Free Contractor Tool
Dirt Calculator: Cubic Yards of Topsoil & Fill Dirt
Work out how much topsoil or fill dirt a job needs. Enter length, width, and depth to get cubic yards, tons, dump truck loads, and bag counts — with a settling allowance applied by soil type so you order what actually stays in the ground.
Built by SubcontractorHub — the software contractors use to quote, finance, and run every job.
Book a Demo
Calculate How Much Dirt You Need
Enter length and width in feet and depth in inches or feet. Add as many areas as the job has — the tool sums them. Pick a soil type for accurate tonnage, adjust the settling allowance, and add a price per yard for a material cost.
Area 1
This area: 12.35 yd³ • 1,000 ft² surface
Sets the density used for tonnage and a typical settling allowance.
10–15% for topsoil, 20–25% for compacted fill.
Excludes delivery, which is often a flat fee.
Order this much
13.58
cubic yards
Estimated weight
14.94
tons (29,877 lb)
Dump truck loads
1.1
at 12 yd³ per load
Or bagged
489
bags at 0.75 ft³
Covering 1,000 ft² — loose volume before settling is 12.35 yd³ (333 ft³), plus a 10% allowance.
Reading the result: the “order this much” figure already includes your settling allowance, so it is the number to give your supplier. Weight matters most when you are checking whether a load is street-legal — wet soil can run 15–25% heavier than the density shown.
Results are planning estimates provided as a free service and should be verified by the user — confirm quantities and pricing against supplier data, site conditions, and local code before you order or bid.
Topsoil & Fill Dirt Depth Chart by Job Type
Depth drives the order far more than area does — doubling the depth doubles the yardage. These are the finished depths contractors typically spec.
Why fill dirt and topsoil are not interchangeable
Fill dirt is subsoil with the organic matter screened out. It compacts predictably and holds its shape, which is what you want under a slab, behind a retaining wall, or building up a low area. It will not grow anything.
Topsoil is the organic layer that supports growth, and it keeps settling as that organic matter breaks down — so it is the wrong material for structural fill. On a regrade or landscape job, most crews build the bulk up with fill dirt and finish with 4–6 inches of topsoil on top.
Contractor tip: bid yardage, not bags
On grading and landscaping bids, quote cubic yards (and truckloads) rather than bags once you are over about 1 cubic yard. Delivery is usually a flat fee, so one full tandem load is cheaper per yard than two half loads — and weight of dirt matters for legal payload.
Use the soil type selector above so tonnage and settling match what you are ordering. That keeps material cost and dump-truck counts honest in the proposal.
Dirt Calculator Formula: Cubic Yards from Length × Width × Depth
Cubic yards = (length in feet × width in feet × depth in feet) ÷ 27. A cubic yard is a 3-foot cube — 27 cubic feet. If depth is in inches, divide by 12 first (4 inches = 0.333 feet).
Worked example: a 1,000 ft² lawn at 4 inches deep → 1,000 × 0.333 = 333 cubic feet ÷ 27 = 12.3 cubic yards. Add a 10% topsoil settling allowance and order about 13.6 yards (call it 14). That is how many cubic yards of dirt you need before the truck shows up.
Then multiply ordered yards by soil density (tons per cubic yard) for weight, and divide by ~12 for tandem dump-truck loads.
Soil Density Chart: Tons Per Cubic Yard
Typical loose densities contractors use when checking dump-truck payload and supplier quotes. Moisture can add 15–25% to the weight of dirt.
From Material Takeoffs to a Signed Proposal
SubcontractorHub is the platform contractors use to turn takeoffs like these into a branded proposal, financing the customer can accept on the spot, and a scheduled job — without re-entering the job anywhere. This tool is free to use; the platform is here if you want a closer look.
Material math is only the first step. Turning yardage into a priced proposal a homeowner will sign — with labor, delivery, markup, and a financing option attached — is where most of the margin is won or lost. See how contractor estimating software and embedded financing shorten that gap.
