Topsoil Calculator
Topsoil volume = area × depth: 4–6 in for a new lawn or bed, 2–3 in to top-dress an existing lawn, and 27 ft³ make 1 yd³. A 500 ft² lawn bed at 4 in needs 6.17 yd³, or 6.8 yd³ with the 10% settling allowance. Screened topsoil is usually sold by the cubic yard. See the Mulch Calculator.
How it's calculated: Volume = area × depth, plus the settling allowance; weight = volume × a typical screened-topsoil density.
Result appears here
Fill in the fields and press Calculate.
Formula, calculation, assumptions and sources
Volume = Area × Depth
Weight = Volume × bulk density (topsoil)
Run the calculation to see each step with your own numbers.
A 500 ft² new lawn bed, 4 in of topsoil, default 10% allowance.
Volume = 500 ft² × 4 in ≈ 166.7 ft³ = 6.17 yd³ exact
Weight ≈ 4.72 m³ × ~1,300 kg/m³ ≈ 6,135 kg ≈ 6.76 US tons exact
With 10%: order 6.80 yd³ / 7.44 tons
- A flat area at one uniform depth — break an irregular bed into rectangles and add the results.
- Screened topsoil at a typical bulk density; blended/compost-rich topsoil can be lighter, heavy clay-loam topsoil heavier.
- The depth entered is the loose, freshly spread depth. If it's meant to be the settled depth, raise the waste allowance.
- How deep should new topsoil be?
- About 4–6 in for a new lawn from seed or sod, and 2–3 in for topdressing an established lawn. Garden beds often want 6–12 in of quality topsoil over the native ground.
- Cubic yards or tons?
- Most topsoil suppliers sell by the cubic yard, not weight, because moisture content swings the weight a lot. The tonnage here is mainly useful for a delivery truck's load limit.
- Why does the calculator ask for settling separately from a normal waste allowance?
- Freshly spread, loose topsoil compacts down once it's watered and walked on. If you want the FINISHED depth to be your entered number, raise the waste allowance to cover that settling — otherwise you'll end up thinner than planned.
- How much topsoil do I need for 1,000 square feet?
- About 12.35 yd³ at 4 in deep, or 13.6 yd³ with the default 10% allowance for settling. At 2 in, for top-dressing, it is half that.
- How many cubic yards of topsoil for a new lawn?
- Multiply the lawn area by a 4–6 in depth and divide by 27. A 500 ft² bed at 4 in needs 6.17 yd³, or about 6.8 yd³ once the 10% settling allowance is added.
Volume
Standard geometry: Volume = Area × Depth.
Bulk density (topsoil)
Screened topsoil ≈ 1,200–1,400 kg/m³. USDA / landscape-supply figures.
About the Topsoil Calculator
The Topsoil Calculator gives both the volume and the estimated delivered weight of screened topsoil for a new lawn, garden bed or grading fill, from the area and depth. It uses the same volume-and-density method as the Gravel Calculator, with topsoil's own bulk density. Topsoil settles as it's watered and walked on, so the waste allowance here is framed around that settling rather than cut waste.
What you enter
- Area to cover
- Depth — 2–3 in for topdressing an existing lawn; 4–6 in for a new lawn or bed.
- Waste allowance — Default 10%. Adjust to your own allowance — the exact figure is always shown too.
What you get back
- Volume — shown as the exact figure and, separately, a recommended figure with your waste allowance added.
- Delivered weight — Screened topsoil is usually sold by the cubic yard, not weight — this is for trucks/permit purposes.
The formula, a worked example, the assumptions behind it and the sources are shown in full below the calculator.
Related calculators
- Excavation Calculator — Bank (in-situ) excavation volume and the larger, swollen loose volume once soil is dug out, plus an estimated weight.
- Mulch Calculator — Mulch in cubic yards and cubic feet for a bed of a given area and depth.
- Landscape Rock Calculator — Decorative rock by volume and weight for a landscaped bed.
- Cubic Yard Calculator — Convert a length, width and depth into cubic yards, cubic feet or cubic metres.
Part of the Landscaping & Driveway calculators.