How Much Topsoil for a 12×12 Garden?
A 12 × 12 ft garden (144 ft²) at 6″ deep needs 2.9 yd³ of topsoil — 2.67 yd³ net plus 10% for settling. Order 3.0 yd³ — bulk soil is sold by the ½ yard; most yards run a 3 yd³ delivery minimum.
12×12 at other depths
| Depth | Volume | Order (yd³) | 40 lb bag (0.75 ft³) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3″ | 1.33 yd³ | 1.5 yd³ | 53 |
| 6″ (this page) | 2.67 yd³ | 2.9 yd³ | 106 |
| 12″ | 5.33 yd³ | 5.9 yd³ | 212 |
Other garden sizes
Order 3.0 yd³ — bulk soil is sold by the ½ yard; most yards run a 3 yd³ delivery minimum.
- Area
- 144 ft²
- Volume (72.0 ft³)
- 2.67 yd³
- Weight @ 1.10 t/yd³
- ≈ 2.9 tons
- Waste / settling 10%
- + 0.27 yd³
- Order quantity
- 2.93 yd³
- Truckloads
- 1 × tandem dump (≈10 yd³)
- Metric
- 2.24 m³
- 40 lb bag (0.75 ft³)
- 106 bags
- 1 ft³ bag
- 80 bags
- 1.5 ft³ bag
- 53 bags
- Materials + delivery$20–$55 / yd³ · Aug 2026
- $135 – $240
- Installed (with labor)typ. $297
- $208 – $416
Different size or depth?
Open the full topsoil calculator to change every input, pick a material and see truckloads.
How to calculate topsoil by hand
Cubic yards = Length (ft) × Width (ft) × Depth (in) ÷ 12 ÷ 27
Worked example
- Area: 20 ft × 10 ft = 200 ft².
- Volume: 200 ft² × (6 in ÷ 12) = 100 ft³.
- Cubic yards: 100 ÷ 27 = 3.70 yd³.
- Settling allowance 10%: 3.70 × 1.10 = 4.07 yd³ → order 4.5 yd³ (sold by the half yard).
- Bagged instead: 110 ft³ ÷ 0.75 ft³ = 147 × 40 lb bags — a pallet and a half.
- 1 yd³ of topsoil at 3″
- ≈ 108 ft²
- 1 yd³ of topsoil at 6″
- ≈ 54 ft²
- 1 yd³ in 40 lb bags
- 36 bags
- 1 yd³ screened topsoil
- ≈ 2,200 lb
Questions crews ask
How many cubic yards of topsoil do I need?
Length × width in feet gives square feet; multiply by depth in inches and divide by 324 to get cubic yards (12 × 27). A 20 × 10 ft area at 6″ is 200 × 6 ÷ 324 = 3.7 yd³. Add about 10% because loose soil settles once it is watered in.
How much does a cubic yard of topsoil weigh?
Screened topsoil runs 2,000–2,600 lb per cubic yard — 1.0 to 1.3 tons — depending on moisture and organic content. Wet clay soil is heavier; compost and garden mixes are lighter at 1,400–2,000 lb.
How many bags of topsoil make a yard?
A 40 lb bag holds about 0.75 ft³, so 36 bags make a cubic yard. 1 ft³ bags take 27; 1.5 ft³ bags take 18. Above roughly a yard, bulk delivery is cheaper than bags even with the delivery fee.