Free topsoil calculator: enter your lawn or bed size and depth to get cubic yards, 40 lb bag count, and a bulk-vs-bag cost comparison. No sign-up.
Topsoil Needed
1.54cu yd
Cubic yards = length (ft) × width (ft) × depth (in) ÷ 324. Bags = ceil(cubic yards × 27 ÷ bag cubic feet).
A 1.5 cubic foot bag is the standard 40 lb garden-center bag; 18 bags equal one cubic yard before rounding up.
Topsoil is measured the same way as mulch and gravel: length times width times depth, converted to cubic yards. This topsoil calculator also converts to 1.5 cubic foot bags — the standard 40 pound garden-center bag — so you can compare bagged soil with bulk delivery. A half inch is the typical topdressing depth for an existing lawn; new garden beds usually want 6 inches or more, and raised beds are measured in cubic feet but converted to yards just the same.
Cubic yards = length (ft) × width (ft) × depth (in) ÷ 324. Bags = ceil(cubic yards × 27 ÷ bag cubic feet).
A 1,000 square foot lawn topdressed at half an inch needs 1,000 × 0.5 ÷ 324 = 1.54 cubic yards. That is about 41.7 cubic feet of soil, which rounds up to 28 bags at 1.5 cubic feet each. Bulk at $40 per yard costs $61.73; bags at $4 each cost $112, so bulk wins for anything larger than a small patch.
A 1.5 cubic foot bag is the standard 40 lb garden-center bag; 18 bags equal one cubic yard before rounding up.
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One cubic yard covers 324 square feet at one inch of depth. Divide by your depth: a half-inch topdressing covers about 648 square feet per yard, while a 6 inch raised bed covers about 54. Enter your area and depth above for exact yards and bags.
A standard 40 lb bag is 1.5 cubic feet, and one cubic yard is 27 cubic feet — so 18 bags equal a yard before rounding up. The calculator rounds to whole bags since you cannot buy part of one.
Six inches is the common minimum for new garden beds, and 8 to 12 inches is better for deep-rooted vegetables. Raised beds are usually filled 12 to 18 inches deep. Topdressing an existing lawn needs only a half inch.
Topsoil is the upper soil layer, screened and sold in bulk or bags. Bagged garden soil is topsoil blended with compost and other amendments and is more expensive per yard. For filling depth cheaply use topsoil; for planting quality, amend with compost.
Bulk almost always wins past a cubic yard — 1.54 yards costs about $62 bulk versus $112 in bags at typical prices. Bags make sense for a small patch or when you have no truck access for delivery.