Soil Calculator

Your details

Choose the shape that best matches your bed or planter.
For rectangles: the longer side. For triangles: the base. Not used for circles.
ft
For rectangles: the shorter side. For triangles: the perpendicular height.
ft
How deep you want to fill with soil. This is the fill height, not the total planter height.
in
Multiply total soil volume by this count if you are building several beds of the same size.
Choose the bag volume printed on the bag. US bags are labelled in cubic feet; EU/UK bags in litres.
Fresh soil compacts after watering. A 10% buffer saves a second shopping trip.
%
Break the total volume into topsoil, compost and aeration components.
Currency
Total soil needed
0.65 cu yd (17.6 cu ft)
Bags to buy (with settling)12
Estimated weight~1,760 lb (~798 kg)
Volume in alternate units0.5 m³
Topsoil volume (m3 or ft3)17.6
Compost volume0
Aeration volume0

Buy 12 bags of soil for this bed (0.65 cu yd (17.6 cu ft) total).

  • You need about 0.65 cu yd (17.6 cu ft) of soil, including a 10% buffer for settling after the first few waterings.
  • That works out to 12 bags to buy. Round up when in doubt, you cannot return a half-used bag.
  • Estimated soil weight is ~1,760 lb (~798 kg), useful for planning delivery or whether a balcony or deck can bear the load.

Next stepFor very deep beds (over 12 in), consider a bottom layer of logs, wood chips or rough compost to save on expensive topsoil, a technique called hugelkultur.

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