You need
Prices: what landscape yards and garden centers post, October 2026.
- You need 1.19 cubic yards of soil. That is 32.0 cu ft.
- Mix 22.4 cu ft of topsoil and 9.6 cu ft of compost.
- In bags: 22 bags of 1.5 cu ft raised bed soil, about $195 to $419.
- In bulk: about $33 to $72, plus $40 to $140 delivery.
- Soil settles. Add a few inches of compost each year, says Illinois Extension.
Text this to a landscape yard
Hi! For my raised beds I need about 0.83 cubic yards of topsoil and 0.36 cubic yards of compost, delivered. What would it cost, with delivery?
Soil for common bed sizes
How much soil fills one bed, and how many bags of 1.5 cu ft that is.
| Bed | 8 in deep20 cm deep | 12 in deep30 cm deep | 18 in deep45 cm deep |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 × 4 ft1.2 × 1.2 m | 10.7 cu ft302 L8 bags | 16.0 cu ft453 L11 bags | 24.0 cu ft680 L16 bags |
| 4 × 8 ft1.2 × 2.4 m | 21.3 cu ft604 L15 bags | 32.0 cu ft906 L22 bags | 48.0 cu ft1,359 L32 bags |
| 3 × 6 ft0.9 × 1.8 m | 12.0 cu ft340 L8 bags | 18.0 cu ft510 L12 bags | 27.0 cu ft765 L18 bags |
| 4 × 12 ft1.2 × 3.7 m | 32.0 cu ft906 L22 bags | 48.0 cu ft1,359 L32 bags | 72.0 cu ft2,039 L48 bags |
What to fill a raised bed with
Garden experts mix topsoil with compost. Their recipes, by volume:
- 70% topsoil, 30% compostIowa State and Penn State Extension.
- Half to two thirds topsoil, the rest compostUMN Extension. Texas A&M lists 3/4, 2/3 or 1/2 topsoil.
- Topsoil, compost and coarse sand, a third eachIowa State. Sand helps heavy clay drain.
Mix it well. Iowa State says to work the first few inches into the soil below, so you do not get layers.
Soil settles. Illinois Extension says to add a few inches of compost or good topsoil each year to keep up. We found no expert number for how much a new bed sinks.
Bags in quarts
Some bags say quarts, not cubic feet. Those are dry quarts. One cubic foot is about 25.7 dry quarts. So a 32 qt bag holds about 1.24 cu ft, and a 1.5 cu ft bag holds about 39 quarts.
NIST Handbook 130 (2026): dry measure is based on the US bushel of 2,150.42 cubic inches. Our math: 1,728 ÷ (2,150.42 ÷ 32).
How the math works
- Size. Length × width × depth in inches ÷ 12 = cubic feet, times how many beds. Divided by 27 gives cubic yards.
- Mix. Each part is its share of the total: 70% topsoil means 0.7 × the cubic feet.
- Bags. Cubic feet ÷ bag size, rounded up.
- Bulk price. Each part's cubic yards × what yards post for it, the middle 80%: topsoil $26 to $55, compost $33 to $73, coarse sand about $37 to $74 a cubic yard, or a yard's own bed mix $42 to $69.
- Bag price. What garden centers post for raised bed soil: $5.92 to $12.71 a cubic foot.
- Which costs less. We add the delivery fee yards post ($40 to $140) to bulk first.
Questions
How much soil do I need for a raised bed?
Length × width × depth. A 4 × 8 ft bed, 12 in deep, holds 32 cu ft, or 1.19 cubic yards. That is 22 bags of 1.5 cu ft.
How many bags of soil for a 4 × 8 raised bed?
At 12 in deep, 22 bags of 1.5 cu ft, or 16 bags of 2 cu ft. At 8 in deep, 15 bags of 1.5 cu ft.
What is the best soil mix for a raised bed?
About 70% topsoil and 30% compost, say Iowa State and Penn State Extension. UMN says half to two thirds topsoil. In clay country, Iowa State adds coarse sand: a third each.
How deep should a raised bed be?
8 to 12 inches is enough for most plants, says Texas A&M. Vegetable beds should be 12 to 18 inches deep.
How many quarts are in a cubic foot of soil?
About 25.7 dry quarts. Soil is dry, and US rules measure dry goods in dry quarts. A dry quart is a bit bigger than a milk-jug quart.
Is bulk soil cheaper than bags?
For one small bed, not by much, once you pay for delivery. For several beds, bulk wins. Bags cost about $160 to $343 a cubic yard. A yard's bed mix is about $42 to $69.
Sources
- Iowa State Extension, soil mix for a raised bedApr 2026Equal parts, or 70% topsoil and 30% compost
- Penn State Extension, Soil Health in Raised BedsMar 202670% soil to 30% compost
- UMN Extension, Raised bed gardens20262/3 to 1/2 topsoil, the rest compost
- Texas A&M AgriLife E-560Mar 2009Bed depth and topsoil and compost mixes
- Illinois Extension, refreshing raised bed soilApr 2021Soil settles; top up each year
- NIST Handbook 1302026Dry quarts and cubic feet