Find out exactly how much topsoil your lawn, garden, or raised bed needs — in cubic yards, tons, bags, and estimated cost.
✓ Free✓ No sign-up✓ Instant results
Depth:
1″ top dressing, 3″ for new lawns, 6″+ for beds.
Sets the density used to convert volume → tons.
Loose topsoil settles after watering & treading.
Bulk topsoil often runs ~$20–50 / cu yd delivered.
You will need
Estimated topsoil cost:
Bags assume 0.75 cu ft each (≈40 lb bag). Tons are US (short) tons. Topsoil weight swings a lot with moisture — always round up and confirm with your supplier.
Ad slot (placeholder — paste your AdSense unit here after approval)
How much topsoil do I need?
Topsoil is sold by the cubic yard or ton. Work out the volume, then convert:
Cubic yards = length (ft) × width (ft) × depth (ft) ÷ 27. Multiply cubic yards by the density to get tons. Screened topsoil weighs roughly 1.1 tons per cubic yard when dry, more when wet.
As a rule of thumb, one cubic yard of topsoil covers about 100 square feet at 3 inches deep (or about 324 sq ft spread just 1 inch thick).
How deep should topsoil be?
Use
Depth
Top dressing an existing lawn
¼–1 inch
New lawn / overseeding
2–4 inches
Garden beds & vegetable plots
6–8 inches
Raised beds
fill to the bed height
Topsoil densities used
Material
Density (tons / cu yd)
Screened topsoil (dry)
1.10
Topsoil (moist / unscreened)
1.30
Garden soil / compost blend
0.85
Densities are typical averages; actual weight varies a lot with moisture. Use them as a close estimate.
Topsoil FAQs
How much topsoil do I need for a new lawn?
For a new lawn, spread 2–4 inches. A 500 sq ft area at 3 inches deep needs about 4.6 cubic yards, or roughly 5 tons of screened topsoil. Multiply length × width × depth (in feet), divide by 27 for cubic yards.
How many tons are in a cubic yard of topsoil?
About 1.1 US tons per cubic yard for dry screened topsoil, rising to roughly 1.3 tons when moist or unscreened. Light compost blends can be closer to 0.85 tons.
How much area does a cubic yard of topsoil cover?
About 108 square feet at 3 inches deep, 162 square feet at 2 inches, or 324 square feet spread just 1 inch thick for top dressing.
How much topsoil do I need for a raised bed?
Multiply the bed's length × width × height in feet, then divide by 27 for cubic yards. For example, a 4 × 8 ft bed filled 6 inches deep needs about 0.6 cubic yards (≈0.65 tons).
Should I add extra for settling?
Yes — loose topsoil settles roughly 10–15% after watering and treading, so tick the “Add 15% for settling” box if you want the finished depth to hold, especially for lawns and beds.