Topsoil Calculator: Stop Guessing, Start Measuring.

How to Use the Topsoil Calculator

This calculator estimates the amount of topsoil you'll need for your lawn or garden project. You can get measurements in cubic yards, tons, or bags based on the project dimensions and soil depth.

After entering all the inputs, you'll receive customized results that account for seasonal soil conditions, helping you purchase the right amount of soil.

Step 1: Choose Your Calculation Method

The calculator offers two ways to determine soil needs:

• Calculate by Dimensions: Enter the length and width of your project area.
• Calculate by Area: Enter the total square footage directly if you already know it.

Step 2: Enter Your Project Measurements

Input your project measurements using your preferred units:

• For Dimensions: Enter length and width in feet, inches, yards, or centimeters.
• For Area: Enter total area in square feet, square yards, or square meters.
• Soil Depth: Enter your desired soil depth (typically 3-6 inches for lawns, 8-12 inches for garden beds).

For irregular areas, consider breaking the space into simple geometric shapes (rectangles, triangles), calculating each separately, and adding them together. It's better to slightly overestimate than underestimate your area to ensure you have adequate soil.

Step 3: Select the Current Season

Choose the current season to adjust soil weight calculations:

• Spring: Typically wetter soil with higher moisture content and weight.
• Summer: Usually drier soil with lower weight per cubic yard.
• Fall: Moderate moisture content.
• Winter: Often frozen or highly variable moisture content depending on location.

This seasonal adjustment helps provide more accurate weight estimates, which is especially important when ordering soil by weight (tons) rather than volume (cubic yards).

Step 4: Specify Your Purchase Preference

Select how you plan to purchase your topsoil. Here are the most common options to buy dirt that I've heard about.

• Soil Bags: Convenient for smaller projects, typically sold in 40-pound bags.
• Cubic Yards: Bulk ordering by volume, common for medium to large projects.
• Tons (Weight): Bulk ordering by weight, varies based on soil moisture and composition.

Enter your local pricing information to calculate the total project cost. The calculator provides industry-standard default values provided by Lawn Love estimating $10 - $50 per cubic yard of topsoil nationally. Of course, finding your local prices will give you the most accurate estimate. The specific soil type you choose also influences cost.

Step 5: Calculate and Review Results

Click "Calculate Soil" to generate your results, which include:

• Total topsoil needed in cubic yards
• Weight estimates (dry loose, dry packed, and moist soil)
• Number of bags needed (if purchasing bagged soil)
• Estimated total cost based on your inputs
• Seasonal considerations for soil handling

You can copy these results to clipboard for easy reference when purchasing materials.

Practical Example: New Garden Bed Project

Let's walk through a practical example to see how the calculator works.

Understanding Topsoil Measurements

Topsoil is typically measured and sold in these units:

One cubic yard of topsoil typically covers (the calculator does this math for you):

• 324 square feet at 1 inch depth
• 162 square feet at 2 inches depth
• 108 square feet at 3 inches depth
• 81 square feet at 4 inches depth
• 65 square feet at 5 inches depth
• 54 square feet at 6 inches depth

How the Calculator Works

Here are the formulas and calculations used to determine how much topsoil you need.

Core Volume Calculations

Calculation	Formula	Example
Area from Dimensions	Length × Width (converted to sq ft)	10 ft × 20 ft = 200 sq ft
Volume in Cubic Feet	Area (sq ft) × Depth (ft)	200 sq ft × 0.5 ft = 100 cubic feet
Volume in Cubic Yards	Cubic Feet ÷ 27	100 cubic feet ÷ 27 = 3.7 cubic yards
Number of Bags	(Cubic Yards × 1800) ÷ Bag Size (lbs)	(3.7 × 1800) ÷ 40 = 166.5, rounded to 167 bags
Project Cost	Depends on purchase method	3.7 cubic yards × $25 = $92.50

Seasonal Weight Adjustment Calculations

The calculator uses seasonal factors to adjust soil weight estimates based on typical moisture content for each season:

Season	Dry, Loose Factor	Dry, Packed Factor	Moist Factor	Reasoning
Spring	0.7 tons/yd³	0.95 tons/yd³	1.2 tons/yd³	Higher rainfall and moisture content
Summer	0.6 tons/yd³	0.9 tons/yd³	1.15 tons/yd³	Drier conditions lower weight
Fall	0.65 tons/yd³	0.9 tons/yd³	1.15 tons/yd³	Moderate moisture content
Winter	0.75 tons/yd³	1.0 tons/yd³	1.25 tons/yd³	Often frozen or very wet

Weight Calculation Formula:

Weight (tons) = Cubic Yards × Seasonal Weight Factor

Example for Spring, Moist Soil:

Weight = 3.7 cubic yards × 1.2 = 4.44 tons

These seasonal adjustments provide more realistic estimates because:

• Soil moisture content significantly impacts weight per cubic yard
• Wet soil can weigh up to 25% more than dry soil
• Spring soil often retains more moisture from winter precipitation
• Summer soil in many regions is drier due to heat and evaporation
• Frozen winter soil can be significantly heavier in cold climates

Unit Conversions

The calculator handles various measurement units with these conversion factors:

• Length Conversions:
• 1 foot = 12 inches
• 1 yard = 3 feet
• 1 foot = 30.48 centimeters
• Area Conversions:
• 1 square yard = 9 square feet
• 1 square meter = 10.764 square feet
• Volume Conversions:
• 1 cubic yard = 27 cubic feet
• 1 cubic yard = ~54 bags (40 lb each)*

* This varies based on soil density and moisture content

Recommended Soil Depth

I hope you enjoyed using this tool as much as I enjoyed making it for you. You might also be interested in this Grass Seed Calculator to determine the seeding rates for your new lawn after you get the dirt in.