You need
- 200.0cu ft
- 5.66m³
- 267bags of 0.75 cu ft
Prices: what landscape yards and stores post, October 2026.
- You need 7.41 cubic yards of topsoil for 600 sq ft, 4 in deep.
- It weighs about 5.9 tons. Wet dirt weighs more.
- In bulk, it costs about $193 to $407. Delivery adds about $40 to $140.
- In bags, that is 267 bags of 0.75 cu ft, about $639 to $1,900.
- Bulk costs less, even with delivery.
Text this to a landscape yard
Hi! I need about 7.41 cubic yards of topsoil, delivered. What would it cost, with delivery?
How deep for each job
- New lawn4 to 6 in10 to 15 cm
Spread at least 4 to 6 inches10 to 15 cm of good topsoil, measured after it settles. Mix the bottom of it into the dirt below.
Penn State Extension (2025) and UK Extension AGR-50. - Raised bed8 to 12 in20 to 30 cm
Most beds need 8 to 12 inches20 to 30 cm of soil. Vegetable beds should be 12 to 18 inches30 to 45 cm deep.
Texas A&M AgriLife E-560. See also our raised bed soil calculator. - Fill a holeAs deep as the hole
Use fill dirt, not topsoil. Pack it in thin layers. Loose dirt shrinks when you pack it, so you buy more than the hole holds.
For slopes and truckloads, see our fill dirt calculator.
Topsoil, garden soil or fill dirt?
| Soil | Use it for | 1 cu yd weighs1 m³ weighs | A cubic yardA cubic yard |
|---|---|---|---|
| Topsoil | Lawns and beds | 1,600 lb949 kg | $26 to $55 |
| Garden soil | Beds you will plant | 2,100 lb1,246 kg | $42 to $66 |
| Fill dirt | Holes and low spots | 2,550 lb1,513 kg | $15 to $34 |
Weights are loose, from Caterpillar's chart: top soil, earth loam, and dry packed earth. Wet dirt weighs more. Fill dirt has little life in it, so cover it with topsoil if you want to grow grass.
Caterpillar earthwork tables, January 2025. Prices: what landscape yards post, October 2026, before delivery.
How the math works
- Area. Length times width. For a circle, half the width times itself, times 3.1416. One meter is 3.28084 feet.
- Size of the pile. Area in sq ft times depth in inches, divided by 12, gives cubic feet. Divided by 27 gives cubic yards.
- Packing. If you pack it, divide by Caterpillar's load factor: 0.70 for topsoil, 0.81 for loam, 0.80 for fill.
- Weight. Cubic yards times Caterpillar's loose weight.
- Bags. Cubic feet divided by the bag size, rounded up.
- Prices. What yards post a cubic yard for each soil, the middle 80%. Bagged topsoil: what stores post, $3.19 to $9.49 a cu ft. Too few stores post garden soil or fill dirt in bags, so type yours. We add the delivery fee to bulk before we say which costs less.
Questions
How much soil do I need?
Length × width in feet × depth in inches ÷ 12 = cubic feet. Divide by 27 for cubic yards. A 30 × 20 ft lawn with 4 in of topsoil needs about 7.4 cubic yards.
How much does a yard of dirt weigh?
Loose topsoil is about 1,600 lb a cubic yard. Loam is 2,100 lb. Dry packed earth, like fill, is 2,550 lb. Wet dirt weighs more.
How many bags of soil make a cubic yard?
A cubic yard is 27 cubic feet. That is 36 bags of 0.75 cu ft, 27 bags of 1 cu ft, or 18 bags of 1.5 cu ft.
How much topsoil do I need for a new lawn?
At least 4 to 6 inches, settled, say Penn State and UK Extension. For 1,000 sq ft at 4 in, that is about 12.3 cubic yards.
Should I buy soil in bags or in bulk?
Bags cost about $86 to $256 a cubic yard of topsoil. Bulk topsoil is about $26 to $55, plus delivery. Bags make sense for a few square feet. For a lawn or a bed, bulk costs far less.
Sources
- Penn State Extension, Lawn EstablishmentSep 20254 to 6 in of topsoil for a new lawn
- UK Extension AGR-50, Lawn Establishment in KentuckyJul 20224 to 6 in of good topsoil
- Texas A&M AgriLife E-560, A Raised Bed GardenundatedHow deep a raised bed should be
- Caterpillar earthwork tablesJan 2025Weight of soil, and how much it packs