Materials
Topsoil Calculator
How much topsoil a lawn, seedbed or turfing job needs at a given dressing depth.
Volume needed
cubic yards
- Cubic feet
- 80cu ft
- Cubic metres
- 2.27m³
- Area covered
- 240ft²
- Weight
- tonsAdd a density to get tons. Your supplier has the figure for the exact product.
The working
Area = Length × Width
= 20 ft × 12 ft
= 240 ft²
Volume = Area × Depth
= 240 ft² × 0.333 ft
= 80 cu ft
Cubic yards = Cubic feet ÷ 27
= 80 ÷ 27
= 2.96 cu yd
1 cubic yard = 3 ft × 3 ft × 3 ft = 27 cubic feet
Topsoil is normally spread as a shallow, even dressing over what is already there. Enter the area and the depth you want on top; the volume is immediate, and tons appear if you supply a density.
How this calculator works
- Formula version
- 1.0.0
- Last reviewed
- 2026-09-01
- External data
- None
This tool uses only your inputs and exact unit conversions. No benchmark, average or market figure is built into it. How we calculate
What this calculates
The volume of topsoil needed to dress an area to a chosen depth, in cubic yards and its equivalents.
Dressing versus filling
Topsoil is a surface layer, typically a few inches, spread over an existing subgrade before seeding or turfing. It is not the same job as filling a bed to root depth or raising a level.
If your depth starts climbing past a foot, you are filling rather than dressing, and the fill dirt calculator accounts for the settlement that follows.
Why tons need a density from you
Screened topsoil varies with organic content and moisture. The density field stays empty and takes the figure for what is actually being delivered.
Worked example
A 50 ft × 30 ft lawn dressed 4 in deep
- Length
- 50 ft
- Width
- 30 ft
- Depth
- 4 in
- Depth in feet= 4 in ÷ 12= 0.333 ft
- Area= 50 ft × 30 ft= 1,500 sq ft
- Volume= 1,500 sq ft × 0.333 ft= 500 cu ft
- Cubic yards= 500 ÷ 27= 18.5 cu yd
- An even dressing depth across the whole area.
- The volume is the loose spread volume before it is rolled or settles.
- Unit conversions are exact.
- Density and price are used only if you enter them.
- It does not allow for settlement or rolling, which reduce the finished depth slightly.
- It does not assume a density, so it cannot give tons on its own.
- It assumes the subgrade is already at the level you want under the dressing.
Common questions
- How much topsoil do I need for a lawn?
- Multiply the area by the dressing depth and divide the cubic feet by 27. Enter the lawn above and the calculator shows every step.
- Is "top soil" different from "topsoil"?
- No — they are the same material and the same question, which is why there is one calculator rather than two near-identical pages.
- What is the difference between this and the soil calculator?
- This spreads a shallow dressing over an existing surface. The soil calculator fills a bed or planter to root depth, which is a deeper, different job.
Where people go next
All materials tools →Ordered by what usually comes next in the same job, not by keyword.