Beds and borders
Topsoil Calculator
Enter the area and how deep you're filling. Two to three inches is typical for leveling or overseeding; new beds and raised beds want more.
At a glance
- Usual depth
- 3 in
- Bag size
- 1 cu ft
- Answer in
- cubic yards
100 sq ft at 3 in deep needs:
0.93 cubic yardsof topsoil
- ≈ 25 bags (1 cu ft each)
Bulk topsoil is sold by the cubic yard. Bagged soil is usually about 1 cubic foot a bag, so a yard is roughly 27 bags, and bulk is far cheaper past a few bags.
Need it delivered? Cedar Creek Landscape Supply sells topsoil by the yard across the Triangle.
Order topsoilBeds and borders
Buy it by the yard, not by the trip
Bulk mulch and soil land cheaper than bagged once you pass a yard or two, and a delivered pile saves a weekend of hauling. Work out the amount first, then price the delivery.
How this is worked out
No hidden fudge factor. This is the whole calculation.
- Length times width gives the area in square feet.
- Area times the depth in feet, which is your inches divided by 12, gives cubic feet.
- Cubic feet divided by 27 gives cubic yards, because a yard is 3 feet cubed.
- Bag count is the cubic feet divided by 1, the size of a standard bag.
Common questions
- How much topsoil do I need?
- Multiply your area's length by its width for square feet, then by the depth in feet (inches ÷ 12), and divide by 27 for cubic yards. This calculator does it for you. Enter length, width, and depth.
- How many bags of topsoil are in a cubic yard?
- A cubic yard is 27 cubic feet, so at 1 cubic foot per bag that's about 27 bags per yard.