prep 4–6" (Soilutions, freeasphaltcalculator). The depth chips in the calculator use these sourced presets.
- inchcalculator · CalculatorSoup buying guide — Moisture + bagged-vs-bulk threshold + bag math · 2026Wet/compacted topsoil 25–30% heavier (~1.5–1.7 t/yd³ wet vs ~1.1 t dry for screened) — BIGGER moisture factor than sand because organic matter holds more water. 40-lb bag ≈ 0.5–0.75 ft³; ~27 bags (40-lb) per yd³. Bagged is 4–8× the bulk rate per yd³; bulk wins above ~0.25–1 yd³.
Every density figure on this page traces to one of the named sources above. Per-type densities are presented as ranges where sources disagree(notably garden mix 1,700–2,000 lb/yd³ and fill dirt 2,200–2,700); the calculator uses a single value within each sourced range. The field disagreement on density convention (CalculatorSoup's 100 lb/ft³ planning estimate vs topsoil-supplier reality) is preserved honestly rather than averaged into a false single number. Cost figures are labeled sourced ranges — and fill-dirt pricing is explicitly the LEAST- pinned of the three (industry-typical, varies most regionally). Settling allowance tiers (10–15% standard / 15–25% compost-heavy / 5–10% pre-bagged) are sourced (eartheasy, homeprojectcalculators, topsoil.com). For the shared publish-our-receipts standard, see the methodology page.