Topsoil Calculator — Raised Beds and Fill

Topsoil, compost or soilless mix for a raised bed, a new lawn or a top-up, by the cubic yard or the cubic foot, at the depths and mixes extension services publish.

Showing US units

Screened topsoil to order EXAMPLE2 cubic yardslooseand 1 cubic yard (loose) of compost

An answer marked EXAMPLE is worked out from the page’s sample values. Type your own over the values marked SAMPLE to make it yours.

This decides what goes into the order and which published depth the answer is measured against. Those depths are not close to each other.

Beds of different sizes are separate jobs — work them out one at a time.

sq ftSAMPLE

The area of the soil surface of one bed, or of the whole patch, measured out to the inside faces of a raised bed’s frame, or the edges of the patch. Length times width. The frame’s timber holds no soil.

inSAMPLE

Measured from the ground, patio or lawn the new soil goes onto to the top of the soil as it is placed, loose, before it settles. Nothing is added for settling: no extension service, agency or trade association this calculator could find publishes a figure for it, so soil placed to this depth ends up lower once it settles.

Two university extension services publish different answers to this, so both are here under their own names rather than averaged into one.

Starts at One part compost to two parts topsoil (Maryland) — the lighter of the two ratios the University of Maryland gives for filling a new raised bed over poor or compacted ground, and the calculator’s starting point because it is the blend the sample bed is; Iowa State publishes a different one, in the list.

The lighter of the two ratios Maryland gives for filling a new raised bed over poor or compacted ground.

In bulk, the soil is given in loose cubic yards. In bags, it is counted in the bag of one named product, Scotts Premium Topsoil, at its maker’s own coverage of 4 sq ft at a 2 in layer. Its maker sells it to mix into native soil, for in-ground use only and not for containers, and this page takes that as a reason not to count a raised bed in it: topsoil for either raised bed is given as a volume. Compost and soilless mix are given as a volume too, because they are sold in bags of more than one size and the count depends on the size printed on the bag.

0%

Starts at 0% — this calculator’s own starting point, not a published figure. None of the extension services this calculator cites gives a figure for settling or spillage — the University of Illinois says only that soil in a raised bed settles — so the calculator adds none rather than invent one. Change it to how much settling and spillage to buy ahead for. Source

Screened topsoil to order EXAMPLE2 cubic yardsloose

for 1.3 cu yd of topsoil, placed loose; nothing is added for settling, which no publisher this calculator cites puts a figure on Source

Topsoil and compost together 1.98 cu yd (53.3 cu ft)

Compost 1 cubic yard (loose)

for 0.66 cu yd of compost, placed loose; nothing is added for settling, which no publisher this calculator cites puts a figure on Source

A 64 square foot area filled ten inches deep, for the job chosen above.

Screened topsoil — how the quantity was worked out
The job needs1.3 cu yd
Plus 0% for waste1.3 cu yd
Buying 2 cubic yards (loose) covers2.0 cu yd
Left over0.7 cu yd

Bulk is ordered in loose cubic yards, and bags by the cubic foot. A cubic yard is a lot more than it looks in a photograph. Where a blend is chosen, its split is one publisher’s recommendation, not a consensus.

Not counted in these quantities: a settling figure: no extension service, agency or trade association this calculator could find publishes one, so only the extra-to-order margin is added; the timber or other frame of a raised bed.

A bulk order is rounded up to the whole cubic yard — this calculator’s own choice, not a publisher’s: no extension service or yard this calculator cites prints a minimum order or a step.

Ground covered, one bed64 sq ft

Published minimum depth of the mix — new bed over poor or compacted ground Source8.00 in

  • Fresh fill drops over the first season — a university extension service says so plainly and then declines to put a figure on it, and no other publisher this calculator could find puts one anywhere. So there is no settling percentage built in here, and the extra-to-order margin starts at zero rather than at a number invented to look like the sourced ones. Ordering a little over is normal practice; how much is a judgment the person doing the job has to make. Source
  • A yard that quotes by the ton is asking a question this calculator will not answer. Nothing published gives the weight of a cubic yard of screened garden soil: the two government figures that exist describe dug ground from a table for estimating hauled tonnage, and a dissolved agency’s archived chart — neither of which is the material being delivered. A yard weighs its own trucks and can say. Both figures, with what is wrong with each, are on ConcreteTally’s sources page (concretetally.com/sources). Source
  • That split is one publisher's recommendation, and the publishers disagree: for a new bed on the ground Maryland's ratios put a third to a half of the bed in compost, and Iowa State's about thirty percent. Both are offered above under their own names because there is no average of the two that either of them would stand behind. Source

The printed list carries the area, the depth and every quantity.

