Daily Figures Edition No Sign-Up • No Tracking • Free Forever Vol. XII — No. 204
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Materials — Topsoil

Topsoil Calculator

Enter the length, width and depth of your bed or lawn to find how many cubic yards and tons of topsoil you need.

Filed by The Statistics Desk  |  Method: area × depth, converted to yards and tons
Cubic yards needed
—
Length × width × depth, in cubic yards.
Material readout
Cubic feet total volume—
Weight in tons about 1.1 tons per cubic yard—
Estimated cost cubic yards × price—
Show our math
Enter your figures above to see the step-by-step working.
4–6 inches for a new bed; 1–2 inches to top off a lawnEverything computed client-side — nothing leaves this page

How the Topsoil Calculator Works

Topsoil is sold by the cubic yard, so the calculator multiplies the length, width and depth of your bed or lawn and converts the result to cubic yards. Four to six inches is a common depth for a new garden bed; one to two inches tops off an existing lawn.

Screened topsoil weighs roughly 1.1 tons per cubic yard when dry and more when wet, so treat the tonnage as an estimate and round up your order.

cubic yards = length (ft) × width (ft) × (depth in ÷ 12) ÷ 27

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a cubic yard of topsoil weigh?

Screened dry topsoil weighs roughly 1.1 tons per cubic yard, and more when wet. This calculator uses 1.1 tons as an estimate.

How deep should topsoil be?

Four to six inches suits a new garden bed; one to two inches is enough to topdress an existing lawn.

Is topsoil sold by the yard or the ton?

Most suppliers sell topsoil by the cubic yard for delivery, though some price by the ton. The calculator shows both.

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