Topsoil calculator for Utah
Find lawn, bed, and finish-grade yardage, starting with the depth needed for your project.
Enter your project dimensions
Start with depth before calculating area. A 1,000-square-foot lawn takes 12 cubic yards at 4 inches, but a half-inch topdressing uses only 1.5 yards. Choose the job first, then use this calculator to turn area and depth into cubic yards, the unit used to sell topsoil, and tons. A dry yard is about 2,200 lb. Screened topsoil has its rocks, roots, and clods removed, leaving less material to rake out.
Choose depth, then calculate
- For lawn topdressing, use 1/4 to 1/2 inch. Rake it in lightly, leaving the grass tips exposed.
- Prepare for overseeding: 1/2 to 1 inch.
- Seeded or sodded lawn: 4 to 6 inches on a loosened subgrade.
- Flower beds: 6 inches blended into the soil underneath.
- Set raised vegetable beds at 12 inches. For bed material, choose a garden-soil blend instead, using the Soil Calculator.
- Measure your space in feet, then select a depth from the choices above.
- Divide cubic feet by 27 to get cubic yards, then multiply yards by 1.1 for tons. The calculator handles both steps and applies 5% when the allowance is selected.
Tons = cubic yards × 1.1
Coverage by depth
| Depth | 1 cubic yard covers | 5 yards cover |
|---|---|---|
| 1/2 inch topdress | 648 sq ft | 3,240 sq ft |
| 2 inches | 162 sq ft | 810 sq ft |
| 4 inches | 81 sq ft | 405 sq ft |
| 6 inches | 54 sq ft | 270 sq ft |
| Project | Typical size | Depth | Volume | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New lawn, seed or sod | 1,000 sq ft | 4" | 12.3 yd³ | 13.6 tons |
| Lawn topdressing | 2,000 sq ft | 0.5" | 3.1 yd³ | 3.4 tons |
| New flower bed | 15 x 4 ft | 6" | 1.1 yd³ | 1.2 tons |
| Patch repairs around the yard | ≈ 150 sq ft | 2" | 0.9 yd³ | 1 tons |
| Finish grade over fill | 600 sq ft | 4" | 7.4 yd³ | 8.1 tons |
Example calculation: 1,000 square feet of new lawn
For 4 inches, calculate 1,000 x 0.333 = 333 cubic feet = 12.3 cubic yards, or roughly 13.5 tons on the truck. Plan on 12.5 to 13 yards to cover edges and low corners. If the subgrade needs more height, place fill dirt first, then reserve topsoil for the upper 4 inches where roots grow.
Screened topsoil and what to check in a load
Topsoil is the natural surface layer, where organic material is present. Screening runs it through mesh to remove stones, roots, and clods. Screened material should appear dark, break apart easily in your hand, and smell earthy instead of swampy. Press a moist handful together. It should make a loose ball, then crumble when poked. A smooth ribbon points to heavy clay. Material that will not form a ball is mostly sand. Gray soil or a sour odor can indicate wet, airless storage, while visible rhizomes can bring in weeds. Take photos of questionable material before spreading it.
Spread it the right way
- Break up the subgrade an inch before adding topsoil. Four inches over sealed clay, common along the Wasatch Front, holds water like a plugged bathtub.
- Slope the finished grade away from the house with a 6-inch drop across the first 10 feet.
- Settle the soil without stomping it. A footprint in properly settled topsoil should sink about half an inch.
- Set delivery for the week you intend to spread the material. Rain can make a pile weigh a third more per shovel, causing it to smear instead of rake.
Understanding topsoil orders
How much topsoil is needed for a new lawn?
What does a yard of topsoil weigh?
What does a yard of topsoil cost?
How much area will a yard of topsoil cover?
What does topsoil mean?
Can topsoil go over existing grass?
For beds, topsoil or garden soil?
Should I till before adding topsoil?
Other calculators
Finished the lawn calculation? We can deliver the soil.
Order screened topsoil by the cubic yard with free delivery across Utah.