Topsoil Calculator — Raised Beds and Fill

ConcreteTally

EXAMPLE — not a measured job. Every quantity below is worked out from this page’s sample measurements. Enter the real measurements and print it again before anyone orders from it.

Job / customer
Deliver to

Topsoil and compost together: 1.98 cu yd (53.3 cu ft)

What to buy

MaterialBuyWhich isLeft over
Screened topsoil2 cubic yards (loose)54 cu ft0.7 cu yd
for 1.3 cu yd of topsoil, placed loose; nothing is added for settling, which no publisher this calculator cites puts a figure on
Compost1 cubic yard (loose)27 cu ft0.34 cu yd
for 0.66 cu yd of compost, placed loose; nothing is added for settling, which no publisher this calculator cites puts a figure on
This calculator’s own choicesA bulk order is rounded up to the whole cubic yard — this calculator’s own choice, not a publisher’s: no extension service or yard this calculator cites prints a minimum order or a step.

Not counted in these quantities: a settling figure: no extension service, agency or trade association this calculator could find publishes one, so only the extra-to-order margin is added; the timber or other frame of a raised bed.

The depth on this sheet is the depth the fill reaches when it is placed, loose, with nothing added for settling — no publisher this calculator cites gives a figure for how much fresh fill drops. Where the order is a blend, its split follows the published blend named on this sheet, and the source list at the end of this sheet carries other published splits that differ from it.

Worked out from

What are you filling?A new raised bed on the ground
How many beds this size?1
Area of one bed, or of the whole patchThe area of the soil surface of one bed, or of the whole patch, measured out to the inside faces of a raised bed’s frame, or the edges of the patch.64 sq ft (sample)
How deep the soil should beMeasured from the ground, patio or lawn the new soil goes onto to the top of the soil as it is placed, loose, before it settles.10 in (sample)
Soil, or a soil and compost blend?One part compost to two parts topsoil (Maryland)
Buying it in bulk or in bags?Bulk, by the cubic yard
Amount needed — Screened topsoil1.3 cu yd
Amount needed — Compost0.66 cu yd
Extra to order over the measured volume — Screened topsoilnone — this calculator’s own starting point, not a published figure. None of the extension services this calculator cites gives a figure for settling or spillage — the University of Illinois says only that soil in a raised bed settles — so the calculator adds none rather than invent one. [7]
Extra to order over the measured volume — Compostnone — this calculator’s own starting point, not a published figure. None of the extension services this calculator cites gives a figure for settling or spillage — the University of Illinois says only that soil in a raised bed settles — so the calculator adds none rather than invent one. [7]

Estimates only — check quantities before you buy. Confirm with your soil supplier before ordering.

Where these figures come from

A number in brackets after a figure on this sheet is its entry in this list.

