Figure out how many cubic yards of topsoil you need for a new lawn, raised bed or landscaping project. Enter your dimensions and get cubic yards instantly.
One cubic yard = 27 cubic feet. Add about 10% for settling and spreading waste.
Topsoil is sold by the cubic yard, so the first step is turning your area into volume. Multiply length by width by depth (in feet), then divide by 27. A 20 by 10 foot bed with 6 inches of topsoil is 20 × 10 × 0.5 ÷ 27 = 3.7 cubic yards.
How deep you go depends on the job. A new lawn needs about 4 to 6 inches of topsoil over the whole area. Raised garden beds want 10 to 12 inches. Reseeding a patchy lawn only needs a 1 to 2 inch top-dressing.
Topsoil settles after it is spread and watered, so order roughly 10% more than the raw number. It is much cheaper to have a small pile left over than to run short and pay a second delivery fee.
For a 3 inch layer over 1,000 square feet you need about 9.3 cubic yards. Multiply the depth in feet (0.25) by the area (1,000) and divide by 27.
A cubic yard is 27 cubic feet. A 1.5 cubic foot bag means about 18 bags per yard, and a 2 cubic foot bag means about 13.5 bags per yard.
Topsoil is the dark, organic top layer that plants grow in. Fill dirt is the subsoil underneath, with little organic matter. Use fill dirt to raise or level, and topsoil as the finished growing surface.
For a new lawn, spread 4 to 6 inches of topsoil before seeding or laying sod. Thinner layers dry out and leave the grass struggling to root.
Yes. Fresh topsoil settles as it compacts and absorbs water, usually 10 to 20 percent. Order extra or mound it slightly high to account for the settling.