How Much Does a Yard of Topsoil Cover? Chart and Weight

One cubic yard of topsoil covers about 324 sq ft at 1 in deep, 162 sq ft at 2 in, 81 sq ft at 4 in and 54 sq ft at 6 in. In metric, one cubic metre covers 10 m² at 100 mm deep or 20 m² at 50 mm. A yard of topsoil weighs about 1.1 tons (around 2,200 lb) when dry, and more when wet. Below are the coverage charts for yards, bags and cubic metres, and how to turn them into an order.

Topsoil coverage chart

A cubic yard is 27 cubic feet. Spread at 1 in deep (1/12 of a foot), 27 cu ft covers 27 × 12 = 324 sq ft. Every other depth follows from that: divide 324 by the depth in inches.

How far topsoil goes, by depth
Depth	1 cubic yard	2 cu ft bag	3 cu ft bag
1 in	324 sq ft	24 sq ft	36 sq ft
2 in	162 sq ft	12 sq ft	18 sq ft
3 in	108 sq ft	8 sq ft	12 sq ft
4 in	81 sq ft	6 sq ft	9 sq ft
6 in	54 sq ft	4 sq ft	6 sq ft
8 in	41 sq ft	3 sq ft	4.5 sq ft
12 in	27 sq ft	2 sq ft	3 sq ft

These are the areas for soil spread loose. Topsoil settles after it's raked, rolled and watered, so you need about 10% more to finish at a given depth. Our charts and calculator add that 10%.

Metric topsoil coverage

One cubic metre spread 100 mm deep covers 10 m². Divide 1,000 by the depth in millimetres for the area. Bag sizes vary by country: 25 L and 50 L in Australia, 50 L and 70 L in the UK, and 50 L in Canada.

How far a cubic metre and a bag of topsoil go
Depth	1 m³	25 L bag	50 L bag
25 mm	40 m²	1 m²	2 m²
50 mm	20 m²	0.5 m²	1 m²
75 mm	13.3 m²	0.33 m²	0.67 m²
100 mm	10 m²	0.25 m²	0.5 m²
150 mm	6.7 m²	0.17 m²	0.33 m²
200 mm	5 m²	0.13 m²	0.25 m²
300 mm	3.3 m²	0.08 m²	0.17 m²

How much topsoil do I need?

Multiply the area by the depth, then add 10% for settling. Topsoil to order for common jobs, in cubic yards:

Topsoil to order, including 10% for settling
Area	2 in	4 in	6 in
100 sq ft	0.7 cu yd	1.4 cu yd	2 cu yd
250 sq ft	1.7 cu yd	3.4 cu yd	5.1 cu yd
500 sq ft	3.4 cu yd	6.8 cu yd	10.2 cu yd
1,000 sq ft	6.8 cu yd	13.6 cu yd	20.4 cu yd

For a quick estimate in your head: square feet × depth in inches ÷ 324 = cubic yards. Then add 10%. A 500 sq ft area at 3 in is 500 × 3 ÷ 324 = 4.6 cu yd, or about 5.1 with settling.

How deep should topsoil be?

Typical topsoil depths by job
Job	Depth	Source or note
New lawn from seed or sod	4–6 in (100–150 mm), after settling	Penn State Extension
Turf underlay, Australia	100–150 mm	Lawn Solutions Australia
Raised vegetable bed	Fill the bed; see the raised bed guide	raised bed soil guide
Filling low spots in a lawn	Fill to level, in layers	Add a little at a time so the grass grows through

For a new lawn, the depth is the big decision: 4 in is the minimum Penn State Extension gives for good topsoil, and 6 in is better on poor ground such as heavy clay or builders' fill. Our guide to topsoil for a new lawn has the full chart by lawn size.

How much does a yard of topsoil weigh?

