Home › Topsoil Calculator

Topsoil Calculator

Quick answer: Topsoil needed = area × depth. New lawns often get 4 to 6 inches and top-dressing about a quarter to half inch. A 30 × 20 ft lawn area at 4 inches is about 7.4 yd³. Soil settles, so many people order a little extra. Loose topsoil often weighs roughly 1 to 1.2 tons per yard.

How the estimate works

Topsoil is lighter than stone but compresses as air pockets close, so the settling allowance matters. Grading that changes how water leaves a house is a drainage decision; this calculator only tells you how much soil fills a shape.

Worked example: topsoil calculator

Illustrative examples (2026-10-29), not quotes or guarantees.

30 × 20 = 600 ft² × 4/12 = 200 ft³; +10% = 220 ft³ ≈ 8.15 yd³ ≈ 9 tons at 1.1.

FAQ

How deep for new sod?

Often 4–6 in of decent soil; ask a local lawn supplier.

Top-dressing?

Use 0.25–0.5 in; enter decimals.

Topsoil vs garden soil?

Garden mixes are richer; volume math is the same.

More: all calculators · project FAQ