Common Questions About Ordering Dirt
How much does a yard of dirt weigh?
A cubic yard of dry fill dirt weighs about 2,500 lb (1.25 tons). Screened topsoil is lighter at roughly 2,200 lb (1.1 tons), dry clay heavier at about 2,800 lb (1.4 tons), and a compost-rich garden blend as light as 1,600 lb (0.8 tons). Moisture is the biggest variable — saturated soil can weigh 15–25% more, which matters when you are checking a truck's legal payload.
How much does a yard of topsoil weigh?
About 2,200 lb, or 1.1 US tons, for screened and relatively dry topsoil. Unscreened or moist topsoil runs closer to 2,600 lb (1.3 tons) per cubic yard because it holds more water and still contains clay, roots, and stone. That variability is exactly why suppliers sell topsoil by volume rather than weight.
How much is a yard of dirt?
Bulk fill dirt typically runs $8–$25 per cubic yard and screened topsoil $20–$60, with wide regional variation. Delivery is usually a flat $50–$150 on top, so one larger load beats two small ones almost every time. Bagged topsoil is far more expensive — about $3–$5 per 0.75 ft³ bag, which works out to roughly $110–$180 per cubic yard equivalent.
How much topsoil do I need?
Multiply length × width × finished depth in feet and divide by 27. A 1,000 ft² lawn at 4 inches deep is 1,000 × 0.333 = 333 ft³ ÷ 27 ≈ 12.3 cubic yards, before settling. Enter your dimensions above and the calculator adds the settling allowance for you.
How much extra should I order for settling and compaction?
10–15% for topsoil and 20–25% for structural fill. Soil arrives loose and loses volume as it settles, gets watered, and is walked or driven on — so the depth you spread is not the depth you keep. Fill compacted in lifts loses the most. The calculator applies a per-soil default you can override.
How many cubic yards are in a dump truck of dirt?
A tandem-axle dump truck typically hauls 10–14 cubic yards, so 12 is a fair planning figure. Single-axle trucks carry 5–8 and tri-axles 14–16. Weight usually binds before volume does — 12 yards of wet clay can exceed legal payload well before the bed is full.
How do contractors estimate dirt for a grading or landscaping job?
Measure each area (length × width × finished depth in feet), divide by 27 for cubic yards, then add settling — 10–15% for topsoil, 20–25% for fill dirt. Convert to tons with soil density (~1.1–1.4 tons/yd³) and to truckloads at ~12 yd³ per tandem. Enter multiple areas above to get bid-ready yardage.
How many cubic yards of dirt do I need per 1,000 square feet?
At 1 inch ≈ 3.1 cubic yards per 1,000 ft²; 2 inches ≈ 6.2; 4 inches ≈ 12.3; 6 inches ≈ 18.5 (before settling). Formula: (1,000 × depth_in_inches ÷ 12) ÷ 27. Add your soil-type settling percentage before you order dirt.
How many bags of topsoil equal a cubic yard?
About 36 standard 0.75 ft³ (40 lb) bags, since 27 ÷ 0.75 = 36. If your supplier sells 1 ft³ bags it is 27, and 1.5 ft³ bags it is 18. Bags make sense under roughly a cubic yard; beyond that bulk delivery is dramatically cheaper.
Quote, Finance, and Run Every Job in One Platform
SubcontractorHub helps contractors turn field measurements into accurate proposals, present financing, and close jobs on-site — built for the way contractor sales actually works.
Book a Free DemoVolume results divide cubic feet by 27 to produce cubic yards. Tonnage uses typical average soil densities and will vary considerably with moisture, organic content, and compaction. Truckload and bag counts are planning estimates. Verify quantities and payload limits against supplier data and site conditions before ordering. All calculations are estimates based on historical information and should be verified by the user. This tool is provided as a free service for planning purposes only and is not a substitute for a professional assessment, a supplier quote, or applicable local code requirements.