How Much Is 3 Cubic Yards of Soil?
Work out what you actually need
Measure the bed, pick a depth, and this converts it to cubic yards, what it will weigh on the truck, and roughly what it should cost delivered where you are.
Screened topsoil runs roughly 2,000–2,400 lb per cubic yard dry, more after rain. Order about 10% over: soil settles, and a second delivery costs more than the first yard did.
Find suppliers near youThree cubic yards is the most quoted number in the topsoil trade, because it is the minimum load at a great many yards. Here is what it actually amounts to.
- Volume: 81 cubic feet
- Weight: about 7,200 lb, or 3.6 tons, for moist delivered topsoil
- Cost: roughly $145–$325 delivered, depending on where you are
- The pile: around 9 feet across and 4 feet high
- In bags: 108 bags at 0.75 cu ft
What 3 yards covers
| Depth | Covers | Typical job |
|---|---|---|
| 1 in | 972 sq ft | Topdressing a lawn, two passes |
| 2 in | 486 sq ft | Levelling, overseeding |
| 3 in | 324 sq ft | Thin new lawn over decent soil |
| 4 in | 243 sq ft | A proper new lawn — about 15×16 ft |
| 6 in | 162 sq ft | New lawn over poor subsoil |
| 12 in | 81 sq ft | Beds, or two and a half 4×8 raised beds |
The full coverage chart has every area and depth, and the calculator works it out for your exact space.
Why it is so often the minimum
It is not arbitrary. Three yards is roughly what a small tipper carries, and the economics of sending a truck and a driver do not work below it. The delivery fee is the same whether the truck carries one yard or three, so yards set the floor where the trip pays for itself.
This is the thing that catches people out: if you need one yard, you will very often pay for three anyway. At that point bagged soil can genuinely be cheaper — the break-even sits between one and two yards for exactly this reason.
It is worth asking, though. Smaller yards will sometimes do one or two yards locally, and a few run a one-yard tote service. It is rarely advertised.
What it costs
Material runs about $20–80 a cubic yard depending on the region and the grade, so three yards is $60–240 of soil. Add a delivery fee, commonly $50–120 within a normal radius, and the realistic delivered total is $145–325.
Screened costs more than unscreened, and a garden or raised-bed blend more again. Our topsoil price guide has the bands by region.
Can you move it yourself?
Three yards is 27 wheelbarrow loads, which is two to three hours of steady work for one person over a short distance. It is a real afternoon, not a quick job — so think about where the driver tips it before the truck arrives.
It will not fit in a pickup. A half-ton truck legally carries well under one cubic yard of moist topsoil, so three yards is four or more trips and probably over the payload each time. See what a cubic yard weighs.
Ordering it
Work out what you need first — most people ordering three yards need two or five. Then ask any yard the three questions that decide the bill: price per cubic yard, delivery fee to your ZIP, and the minimum load. Find yards near you on Topsoil.com.