Topsoil & Soil Calculator
Cubic yards, bags, and tons of topsoil to order — with a settling buffer so the finished grade doesn't sink. Soil-type density bands, bag count, and optional cost. No login.
How this is calculated
Area × depth gives the finished volume the bed holds. The settling buffer adds a percentage on top to give the volume to order — the headline cubic-yards-bulk number. Bags and weight are computed on the ordered volume, because that is what actually gets delivered. Bag counts always round up: a partial bag is a whole bag.
area (dimensions): A_sqft = length_ft × width_ft
area (direct): A_sqft = entered area
finished: V_cuft = A_sqft × (depth_in / 12)
V_cuyd = V_cuft / 27 (12 × 27 = 324)
ordered: V_ord_cuft = V_cuft × (1 + settling% / 100)
V_ord_cuyd = V_ord_cuft / 27
weight: tons = V_ord_cuyd × density (tons/yd³)
bags: bags = ceil(V_ord_cuft / bagSize_cuft)
bags per cubic yard (sanity): 27 / bagSize
0.75 cu ft → 36 · 1.0 → 27 · 1.5 → 18 · 2.0 → 13.5
cost (optional):
bulk_cost = V_ord_cuyd × $/cu yd
bagged_cost = bags × $/bagDensity bands per soil type: screened topsoil ~1.0–1.3 tons/yd³ (default 1.2), compost / garden mix ~1.0 (lighter organic blend), unscreened fill ~1.4–1.7 (default 1.4). These are surfaced ranges from the cited incumbents, not asserted hard numbers — pick Custom and read the bag label for an exact figure. Weight is approximate (≈): density varies with moisture and organic content. Depth presets are our own suggested defaults and are not source-backed — only "refresh garden 3–6 in" is confirmed; set your own depth.
Sources
- Topsoil Calculator. CalculatorSoup. Retrieved .
- Soil Calculator. Inch Calculator. Retrieved .
- Soil Calculator. Omni Calculator. Retrieved .