You need
- 40.0cu ft
- 1.13m³
- 54bags of 0.75 cu ft
Prices: what landscape yards and garden centers post, October 2026. Delivery is about $40 to $140 a trip more.
- You need 1.48 cubic yards of topsoil to fill 120 sq ft, 4 in deep.
- It weighs about 1.2 tons. Wet dirt weighs more.
- Bulk costs less: $39 to $81, not $129 to $384.
- Delivery adds about $40 to $140 a trip. Call a supply yard for the real price.
- Buying bags? Get 54 bags of 0.75 cu ft.
Text this to a landscape supply yard
Hi! I need about 1.48 cubic yards of topsoil, delivered. What would it cost, with delivery?
Why you buy more than the hole
Dirt from a truck is loose. It has air in it. When it settles, or when you pack it down, it takes up less room. So to fill a hole, you need more loose dirt than the hole holds.
| Soil | Shrinks to | To fill 1 cubic yardcubic meter, buy |
|---|---|---|
| Topsoil | 70% of loose | 1.43 cubic yardscubic meters loose (+43%) |
| Garden soil (loam) | 81% of loose | 1.23 cubic yardscubic meters loose (+23%) |
| Fill dirt | 80% of loose | 1.25 cubic yardscubic meters loose (+25%) |
These numbers are for dirt packed as hard as ground that was never dug. We found no chart for how much a garden bed settles on its own, so think of this as the most you would need. Leave it off to spread a thin layer on a lawn.
Caterpillar earthwork tables, January 2025, "load factor".
How much a yard of dirt weighs
Pounds in one cubic yard, loose from the truck and packed in the ground. 2,000 lb is 1 ton.Kilograms in one cubic meter, loose from the truck and packed in the ground.
| Soil | Loose | Packed | Bulk price |
|---|---|---|---|
| TopsoilCaterpillar: "Top soil" | 1,600 lb949 kg0.80 tons0.95 t | 2,300 lb1,365 kg | $26 to $55 a yd³$34 to $72 a m³Screened topsoil |
| Garden soil (loam)Caterpillar: "Earth, loam" | 2,100 lb1,246 kg1.05 tons1.25 t | 2,600 lb1,543 kg | $42 to $66 a yd³$55 to $86 a m³Garden mix: topsoil blended with compost |
| Fill dirtCaterpillar: "Earth, dry packed" | 2,550 lb1,513 kg1.28 tons1.51 t | 3,200 lb1,898 kg | $15 to $34 a yd³$20 to $44 a m³Fill dirt |
Wet dirt weighs more. Caterpillar says weight changes with water, grain size and packing. Bagged garden soil has more bark and compost, so it is lighter than loam.
Caterpillar, January 2025. Prices: what landscape yards post, October 2026, before delivery.
How the math works
- Area. Length times width. For a circle, half the width times itself, times 3.1416. One meter is 3.28084 feet.
- Size of the hole. Area in sq ft times depth in inches, divided by 12, gives cubic feet. Cubic feet divided by 27 gives cubic yards.
- Settling. If it will settle or you pack it, divide by Caterpillar's load factor. Topsoil is 0.7, so you buy 1.43 times as much.
- Weight. Cubic yards you buy times Caterpillar's loose weight. Topsoil is 1,600 lb a cubic yard.
- Bags. Cubic feet divided by the bag size, rounded up.
- Price. We looked at prices that landscape yards post on their own sites, in October 2026. We leave out the cheapest and dearest tenth. Delivery is extra. Bagged topsoil: what stores post, $3.19 to $9.49 a cubic foot. Too few stores post garden soil or fill dirt in bags, so type your price for those.
Questions
How much is a yard of topsoil?
About $26 to $55 a cubic yard in bulk, from what landscape yards post (October 2026). Delivery adds about $40 to $140 a trip. Fill dirt costs less. Garden soil costs more.
How much does a yard of dirt weigh?
Loose topsoil weighs about 1,600 lb (0.8 tons) a cubic yard. Loam is 2,100 lb. Dry packed earth is 2,550 lb. These are from Caterpillar. Wet dirt weighs more.
How many bags of topsoil make a yard?
A cubic yard is 27 cubic feet. That is 36 bags of 0.75 cu ft, or 27 bags of 1 cu ft.
How far does a yard of topsoil go?
One cubic yard covers 324 sq ft at 1 in deep. It covers 81 sq ft at 4 in, and 54 sq ft at 6 in.
Why do I need more dirt than the hole?
Loose dirt has air in it. It shrinks when it settles or when you pack it. Packed topsoil takes about 70% of the room it took loose, says Caterpillar.
Is topsoil cheaper in bulk or in bags?
For big jobs, bulk is usually cheaper. A yard of bulk topsoil is $26 to $55. The same yard is 36 bags of 0.75 cu ft. That costs about $86 to $256. Bags make sense for a few pots or a small patch.
Sources
- Caterpillar earthwork tablesJan 2025Weight of topsoil, loam and packed earth, and how much they shrink
- Scotts Premium Topsoil, 0.75 cu ft bagseen Oct 2026Common bag size
- Miracle-Gro garden soil, 1.5 cu ft bagseen Oct 2026Common bag size