Calculating topsoil requirements (2024)

FAQs

How to calculate the amount of topsoil needed? ›

Length in feet x Width in feet x Depth in feet (inches divided by 12). Take the total and divide by 27 (the amount of cubic feet in a yard). The final figure will be the estimated amount of cubic yards required.

To estimate soil volume for any area, all you need is a tape measure. “The basic formula is simple: Length x Width x Height = Volume,” says Michael Dean, co-founder of Pool Research. Then divide the number of cubic feet by 27.

So, for a standard-size lawn of 1,000 square feet, you would need approximately 13 cubic yards (18 tons) of topsoil to cover the entire lawn at 4 inches deep. You can expect to spend around $130 to $650 for the topsoil, depending on the quality.

Explained: Calculate the volume of the soil by multiplying Pi by the Radius Square by the Hole Height. Most likely the soil desired amending depth with be between 12″-18″ so we'll need to convert this to feet. We do so by dividing the depth in inches by 12. For example 18″ soil depth = 18/12 = 1.5 ft.

How much will 1 tonne of topsoil cover? Topsoils can vary in screening sizes, therefore some topsoils may be denser than others. Generally speaking, 1 tonne of topsoil will cover 0.63 cubic metres or 22 cubic feet or 0.81 cubic yards.

An acre furrow slice is the volume or soil in an acre of topsoil 6-7 inches deep. The estimated average weight of soil in an acre furrow slice is 2,000,000 lbs (1,000 tons).

Lawns: The recommended depth of topsoil for creating lawns from turf or seed is 4 to 6 inches. General: 6 to 9 inches of soil is usually sufficient for most planting. Vegetables: The depth of topsoil for growing vegetables will vary depending on what you plan to grow.

Turf ideally needs around four inches of top soil to root in. Not everyone will need to add four inches however, you may just need to add an inch or two depending on the quality and depth of the existing soil. (Grass and weeds will grow through soil 2 or 3 inches thick quite easily.) ...

Crop guidelines and recommendations are calibrated to specific soil sampling depths. Often this is the top six inches, but some recommend two, eight, twelve, or even twenty-four inches. For most analyses it is recommended to send in around 2 cups of soil. This will fit well into a quart sized plastic bag.

Researchers can calculate the bearing capacity of soil by determining the limit of contact pressure between the soil and the material placed on it. These calculations and measurements are performed on projects involving bridge foundations, retaining walls, dams and pipelines that run underground.

How much topsoil do I need for sod? ›

In order to determine how much topsoil you will need, measure the length and width of the area to be covered and multiply them to get your total square footage. Multiply that amount by the desired depth of topsoil, which will be about 10 to 15 cm (4 to 6 inches).

To calculate how much topsoil you need, simply measure the dimensions of the area you wish to cover and multiply this by the depth required. Measuring in metres is simplest, as this will give you the volume of topsoil you need in cubic metres.

If you're looking to add topsoil to a garden bed, you'll want to buy enough soil to add at least a 2-inch layer. To install a new lawn, plan to spread a layer of 3 to 6 inches of topsoil before sowing seed or laying sod, depending on the quality of your existing soil. What's the best kind of topsoil to buy?

Calculate How Much Topsoil You Need

A new lawn, garden or flowerbed requires from 3 to 8 inches of topsoil. One cubic yard covers 100 square feet to a depth of 3 inches.

We created this soil calculator as a tool to help you calculate how much garden soil you need - whether it is topsoil, compost, mulch, or topdressing. After all, you don't want to overspend on materials for your garden, do you?

Prepared topsoil can be spread over existing soil and immediately used as the medium for any type of planting, including bushes, trees, sod, seed, flowers, etc. Rate: 3 CY per 1000 sq ft (equal to 1" of soil) • Example: The area for top dress or fill is 10,000 sq ft. 10,000 ÷ 1000 = 10 x 3 = 30 CY of prepared topsoil.

A good rule of thumb is 6 inches (15 cm) for new garden beds and 2-3 inches (5-7.5 cm) for existing lawns or flower beds. Calculate the cubic feet or cubic meters of topsoil needed. To do this, multiply the length, width, and depth measurements.

Topsoil is typically thought of as the top 6 inches of soil. We recommend adding at least 2 to 3+ inches of topsoil and rototilling it 2 to 3+ inches into the existing dirt to get the recommended 6 inches depth.

On average, topsoil costs between $12 and $55 per cubic yard or $150 to $600 per truckload. The type of topsoil you choose affects the price of your soil.

Topsoil is the layer on top of fill dirt; it's what you plant in. It is most often used when starting a new garden/lawn/planting bed, replenishing soil after the growing season, or replacing current topsoil that has been washed away from heavy rain.

Is 2 inches of topsoil enough to grow grass? ›

For starting a new lawn, if the top 4 to 6 inches of your existing topsoil are rich with organic matter, you can proceed with it. If your garden's soil is too sandy or it contains heavy clay, however, it is advisable to purchase a higher-quality topsoil to ensure that your lawn will grow without problems.

Adding soil over grass can be another effective form of repairing a lawn. It is possible to dump new soil over top of what you have, and prepare it for sod or seed. This option will save you money on excavation costs of removing the old soil and grass.

You can get a pretty good idea of the soil bearing capacity in the trench bottom using a hand penetrometer. This pocket-sized device is a spring-loaded probe that estimates the pressure the soil can resist and is calibrated to give readings in tons per square foot.

To find the amount of material needed for your yard, multiply the square footage of your yard by 0.77, then divide by 1,000. Example: If your yard is 800 square feet, the calculations would be as follows: 800 x 0.77 = 616. 616 ÷ 1,000 = 0.62 cubic yards of topdressing material needed.

Experiment on the Absorption of Water by Soil Calculation

Weight of water absorbed by the soil = (U – V) g (1 mL of water has a weight equal to 1 g) percentage of water absorbed. Where 50g is the amount of water absorbed. We can also repeat the same experiment with different soil samples.

How much does a yard of topsoil cover? One yard of topsoil covers 324 square feet of soil with a depth of 1 inch, or 100 square feet with a depth of 3 inches.