Estimate cubic yards and tons of screened topsoil for gardens, lawns, and raised beds — with one-click presets for common projects.
Quick answer: Length × width × depth in feet ÷ 27 = cubic yards. A 4 × 8 ft raised bed at 12 inches deep needs (4 × 8 × 1) / 27 = 1.19 cubic yards — about 1.43 tons.
Ballpark, not gospel. Screened topsoil varies by supplier — confirm the blend (and whether it's sold by yard or ton) before ordering.
Straight answers, no fluff. Then run your own numbers above.
Multiply length by width by depth in feet, then divide by 27. A 4×8 ft raised bed at 12 inches deep needs about 1.19 cubic yards.
About 2,400 lbs, or 1.2 tons. Moisture can push it higher — wet topsoil weighs noticeably more than dry.
Most vegetable gardens and flower beds do well with 6 to 12 inches of topsoil. Lawn topdressing only needs 1 to 2 inches.
Topsoil is the screened, nutrient-rich upper layer used for lawns, gardens, and planting. Fill dirt is unscreened subsoil for grading and raising low areas — cheaper, but not for growing.
Yes — about 10 percent. Topsoil settles after spreading and watering, so the overage keeps beds at full depth.
Grading instead of planting? The fill dirt calculator is the cheaper option, and the dirt calculator compares all three soil types side by side.