We use 1.3 tonnes per cubic metre for loose topsoil, which works out at about 2,190 lb, or 1.1 US tons, per cubic yard. Real weights vary a lot with moisture: Select Sand & Gravel gives 2,100–2,300 lb for a yard of dry topsoil and 2,600–3,000 lb or more when it's wet. Australian suppliers quoted by Yellow Pages use about 1.5 tonnes per m³ as a typical figure, 1.25 for loose soil and closer to 2 for firmly packed soil.

Weight matters for three reasons:

Buying by the ton or tonne. Some yards sell soil by weight. Divide the weight by the density to get the volume, and ask for their figure.
Collecting it yourself. A yard of topsoil weighs well over a ton. Check your vehicle's or trailer's payload rating before you load it, not after.
Bulk bags. UK bulk bags of topsoil are sold by volume or weight; check which before comparing prices.

Bags or bulk?

A cubic yard is 13.5 bags of 2 cu ft, or 9 bags of 3 cu ft. A cubic metre is 40 bags of 25 L or 20 bags of 50 L. For a raised bed or patching a few bare spots, bags are fine and easy to move. For a lawn, a whole border or anything over about one cubic yard, bulk delivery is almost always cheaper per yard, and it saves opening and carrying dozens of bags. A 1,000 sq ft lawn at 4 in would take 184 bags of 2 cu ft.

Worked example: topsoil for a raised bed

An 8 × 4 ft raised bed filled 8 in deep: 8 × 4 = 32 sq ft.
Volume: 32 × (8 ÷ 12) = 21.3 cu ft.
Add 10% for settling: 23.5 cu ft.
Bags: 23.5 ÷ 2 = 12 bags of 2 cu ft, or about 0.87 cu yd if you're buying bulk.

Many raised beds use a mix of topsoil and compost rather than topsoil alone; the raised bed soil guide covers mixes and bed sizes.

Worked example: top-dressing a lawn

Top-dressing spreads a thin layer of soil or a soil and sand mix over an existing lawn to level small dips. Even ¼ in over 1,000 sq ft adds up: that's 20.8 cu ft, or about 0.85 cu yd with 10% for settling. Spread thin layers and let the grass grow through each one, rather than burying it.

Quick answers

How many square feet does 2 yards of topsoil cover?

Two cubic yards is 54 cu ft: 648 sq ft at 1 in, 324 sq ft at 2 in, 216 sq ft at 3 in and 162 sq ft at 4 in. Settling takes about a tenth off those figures once the soil is firmed.

How many bags of topsoil make a yard?

13½ bags of 2 cu ft, or 9 bags of 3 cu ft. In metric, a cubic metre is 40 bags of 25 L or 20 bags of 50 L.

Is one yard of topsoil enough for a 10 × 10 ft area?

At 2 in deep, yes: 100 sq ft × 2 in is 0.62 cu yd, or 0.68 with settling. At 4 in deep, no: you need 1.36 cu yd including settling, so order 1½ yards.

How many cubic yards for a 20 × 30 ft garden at 6 in?

600 sq ft × 6 in ÷ 324 = 11.1 cu yd, or 12.2 cu yd with 10% for settling. Round the order up to the half yard your supplier sells.

How to measure the area

Break the area into rectangles and circles, work out each one and add them up. The topsoil calculator takes several areas at once.
Measure depth where it matters: the finished soil should sit just below paths and edging, so measure down from those.
For a sloped area, measure the depth at a few points and use the average.

Common mistakes

Using feet for depth. 4 in is 0.33 ft, not 0.4 ft. Convert inches by dividing by 12.
Ordering the exact volume. Loose soil settles by about a tenth. Without the allowance, the bed finishes low.
Ignoring weight. A yard is heavier than most people expect, especially wet. Plan the delivery spot and the barrow route.
Buying "topsoil" without asking what's in it. Quality varies widely. Ask the supplier whether it's screened and what it's mixed with, especially for vegetable beds.

For other loose materials, the same method applies with different weights: see the gravel coverage chart and mulch bags per cubic yard.