Soil calculator
Soil calculator
Bed dimensions to cubic feet, bags, and cubic yards — sized for garden beds and raised beds, with tons for bulk orders.
Area shape
ft
ft
in
$
Pre-filled example: a 4 × 8 ft raised bed filled 10 inches deep (≈1 cubic yard).
Area
32 ft²
Volume
26.7 ft³
You need
0.99cubic yards
Order (rounded up)1.00 yd³
Weight (approx.)0.99 tonsrange 0.84–1.28 t (moisture)
1 cu ft bags27
1.5 cu ft bags18
2 cu ft bags14
Estimates for planning — confirm quantities with your supplier.
Real-world quantities vary with moisture, compaction, cuts, and site conditions. These calculators use standard formulas and published constants (see the About page for sources); order with a sensible allowance and confirm with your supplier or contractor.
Bags or bulk?
Compare on price per cubic foot: divide a bag’s price by its labeled volume, and a bulk quote by 27 (a cubic yard is 27 cubic feet). Bags win on convenience and small quantities; bulk usually wins past about a yard — but bulk means a delivery fee or a truck, and somewhere to dump it.
Mixes vary — bagged “garden soil”, “raised bed mix”, and compost blends all fill the same volume but behave differently. The calculator measures volume only; what belongs in your beds is between you and your plants.