Topsoil calculator

Enter the area and what the soil is for. We set a starting depth, add extra for settling and give the cubic yards, the tons and the bags.

600 sq ft at 4 in is 7.41 cu yd of topsoil. Order 8.52 cu yd with 15% for settling, about 9.4 tons, or 307 bags of 0.75 cu ft.

Cubic feet: 200.0 cu ft finished, 230.0 to order
Tons to order: 9.4 at 1.1 tons per cu yd
Bulk cost: $685.74 for 8.52 cu yd at $80.50 a cu yd

Prices are shelf prices at The Home Depot, Hamilton Mill store, before tax and delivery: Vigoro 1 cu ft topsoil, read Nov 6, 2026, and 8 cu. yd. Bulk Screened Topsoil (model SLTS8) at $643.97 a load, read Nov 6, 2026. The bag price shows for the 1 cu ft bag only.

Bags make sense for a bed or two. For a lawn, a yard of screened topsoil delivered by the truck is far fewer trips: one cubic yard is 36 bags of 0.75 cu ft.

Mulching the bed after? Mulch calculator

Cubic yards and bags of mulch at the depth you want.

Planning figures. Soil weights vary with moisture and type, so confirm the weight per cubic yard with the yard. Call 811 before you dig.

How the topsoil calculator works

Enter the shape of the area and pick what the soil is for. The topsoil calculator sets a starting depth, which you can change, turns the area and depth into cubic feet and cubic yards, adds extra for settling, and gives the tons and the bags. It works the same for fill dirt in a low spot.

Cubic yards

The 20x30 ft lawn at 4 in is 600 x 4 / 12 = 200 cu ft, which is 7.41 cu yd. With 15% for settling, order 8.52 cu yd.

Tons

Soil yards sell by the yard or by the ton. At 1.1 tons per cubic yard, the lawn is 9.4 tons. Check how much the truck carries per load; a small dump truck often holds a few yards, so a big job can mean two loads.

Topsoil, fill dirt and garden soil

Fill dirt is subsoil with little organic matter, for raising grade under a slab, a patio base or a low spot that will be topped later. Topsoil is the screened top layer for lawns and beds. Garden soil or bed mix adds compost for planting. The volume math is the same; the price and the use are not. A top-dressing at 0.5 in over a 50x40 ft lawn is only 3.55 cu yd.

Topsoil by area and depth

Area and depth	Cubic yards	To order, +15%	Tons at 1.1	0.75 cu ft bags
1,000 sq ft lawn, top-dressed 1/2 in	1.54	1.77	2.0	64
10x10 ft, 4 in	1.23	1.42	1.6	52
20x30 ft new lawn, 4 in	7.41	8.52	9.4	307
20x30 ft new lawn, 6 in	11.11	12.78	14.1	460
4x12 ft garden bed, 8 in	1.19	1.36	1.5	50
10x20 ft low spot, 6 in	3.70	4.26	4.7	154

Grading around a new patio

After a patio or a slab goes in, the ground around it usually needs soil to meet the new edge and slope water away from the house. Finish the hardscape first, then backfill and seed. The paver base calculator covers the gravel under the pavers, and the mulch calculator the beds that go in after the soil.

Where the numbers come from

One cubic yard is 27 cubic feet. The starting depths by job, the 15% settling allowance and the 1.1 tons per cubic yard are editorial figures, not a standard; your soil test, the plants and the yard's own weight decide. Bag sizes are the volumes printed on the bags. The prices are shelf prices at The Home Depot, Hamilton Mill store: Vigoro 1 cu ft topsoil at $2.87 a bag and an 8 cu yd load of bulk screened topsoil at $80.50 a cu yd, read Nov 6, 2026, before tax and delivery. Yards and regions vary.

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Questions

Anything else? Write to us or see every calculator.

Questions people ask

Multiply the length by the width in feet, then by the depth in inches divided by 12, for cubic feet, and divide by 27 for cubic yards. Add about 15% because loose soil settles. A 20x30 ft lawn at 4 in is 200 cu ft, 7.41 cu yd, and 8.52 cu yd to order.

About 1.1 tons, roughly 2,200 lb, for screened topsoil (editorial). Dry soil is lighter, and wet soil or clay fill is heavier, so ask the yard for the weight of what it sells; the calculator takes your figure.

We start at 4 in for new seed or sod, the low end of the 4 to 6 in commonly given. To top-dress an existing lawn, 0.5 in or less is enough, raked into the grass. A planting bed takes 8 in or more.

36 bags of 0.75 cu ft, 27 bags of 1 cu ft, or 18 of 1.5 cu ft. A 4x12 ft bed at 8 in takes 50 bags of 0.75 cu ft with 15% for settling.