Topsoil Coverage Chart: Yards Needed by Area and Depth
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 youHow many cubic yards of topsoil you need, by area and depth. Print it, screen shot it, or use the calculator for figures between the rows.
Cubic yards needed
| Area (sq ft) | 1 in | 2 in | 3 in | 4 in | 6 in | 12 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0.31 | 0.62 | 0.93 | 1.23 | 1.85 | 3.70 |
| 200 | 0.62 | 1.23 | 1.85 | 2.47 | 3.70 | 7.41 |
| 300 | 0.93 | 1.85 | 2.78 | 3.70 | 5.56 | 11.11 |
| 500 | 1.54 | 3.09 | 4.63 | 6.17 | 9.26 | 18.52 |
| 1,000 | 3.09 | 6.17 | 9.26 | 12.35 | 18.52 | 37.04 |
| 2,000 | 6.17 | 12.35 | 18.52 | 24.69 | 37.04 | 74.07 |
| 5,000 | 15.43 | 30.86 | 46.30 | 61.73 | 92.59 | 185.19 |
The arithmetic, if you want to do it yourself
Cubic yards = area in square feet × depth in inches ÷ 324
The 324 is just 12 inches to the foot times 27 cubic feet to the yard. So 1,000 square feet at 4 inches is 1,000 × 4 ÷ 324 = 12.35 cubic yards.
Going the other way, one cubic yard covers 324 square feet one inch deep — or 81 square feet at four inches, which is the number worth remembering for lawns.
Add for settling
Delivered topsoil is aerated and settles 15–20% once it is raked, watered and walked on. The table gives you the volume of the space you are filling, so if you want a finished depth, add roughly a fifth:
- 4 in finished over 1,000 sq ft — order about 15 cubic yards, not 12.35
- 6 in finished over 1,000 sq ft — order about 22 cubic yards, not 18.52
Beds and borders settle more than lawns, because there is more organic matter in the mix to break down.
What depth you actually want
| Job | Depth |
|---|---|
| Topdressing an established lawn | ¼–½ in per pass |
| Overseeding into thin grass | ½ in |
| New lawn, decent ground below | 4 in |
| New lawn, poor or builder's subsoil | 6 in |
| Flower beds and borders | 8–12 in |
| Vegetable beds | 12–18 in |
| Levelling hollows | Fill to grade, max 1 in per pass over grass |
How deep topsoil should be explains why deeper is not better, and raised beds have their own table.
Converting to other units
- Cubic yards to cubic feet — multiply by 27
- Cubic yards to bags — multiply by 36 for 0.75 cu ft bags, or 27 for 1.0 cu ft bags
- Cubic yards to tons — multiply by about 1.2 for moist delivered topsoil, though this varies a lot with moisture. See what a cubic yard weighs.
- Estimating a delivered pile — width across in feet, squared, times height in feet, divided by 100
One thing the chart cannot tell you
Whether you need topsoil at all. If the ground under your lawn is reasonable and the problem is thatch, compaction or shade, a load of topsoil will not fix it and may make it worse. Dig a hole one spade deep and look before you order.
When you do need it, work out the volume here, then get quotes from yards near you on Topsoil.com — and ask each one for the price per yard, the delivery fee to your ZIP, and the minimum load.