Calculate exactly how much topsoil, mulch, or compost you need for your garden or lawn in cubic yards. Includes automatic depth conversion and cost estimation.
Unit System
Area Shape
ft
ft
in
Optional Cost Estimation
$
Cubic Yards Needed
0.93
Estimated Total Cost
$37.04
Whether you are laying new sod, filling raised beds, or spreading mulch, bulk landscaping materials are universally sold by the Cubic Yard. To calculate how much topsoil you need manually, you must first convert all your measurements to feet. Multiply the Length (ft) by the Width (ft) to get the square footage. Then, convert your desired depth from inches to feet (e.g., 3 inches = 0.25 feet) and multiply it by the square footage to get Cubic Feet. Finally, divide by 27 (since there are 27 cubic feet in a cubic yard) to find your total. Our Topsoil Calculator handles all this complex conversion automatically.
The required depth of your topsoil depends entirely on your project. If you are simply top-dressing an existing lawn to improve soil quality, a depth of 1 to 2 inches is sufficient. If you are laying new sod or planting grass seed on bare dirt, experts recommend a minimum of 4 to 6 inches of quality topsoil to allow roots to establish. For raised garden beds growing vegetables, you will likely need 8 to 12 inches of a premium soil and compost mix.
Do not confuse these three! Topsoil is the uppermost layer of the earth's crust, scraped from the surface. It is great for filling large areas or grading lawns but lacks dense nutrients. Garden Soil is topsoil that has been enriched with compost and organic matter, making it perfect for planting beds. Potting Soil actually contains no dirt at all—it is a light, sterile mix of peat moss, perlite, and bark designed specifically for proper drainage in containers.
If your project requires more than 1 Cubic Yard of soil, buying in bulk (delivered by a dump truck) is almost always drastically cheaper than buying individual 40-lb bags from a big-box store. A standard 40-lb bag of topsoil contains about 0.75 cubic feet. You would need roughly 36 of those bags just to make a single cubic yard! Use our built-in Cost Estimator to compare the bulk price per yard against bag prices.