  1. University of Maryland Extension minimum soil depths for a raised bed on a hard surface ('Soil to Fill Raised Beds', the scenario covering a raised bed placed on a hard surface such as a patio or driveway) — University of Maryland Extension, University extension service. Effective from November 6, 2024. The page shows 'Last Updated: November 6, 2024'. Its original authorship is credited to Jon Traunfeld, Extension Specialist, dated Spring 2019, and reviewed by Neith Little, Extension Agent, Urban Agriculture; the 2024 date is used here because it is the one attached to the text as it currently stands. Retrieved September 5, 2026.
  2. University of Maryland Extension minimum depth of mix for a new raised bed over poor or compacted ground ('Growing Vegetables in Raised Beds', section 'Converting areas with minimal vegetation and poor or compacted soil', bullet 'Amend the soil'); University of Maryland Extension compost-to-topsoil ratio for filling a new raised bed on the ground ('Growing Vegetables in Raised Beds', section 'Converting areas with minimal vegetation and poor or compacted soil', bullet 'Amend the soil'); University of Maryland Extension compost-to-topsoil ratio for filling a new raised bed on the ground, the lighter option ('Growing Vegetables in Raised Beds', section 'Converting areas with minimal vegetation and poor or compacted soil', bullet 'Amend the soil') — University of Maryland Extension, University extension service. Effective from March 26, 2026. The page shows 'Updated: March 26, 2026'; its credit reads 'Author: Jon Traunfeld, Extension Specialist (retired), Home/Community Food Gardening, Spring 2019. Revised March 2026.' Retrieved October 10, 2026.
  3. Iowa State University Extension soil depth for establishing a new lawn (Yard and Garden FAQ, 'How do I establish a new lawn from seed?', soil preparation paragraph) — Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, University extension service. Effective from 2024. No publication or review date is printed on this FAQ page. The year recorded here is the year the page was retrieved and verified, and the precision is deliberately set to 'year' so the page never prints a month or a day the publisher did not. Retrieved September 5, 2026.
  4. Penn State Extension compost topdressing depth for established turf ('Using Composts to Improve Turf Performance', section on surface applications to established turf, by Peter Landschoot) — Penn State Extension, The Pennsylvania State University, University extension service. Effective from 1997. The page prints 'January 1, 1997'. A first-of-January date on an extension page is characteristically a system default rather than a real day, so this table records the YEAR only and the page prints 1997 without a month or a day it cannot stand behind. Retrieved September 5, 2026.
  5. University of Maryland Extension fill for a raised bed on a hard surface ('Soil to Fill Raised Beds', Scenario 4 - 'If your raised bed is on a non-permeable (a hard surface like a driveway) surface', second item) — University of Maryland Extension, University extension service. Effective from November 6, 2024. The page shows 'Updated: November 6, 2024'. Its original authorship is credited to Jon Traunfeld, Extension Specialist, dated Spring 2019, and reviewed by Neith Little, Extension Agent, Urban Agriculture; the 2024 date is used here because it is the one attached to the text as it currently stands. Retrieved October 10, 2026.
  6. Iowa State University Extension soil mix for a raised bed (Yard and Garden FAQ, 'What would be a good soil mix for a raised bed?') — Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, University extension service. Effective from April 20, 2026. Retrieved September 5, 2026.
  7. University of Illinois Extension on raised-bed soil settling, which it describes without quantifying (News release 'Refreshing raised bed soil generates exceptional results', by Chris Enroth, on why raised bed soils lose volume) — University of Illinois Extension, University extension service. Effective from April 5, 2021. Retrieved September 5, 2026.
  8. Oregon State University Extension bulk density of screened compost at 50 percent moisture (EM 9217 'Interpreting Compost Analyses', section 'Moisture and bulk density', PDF page 2) — Oregon State University Extension Service, University extension service. Effective from October 2018. The publication carries October 2018 on its face; no day of month is printed. Authors: Dan M. Sullivan, Andy I. Bary, Robert O. Miller and Linda J. Brewer. Retrieved September 5, 2026.
  9. Oregon State University Extension as-is bulk density range for compost (EM 9217 'Interpreting Compost Analyses', glossary entry for as-is bulk density, PDF page 10) — Oregon State University Extension Service, University extension service. Effective from October 2018. The publication carries October 2018 on its face; no day of month is printed. Same Oregon State University publication as the screened-compost weight entry, cited at a second page because the two statements are made in different places and a reader checking one should not have to hunt for the other. Retrieved September 5, 2026.
  10. Los Angeles County Public Works volume-to-weight conversion figures for soil (Conversion Table, soil rows, page 1. The document states that its conversion factors are those used by the California Integrated Waste Management Board) — Los Angeles County Department of Public Works, Environmental Programs Division, Government publication. Effective from 2020. The PDF carries no publication date on its face. The year recorded is the year of retrieval and the precision is set to 'year' so no month or day is printed that the publisher did not. Retrieved October 11, 2026.
  11. California Integrated Waste Management Board conversion factor for loose soil or sandy loam (archived; agency dissolved 2010) (Diversion Study Guide, Appendix I 'Conversion Factors: Construction and Demolition', row 'Soil/sandy loam, loose'. The 'Study' column names the Tellus Institute as the underlying source) — California Integrated Waste Management Board (dissolved into CalRecycle in 2010); figure attributed by the agency to the Tellus Institute, Government publication. Effective from December 7, 2009. The page footer shows 'Last updated: December 07, 2009', which is an automatic template timestamp; a comment in the page source puts the last structural edit at 18 October 2007. Both are recorded here rather than one being chosen. The link is to a web archive snapshot because the publishing agency and its domain no longer exist. Retrieved September 5, 2026.
  12. Scotts Premium Topsoil bag size (Product page for Scotts Premium Topsoil, 'Overview', fifth bullet) — The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, Manufacturer or grower specification. Effective from 2026. The product page prints no publication or revision date. The year recorded is the year of retrieval, at 'year' precision, so the page never shows a day the publisher did not print. Retrieved October 11, 2026.

This list, with a link to each document: concretetally.com/topsoil-calculator/#sources-heading

Every table ConcreteTally reads, with its dates: concretetally.com/sources

Ask your own supplier what a yard of their soil weighs.

Where these figures come from

Every table ConcreteTally reads, with its dates: all sources.