Free Topsoil & Garden Soil Calculator
Topsoil is a volume purchase like mulch, but the bag sizes and densities are different enough that the numbers surprise people: a yard of soil is 36 bags of 0.75 cu ft, not a dozen. This page shows the bag size, the density and the bag count next to the answer so nothing is hidden.
Your estimate
You need about 1.22 cu yd of Screened topsoil (33.0 cu ft).
Buy 1.5 cu yd bulk — about $51.00 at your $34.00/cu yd.
Or 44 bags of 0.75 cu ft — about $175.12 at your $3.98/bag.
Bulk is $124.12 cheaper here.
- Includes 10% overage (3.00 cu ft) — our editable default, not a published standard.
- One cu yd ≈ 36 bags of 0.75 cu ft — the bags-per-cu yd reconciliation.
- Weight ≈ 2,811 lb (1.41 US tons) at 2,300 lb/cu yd
- Rounded up to the yard's 0.50 cu yd step: 3 steps.
Density REG-03b: working figure 2,300 lb/cu yd, published range 2,200–2,600 lb/cu yd — secondary - primary unverified, read 2026-11-05.
Bag size REG-05: 0.75 cu ft.
Prices are yours, not ours: the figures in the form are examples to start from. The answer says what your order costs at the price you typed.
Buy-list — Screened topsoil
| Areas | rectangle 15.00 × 4.00 ft |
|---|---|
| Depth | 6.00 in |
| Overage | 10.0 % |
| Bag size | 0.75 cu ft |
| Bulk step | 0.50 cu yd |
| Prices | $34.00 per cu yd; $3.98 per bag |
| Region | United States (US customary, cu yd increment) |
| Item | Quantity | At your price |
|---|---|---|
| Screened topsoil — bulk | 1.5 cu yd | $51.00 |
| Screened topsoil — bags | 44 bags of 0.75 cu ft | $175.12 |
YardWise — quantity estimates only. Prices are the ones you entered. yw/print
Free to use. No sign-up, no paywall, no hidden charge.
How this calculator works
Topsoil is a volume purchase like mulch, but the bag sizes and densities are different enough that the numbers surprise people: a yard of soil is 36 bags of 0.75 cu ft, not a dozen. This page shows the bag size, the density and the bag count next to the answer so nothing is hidden.
The density used is 2,300 lb per cubic yard, with the published range 2,200–2,600 (REG-03b, secondary, read 2026-11-05). Compost carries its own row (REG-03c, 800–1,500 lb/yd³), because compost is much lighter than mineral soil.
Bag volume is a property of the bag, not of the formula, so it is editable. The same 33 cu ft is 44 bags at 0.75 cu ft and 17 bags at 2 cu ft — that sensitivity is stated on the page rather than buried.
The 10 % overage is our editable default. Depth is your input, and the tool does not recommend one.
The formula, in symbols
F1 A = length × width F4 V = A × depth depth in ft or m F5 V′ = V × (1 + waste ÷ 100) F6 q = ⌈(V′ ÷ 27) ÷ step⌉ × step bulk, cubic yards F7 n = ⌈V′ ÷ bag volume⌉ bags F8 W = V′ ÷ 27 × density lb, then ÷ 2,000 for US tons F11 bags per cubic yard = 27 ÷ bag volume
Worked example — the values this page starts with
F1 A = 15.0 × 4.0 = 60.0 sq ft
F4 d = 6 ÷ 12 = 0.5 ft ; V = 60.0 × 0.5 = 30.0 cu ft
F5 V′ = 30.0 × 1.10 = 33.0 cu ft
F6 q = ⌈(33.0 ÷ 27) ÷ 0.5⌉ × 0.5 = ⌈2.444⌉ × 0.5 = 1.5 cu yd
cost = 1.5 × $34.00 = $51.00
F8 W = 33.0 ÷ 27 × 2,300 = 2,811 lb ≈ 1.41 US tons
F7 n = ⌈33.0 ÷ 0.75⌉ = 44 bags
cost = 44 × $3.98 = $175.12
bulk is $124.12 cheaper
the same 33 cu ft is 17 bags at 2 cu ft
Prices are example values. Bag size is editable because the number belongs to the bag you were quoted, not to the formula.
Questions people ask
How many bags of topsoil are in a cubic yard?
27 ÷ bag volume: 36 bags at 0.75 cu ft, 27 at 1 cu ft, 13.5 at 2 cu ft. The bag volume is editable because retailers use different SKUs.
How much does a yard of topsoil weigh?
The register carries 2,200–2,600 lb per cubic yard, working figure 2,300 lb (REG-03b, secondary, read 2026-11-05). Wet soil is heavier; weight is shown for information and never drives the quantity.
How deep should topsoil be?
This site does not answer that. Depth is an input, and the tool prints no recommendation — what a bed needs depends on what you are growing and what is underneath, which a quantity estimate cannot judge.
Why did my bag count change when I changed the bag size?
Because bags are counted by volume, not by weight. The same 33 cu ft is 44 bags of 0.75 cu ft and 17 bags of 2 cu ft; the volume you need did not move.
Is garden mix the same as topsoil?
They are different products sold by volume. This tool uses the topsoil density row (REG-03b) for both, and says so; if your supplier publishes a different figure, the weight line is the only place it matters.
Formula: F1–F8 and F11 — area × depth, overage, bulk and bag quantities, weight as a display-only branch.
Density: 2,300 lb/cu yd, published range 2,200–2,600, REG-03b, secondary - primary unverified, read 2026-11-05.
Bag size: 0.75 cu ft, REG-05 (secondary - manufacturer body text for 0.75 cu ft and 50 lb; retailer/catalogue for 2 cu ft; aggregate volume derived from SAKRETE yield statement; Home Depot/Lowe's/Ace/Rona/McCoy's/Blain's/Tractor Supply blocked the fetcher).
Overage: 10 % is our default — change it in the form.
Prices: you enter them; the shown price is an example.
Last updated: 2026-11-05 — see Methodology & Sources.
Found a number that looks wrong? Tell us on the contact page — we cite the source for every constant and correct errors in public with the date.