Enter your area and depth to get cubic yards, short tons and bag counts — and choose whether your soil is loose, in place or compacted, because it changes the weight by up to 60%.
Topsoil is sold by the cubic yard in bulk and by the bag for small jobs, but gardeners think in terms of area and depth. This calculator converts between them and, unusually, lets you say whether the soil is loose, still in place, or compacted — because that single choice changes the tonnage by more than half.
The density range comes from a 2023 Wisconsin Department of Transportation research report that physically measured natural soils across the state, cross-checked against the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service figure for a medium-textured soil. Both are linked under the calculator.
One warning matters more than any other here: published soil densities are DRY weights. Bagged and bulk topsoil is moist, so the tonnage you see is a floor, not a promise. We say so on the page rather than quietly under-estimating.
A worked example you can check by hand
A 20 ft × 10 ft area at 2 in deep,
with a 5% waste allowance:
Area
200 ft² (20 ft × 10 ft)
Depth
2 in = 0.1667 ft
Volume (before waste)
33.3333 ft³
Waste allowance
5%
Volume (with waste)
35 ft³ = 1.2963 yd³
Density used
77 / 91.5 / 106 lb/ft³ (low / typical / high)
Weight (low)
2,695 lb = 1.3475 short tons
Weight (typical)
3,203 lb = 1.6013 short tons
Weight (high)
3,710 lb = 1.855 short tons
How we calculate this — and every number we used
We do not use a hidden "magic number". Here is the entire calculation:
volume = area × depth
volume_with_waste = volume × (1 + waste%)
weight = volume_with_waste × density
Why a range, not one number? Bulk material density changes with
moisture, gradation and compaction. Publishing a single figure would be falsely precise, so we publish
the range our sources support — and we show you exactly where each number comes from.
Why you can pick the state. The same material weighs very different
amounts loose, in place, or compacted — WisDOT measured volume changes of 27–60% on compaction alone.
Most calculators hide this behind one number. We let you choose.
Topsoil / natural soil — loose (stockpiled), DRY bulk density
How we chose the typical value. WisDOT measured loose dry unit weights of 77–106 pcf across Wisconsin natural soils; the typical is the midpoint of that measured range. USDA NRCS independently gives 83 lb/ft³ (1.33 g/cm³) for a medium-textured soil, which falls inside the range and supports it.
Limits of this constant
CRITICAL: every figure here is a DRY bulk density. Topsoil sold by the cubic yard is moist, typically 10–30% water by mass, so real delivered tonnes can exceed this estimate. We found no authoritative moist topsoil density, so we do not invent one.
"Topsoil" is not a standardised material. WisDOT's natural soils span sandy A-3 to heavy clay CH, a spread of roughly 1.5x.
IN-PLACE density is higher than loose — see the state selector.
How we chose the typical value. WisDOT measured in-place (bank) dry unit weights of 103–123 pcf; the typical is the midpoint of that measured range.
Single-source constant. We could only retrieve one authoritative
published figure for this material, so the range may understate real-world variation.
Confirm the figure with your supplier before ordering.
Limits of this constant
DRY bulk density. Whole-number midpoints are our arithmetic, not a source figure.
How we chose the typical value. WisDOT measured compacted dry unit weights of 116–133 pcf; the typical is the midpoint of that measured range.
Single-source constant. We could only retrieve one authoritative
published figure for this material, so the range may understate real-world variation.
Confirm the figure with your supplier before ordering.
Limits of this constant
DRY bulk density. Whole-number midpoints are our arithmetic, not a source figure.
This calculator is only valid under these assumptions. If any of them do not match your project,
treat the result as a rough guide and get a quote from your supplier.
The area is treated as a rectangle. Split irregular beds into rectangles and add them up.
Depth is the settled depth of soil you want in the finished bed, before settlement. A new layer will settle, so the default waste allowance matters more here than for aggregate.
The material is unspecified natural soil. "Topsoil" is not a standardised product: sandy loam and heavy clay differ by roughly 1.5x in density, and this calculator cannot tell which you will be delivered.
You are buying screened or unscreened bulk soil, not a blended engineered growing medium.
The tonnage figures are based on DRY bulk density. Soil sold by the yard is moist, so real delivered weight will usually be higher — read the caveat in the calculation notes.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a cubic yard of topsoil weigh?
Loose, stockpiled soil runs about 1.04 to 1.43 short tons per cubic yard on a dry basis, which is what the Wisconsin DOT measured. In place and undisturbed it is heavier, roughly 1.39 to 1.66 short tons per cubic yard, and compacted fill heavier still at about 1.57 to 1.8. Use the state selector above to switch between them.
How many bags of topsoil make a cubic yard?
It depends on bag size, which is why we show several. A cubic yard is 27 cubic feet, so it takes 54 bags of 0.5 ft³, 36 bags of 0.75 ft³, 27 bags of 1 ft³, 18 bags of 1.5 ft³, or 14 bags of 2 ft³ — before any waste allowance.
Do I need to order extra topsoil?
Yes, usually. Loose soil settles by roughly 10 to 20% once watered and walked on, and excavated ground is rarely level. The calculator applies a waste allowance you control; 10% is a reasonable default and 15% is sensible for a new bed over rough subgrade.
How deep should topsoil be for a new lawn?
Four inches of settled topsoil is the usual minimum for a new lawn over existing subsoil, and 6 inches is better where drainage or root depth matters. For raised vegetable beds, 8 to 12 inches is common.
Why does the tonnage look lower than the supplier's figure?
Because every authoritative soil density we could find is a dry-weight measurement, and the soil you receive contains water. If your supplier quotes tons, ask them for the density of the actual product — that number beats any published average.