Calculators / Topsoil
Screened, by the yard
Topsoil calculator
Levelling, new lawns and filling raised beds. Enter the area and how deep you need it, and get yards, tons and bags.
How deep, by project
| Project | Depth | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Top-dressing an existing lawn | 1/4–1/2 in | Thin and repeated. Burying grass crowns kills the lawn you are trying to improve. |
| Levelling low spots | 1–2 in per pass | Repeat over several months rather than dumping it all at once. |
| New lawn from seed or sod | 4–6 in | Over decompacted subsoil. Roots that hit a hard pan at 3 inches never establish. |
| Vegetable garden bed | 8–12 in | Blended with compost. Straight topsoil compacts into a brick in a raised bed. |
| Filling a raised bed | Full bed height | Measure the inside dimensions and use the bed depth as your depth figure. |
Bulk almost always wins here
Topsoil is the material where bagged pricing is hardest to justify. A cubic yard is 36 of the small 0.75-cubic-foot bags. Filling one 4 by 8 foot raised bed to 12 inches takes 32 cubic feet — 43 bags, which is a car boot full and several times the bulk price.
Below about half a yard, bags are convenient. Above it, order bulk and accept the pile.
Settling is not a rounding error
Freshly delivered screened topsoil is full of air. Watered in and walked on, it can lose 15 to 20 percent of its volume. A raised bed filled level on day one will be visibly low in a month.
Order the extra deliberately. The calculator adds an allowance by default; for deep fills like raised beds, push it to 15 percent.
Screened topsoil is not garden soil
Bulk topsoil is stripped mineral soil, screened to remove rocks and root balls. It has structure and drainage but little organic matter and few nutrients. It is the right thing under sod and the wrong thing on its own in a vegetable bed.
For beds, a common mix is roughly 60 percent screened topsoil to 40 percent compost. Calculate the total bed volume here, then split the order between the two products.
Common questions
How many bags of topsoil in a cubic yard?
Thirty-six bags of 0.75 cubic feet, or 18 bags of 1.5 cubic feet. A cubic yard is 27 cubic feet — divide by whatever is printed on the bag.
How much does a yard of topsoil weigh?
About 2,000 pounds, or one ton, when moist and screened. Wet clay-heavy soil can reach 2,500 pounds.
How much topsoil do I need for a new lawn?
Four to six inches over decompacted subsoil. One cubic yard covers about 81 square feet at 4 inches, so a 1,000 square foot lawn needs roughly 12 cubic yards.
What is the difference between topsoil, garden soil and compost?
Topsoil is screened mineral soil with structure but few nutrients. Compost is decomposed organic matter — rich, but it slumps and holds too much water on its own. Garden soil is a pre-blended mix of the two, sold at a bagged premium.
Other calculators
Mulch · Gravel · Pea gravel · River rock · Sand