Calculate how much garden soil you need in cubic yards, cubic feet and bags for beds, borders and planters.
How soil is worked out
Enter the size and depth of the area you’re filling and this soil calculator returns the volume needed and the number of bags. It’s ideal for new beds, borders or leveling low spots.
Garden soil is often sold both in bags and by the bulk cubic yard, so the calculator shows both and lets you compare cost.
A worked example
Worked through, a length of 10, width of 10, diameter of 10 produces a material needed of 1.85. Underneath, Cubic yards comes out at 1.85 and Cubic feet at 50. Change any field and every figure updates as you type.
How to fill it in
- Enter the bed’s length and width, or a diameter for round planters.
- Set the depth of soil you want — 6–8 inches for flowers, 10–12 for veg.
- Choose a bag size for a bag count, or read cubic yards for bulk.
The calculation
volume (ft³) = length × width × depth
cubic yards = ft³ ÷ 27
bags = ft³ ÷ bag size (round up)
Questions people ask about this
How much soil for a new bed?
For flowers, 6–8 inches of good soil is a solid start. Shrubs and veg beds do better with 10–12 inches.
Bulk or bags — which is cheaper?
Bulk by the cubic yard is almost always cheaper once you need more than about 10–12 bags. Bags win for small, tidy jobs.
What’s the difference between soil and topsoil?
Garden soil is usually a blend improved with compost and nutrients; topsoil is the natural upper layer, often used to build up or level ground.