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How Much Does a Yard of Topsoil Cover?

Coverage at 1, 2, 4, and 8 inches, plus how to reverse the formula when a supplier tells you they have four yards left.

Updated August 25, 2026

One number, four depths

NIST Handbook 44: 1 cubic yard is 27 cubic feet. Spread 27 cubic feet over 1 inch of depth and you cover 324 square feet. That 324 is the constant in every volume calculation on this site. Double the depth, halve the coverage.

DepthCoverage per yardYards to cover 1,000 sq ft
1 in324 sq ft3.1
1.5 in216 sq ft4.6
2 in162 sq ft6.2
4 in81 sq ft12.3
6 in54 sq ft18.5
8 in40.5 sq ft24.7

Reverse the formula when the pile is already priced

Sometimes the yard has a leftover pile: “I can do 4 yards this afternoon.” Coverage = yards × 324 ÷ depth in inches. Four yards at 4 inches covers 4 × 324 ÷ 4 = 324 square feet — a modest backyard, not a full lot. Four yards at 1.5 inches covers 864 square feet, which is a reasonable top-dress.

If you already measured 700 square feet and they only have 4 yards, the depth you can afford is 4 × 324 ÷ 700 = 1.9 inches. That is a top-dress, not a new lawn. Knowing that before the truck arrives is the whole point of the reverse math.

Irregular ground steals coverage

The table assumes a flat, even slab of soil. Real yards have crowns, old sod, and ruts. The first yard often disappears into holes you did not see from the porch. That is not the formula failing. That is why the calculator has a 10% waste switch.

On a new grade over builder fill, expect the first pass to vanish. Compact, re-rake, then decide whether you still have 4 inches. Many people order 10% extra, spread, and use the leftover to build a small bed rather than sending a second truck for 1 yard.

Bags, again

If you are working from bags, convert to yards first (cubic feet ÷ 27) and then use the coverage table. Fourteen 2-cubic-foot bags are one yard and cover 81 square feet at 4 inches. A pallet of 0.75-cubic-foot bags is often 36 to 45 bags, which is about a yard to a yard and a quarter.

Worked example you can repeat

A 25 × 40 patio-adjacent lawn is 1,000 square feet. You want 4 inches for sod. Yards = 1,000 × 4 ÷ 324 = 12.3. Coverage check: 12.3 × 81 ≈ 1,000. Tons ≈ 16.6. If the supplier only delivers in 10-yard trucks, you either accept a second trip for 2.3 yards or you find a yard that will send 13. The leftover 0.7 yard is cheaper than being 0.7 short on install day.

What “a scoop” means

Small yards sell a loader scoop as if it were a unit. A compact-tractor bucket might be 1/3 yard. A large wheel-loader bucket might be a yard struck, more heaped. If someone says “I’ll give you two scoops for the garden,” ask them to say yards. Two mystery scoops might be 0.6 yards or 2.5. Coverage at 8 inches is 40.5 square feet per yard — two real yards cover a 4×8 bed with leftover; two small scoops do not.

Mulch is not a yard of soil

Mulch coverage charts look similar and use the same 324 math, but you do not substitute bark for the 4-inch soil cap under sod. If you already spread 2 inches of mulch on a bed and now want 8 inches of soil, you are building a new volume, not topping the mulch. Pull the mulch, place the soil, put a thinner mulch back. The calculator should see 8 inches of soil, not 10 inches of mixed hope.

Sources

Numbers on this page are planning figures. Follow the link for the original table or standard. Full list: Sources.

  1. NIST. Handbook 44, Appendix C — General Tables of Units of Measurement. 1 cubic yard = 27 cubic feet. Coverage identity: 27 × 12 = 324 sq ft at 1 inch.
  2. USDA NRCS. Soil Bulk Density / Moisture / Aeration (Soil Quality Kit). Oven-dry bulk density varies by texture; silt loam example ≈ 1.33 g/cm³. Not the same as a wet truckload.
  3. South Dakota State University Extension. Bulk Density is an Indicator of Soil Health. Ideal bulk-density bands by texture (NRCS table). 1 g/cm³ ≈ 62.3 lb/ft³.
  4. Penn State Extension. Lawn Establishment. Minimum 4–6 inches (firmed) of quality topsoil to establish turf; blend into subsoil.
  5. University of Illinois Extension. Preparing Lawn Soil and Site. Aim for six inches or more of well-prepared soil before seed or sod.
  6. University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension. Establishing Lawns From Sod. Replace topsoil to a minimum of about 4 inches after rough grade; sod often cut 0.25–0.5 in thick.
  7. University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. Establishing a Lawn From Sod (FSA-2042). About 19 cubic yards of topsoil make a 6-inch layer over 1,000 sq ft; sample the upper 4–6 inches.
  8. Angi. What Is the Cost of Topsoil? [2026 Data]. National homeowner bands: about $10–$55/yd³ by type; screened loam $18–$26; delivery often $50–$150/trip.
  9. Lawn Love. How Much Does Topsoil Cost in 2026?. Bulk topsoil commonly cited at about $10–$50 per cubic yard, plus delivery.
  10. University of Minnesota Extension. Raised bed gardens. Mounded beds often 6–8 in high. Mix about ½–⅔ topsoil with ⅓–½ plant-based compost. Deeper (1–2 ft) if the bed sits on pavement.
  11. Penn State Extension (York County Master Gardeners). Raised Bed Gardening. A common framed bed is 4 × 8 ft by 1 ft deep — enough for most annual vegetable roots.
  12. U.S. Code of Federal Regulations. 49 CFR 571.110 — Tire selection and rims; motor vehicle. Payload / vehicle capacity weight is the number on the driver’s door-jamb label — not a generic “half-ton.”

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