Topsoil Calculator

Topsoil is sold by the cubic yard almost everywhere, so the calculation is area × depth in feet, divided by 27. Weight is the unreliable part: screened topsoil runs roughly 1.1–1.3 tons per cubic yard dry, and considerably more saturated, which is why ordering by volume protects you from paying for rainwater.

That is 500 × 0.333 = 167 cubic feet, or 6.2 cubic yards — about 7 tons. The same job in bags is roughly 223 forty-pound bags, which would cost several times more and fill a pickup twice. Anything past about one cubic yard belongs in a bulk delivery.

Four to six inches of good topsoil supports a new lawn; 8–12 inches suits vegetable beds and anything with deep roots. For raised beds, calculate the full internal volume rather than a depth over area. When you are simply amending existing soil, 1–2 inches tilled in is usually enough — burying established turf or roots under fresh soil does more harm than good.

Screened topsoil is mineral soil and the bulk filler for grading and lawns. Garden or raised-bed mixes already contain compost and drain differently. Straight compost is an amendment, not a growing medium — it settles hard and can burn seedlings at high rates. A common approach for beds is roughly three parts topsoil to one part compost, calculated as one total volume.

Freshly spread topsoil settles 10–20% after watering and a few weeks of weather, so grade slightly high if a finished level matters — around a patio edge, a walkway, or a door threshold. Always slope soil away from foundations, and keep it well below siding and any wood that isn't rated for ground contact.