Find out how much topsoil to order for a new lawn, a raised bed or a bare patch. Enter each area as length × width (or square feet) and the depth in inches, pick the soil type for an accurate weight, and get cubic yards rounded to the half-yard suppliers sell, the bag count, the tonnage for delivery and the cost either way.
Measure by:
Topsoil needed
2.47 yd³
66.7 cu ft · order 2.5 yd³
0.75 cu ft bags
89
or about 136 40-lb bags
Weight
2.72 tons
5,432 lb
Area covered
200
sq ft
📌 Formula: area (sq ft) × depth (in) ÷ 12 ÷ 27 = cubic yards. Suppliers sell bulk soil in half-yard steps; add 5–10 % for settling. A cubic yard of topsoil weighs 2,000–2,600 lb depending on moisture, so a pickup truck (½-ton rated) carries about half a yard safely.
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Topsoil needed by area and depth
Area
2 in
4 in
6 in
12 in
100 sq ft
0.6 yd³
1.2 yd³
1.9 yd³
3.7 yd³
200 sq ft
1.2 yd³
2.5 yd³
3.7 yd³
7.4 yd³
500 sq ft
3.1 yd³
6.2 yd³
9.3 yd³
18.5 yd³
1,000 sq ft
6.2 yd³
12.3 yd³
18.5 yd³
37 yd³
2,000 sq ft
12.3 yd³
24.7 yd³
37 yd³
74.1 yd³
5,000 sq ft
30.9 yd³
61.7 yd³
92.6 yd³
185.2 yd³
1 cubic yard = 27 cu ft = 36 bags of 0.75 cu ft ≈ 50 bags of 40 lb (dry). Covers 324 sq ft at 1 inch, 81 sq ft at 4 inches.
Worked example: a 20 × 10 ft raised bed
Filling a 200 sq ft bed 4 inches deep: 200 × 4 ÷ 12 = 66.7 cu ft ÷ 27 = 2.47 cubic yards. Order 2.5 yards in bulk (about 2.7 tons as delivered), or buy 89 bags of 0.75 cu ft. Make it 10 inches deep for vegetables and the need is 6.2 yards, which is where a bulk delivery clearly beats bags.
Multiply the area in square feet by the depth in inches, divide by 12 to get cubic feet, then by 27 for cubic yards. A 20 × 10 ft bed filled 4 inches deep is 200 × 4 ÷ 12 = 66.7 cu ft = 2.47 cubic yards — order 2.5 yards, or buy 89 bags of 0.75 cu ft. The calculator does the conversion and rounds to what suppliers actually sell.
A new lawn needs 4–6 inches of topsoil for roots; a vegetable or raised bed 8–12 inches; a flower bed about 6 inches; top-dressing an existing lawn only ¼–½ inch spread thinly so the grass grows through. Filling low spots takes 2–3 inches per pass, compacted between passes.
About 2,000 lb (one US ton) when dry and screened, 2,200 lb as typically delivered and up to 2,600 lb when wet or clay-heavy. Compost and garden mixes are lighter at 1,200–1,500 lb. Weight matters for delivery fees, for pickup trucks (a half-ton truck safely carries about half a yard) and for raised beds on decks.
Bagged topsoil costs roughly 3–5 times more per yard than bulk, but has no delivery fee and is easy to carry. Below about one cubic yard (36 bags of 0.75 cu ft) bags usually win; above that bulk delivery is cheaper even with a $50–100 delivery charge, and one yard is about 9–14 wheelbarrow loads to move.
Topsoil is the screened top layer with organic matter, for lawns and general planting. Garden soil is topsoil blended with compost, for beds and containers. Fill dirt is unscreened subsoil with little organic matter, cheapest and meant for grading and filling holes, not for growing. Use the density option to match: garden mix is about 30 % lighter than topsoil.