Find out how many cubic yards of topsoil you need for a lawn, garden bed, or landscaping project — and estimate the total cost. Enter your area dimensions, desired depth, and local price per cubic yard.
Topsoil is sold by the cubic yard. One cubic yard equals 27 cubic feet and weighs roughly 1,000–1,500 lbs depending on moisture content.
| Application | Recommended Depth | Coverage per Cu Yd |
|---|---|---|
| Lawn topdressing | 1–2 inches | 162–324 sq ft |
| New lawn establishment | 4–6 inches | 54–81 sq ft |
| Vegetable garden | 6–12 inches | 27–54 sq ft |
| Raised beds | 8–12 inches | 27–40 sq ft |
| General landscaping | 3–4 inches | 81–108 sq ft |
| Use | Depth |
|---|---|
| Topdressing an existing lawn | 0.25–0.5 in |
| New lawn from seed or turf | 4–6 in |
| Flower beds | 8–12 in |
| Vegetable beds | 12–18 in |
| Filling low spots | as required |
Delivered topsoil is loose and full of air. Once watered and walked on it settles considerably — commonly around 15–20%. Spreading to exactly your target depth leaves you short once it beds in.
For a finished 4 inches, spread closer to 5 and let it settle.
Screened topsoil has been passed through a mesh to remove stones, roots and debris. It costs more and is what you want for seedbeds and anywhere you are planting directly.
Unscreened is cheaper and perfectly adequate for bulk filling, levelling, or building up an area that will be covered later.
"Topsoil" is not a regulated term in most places. What arrives can range from genuinely good loam to subsoil with a little organic matter mixed through.
Ask what it is screened to, where it came from, and whether it has been tested. Good topsoil is dark, crumbles in the hand, and has visible organic structure. Material that is pale, sticky when wet, or sets hard when dry is likely to be subsoil-heavy and will not grow much.
If you are establishing a lawn or a productive bed, a soil test for pH and nutrients before ordering is cheap and tells you what amendments the site actually needs.