Topsoil calculator
Topsoil and “fill dirt” get swapped in casual talk and then someone grows tomatoes in clay chunk fill. This page estimates volume for a depth of soil you want to place — raised beds, leveling low spots, or building a new bed on poor ground. Ask the yard what is actually in the pile: screened topsoil, garden mix, or fill. The calculator only does thickness × area → yards.
+5% so you don't come up short
Estimate only — not a contractor bid. Confirm bag yields and local codes before you pour or order.
When to use
New raised bed fill; thin lawn leveling (quarter to half inch over a large area still adds yards); building berms you can still approximate as average depth.
When not to
Structural fill under footings, compaction specs, or contamination testing. For mulch on top of soil, run soil here and mulch on the mulch calculator separately.
Assumptions
Uniform depth; rectangle area; waste default 5–10% for truck heaping and uneven grade. Many topsoil sales are by the yard only.
Worked examples
Example 1
10×20 ft bed, 6 in topsoil, 5% waste
→ ≈ 3.7 yd³ ordered
Example 2
500 sq ft lawn dress, 0.5 in, 5% waste
→ ≈ 0.8 yd³ — small delivery or many bags
How it calculates
Same volume path as mulch/gravel — area × depth → yards with a little waste.
- Enter length × width or area.
- Set depth in inches and waste.
- Order the cubic yards on the ticket; confirm screened vs fill with the yard.
cu ft = area_sqft × (depth_in / 12) yd³ = cu ft / 27 order_yd³ = yd³ × (1 + waste)
Common traps
- Screened vs unscreened changes rock content, not the yardage math.
- Raised bed walls — volume is inside dimensions, not outside lumber.
- Existing soil already there. You may only need an amendment layer, not 8 inches of import.
Next tool
Organic dressing → mulch calculator.
Aggregate base → gravel calculator.
FAQ
Area × depth → cubic yards, plus a little waste.
Related
Estimate only — not a contractor bid or engineered takeoff. Confirm bag yields and local codes before you pour or order.