FREE GARDENING TOOL BY PATCH PLANTS
Need to know how much soil you need for a raised bed, garden bed, rectangular planter, or container? The free Patch Plants Soil Calculator estimates soil volume from your length, width, and fill depth.
Use this garden soil calculator as a raised bed soil calculator, garden bed soil calculator, topsoil calculator, dirt calculator, or potting soil calculator for rectangular spaces. Results are automatically shown in cubic feet, cubic yards, and liters.
QUICK ANSWER
How Much Soil Do I Need?
For a rectangular raised bed or planter, calculate soil volume using: Length × Width × Soil Depth. If length and width are in feet but depth is in inches, divide the depth by 12 first.8 ft × 4 ft × (12 in ÷ 12) = 32 cubic feet
That equals approximately 1.19 cubic yards or 906 liters.
PATCH PLANTS FREE TOOL
Soil Calculator
Calculate soil, topsoil, dirt, compost, or potting mix volume for rectangular growing spaces.1 Your Measurements
2 Your Soil Estimate
🌿
ESTIMATED VOLUME
32
cubic ft
Approximate material volume based on the measurements entered. ◇ Cubic Yards 1.19 yd³
◉ Liters 906 L
＋
Planning Allowance: About 10% Extra
For settling and small measuring differences, approximately 35.2 cubic feet may be useful.
CALCULATION FORMULA
How the Soil Volume Calculator Works
Feet & Inches Length × Width × (Depth ÷ 12) = Cubic Feet
Metric Length × Width × (Depth ÷ 100) = Cubic Meters
How to Calculate How Much Soil You Need
A soil calculator estimates the volume required to fill a measured space. For most rectangular projects you need only three dimensions: length, width, and fill depth. This calculation can be used for raised beds, garden beds, rectangular planters, topsoil layers, compost, mulch, and fill dirt. It is the basic principle behind a soil volume calculator, cubic feet soil calculator, soil cubic yard calculator, and dirt volume calculator. FORMULA Length × Width × Depth = Soil Volume Keep all measurements in compatible units before multiplying.
Raised Bed Soil Calculator
A raised bed soil calculator helps determine how much garden soil or growing medium is required before you buy bags or order material in bulk. You can use the Patch Plants calculator as a soil calculator for raised beds, raised garden bed soil calculator, raised bed dirt calculator, or raised garden soil calculator. 01
Measure Inside Length
Measure the usable growing space between the inside walls. 02
Measure Inside Width
Do not include thick timber, metal, stone, or other bed walls. 03
Choose Fill Depth
Use the actual depth you intend to fill rather than automatically using the total bed height. 04
Calculate Volume
Enter the measurements above for cubic feet, cubic yards, and liters.How Much Soil for an 8 × 4 Raised Bed?
Consider a raised garden bed measuring 8 feet long × 4 feet wide × 12 inches deep.Length 8 ft
Width 4 ft
Depth 12 in
Soil Needed 32 ft³
Garden Bed Soil Calculator and Garden Bed Dirt Calculator
The same tool works as a garden bed soil calculator, garden bed dirt calculator, or soil calculator for garden beds. Measure the length and width of the garden area and enter only the depth of new material you intend to add. If your garden already contains usable soil, do not calculate the entire existing bed depth. Calculate only the additional topsoil, compost, garden soil, or other material being added.Soil Volume Calculator: Cubic Feet, Cubic Yards and Liters
Soil products use different units depending on packaging and quantity. Smaller bags may use liters or cubic feet, while bulk garden soil, compost, topsoil, and dirt are commonly measured in cubic yards.1 ft³ 28.3 Liters Cubic feet to liters
1 yd³ 27 Cubic Feet Cubic yard conversion
1 yd³ ≈ 765 Liters Approximate metric volume
Cubic Feet Soil Calculator
A cubic feet soil calculator is especially useful when buying bagged garden soil or potting mix. Related searches include cubic feet of soil calculator, cubic feet calculator for soil, cubic feet of dirt calculator, and dirt calculator cubic feet.Soil Calculator in Cubic Yards
Bulk material is frequently sold by the cubic yard. To convert cubic feet into yards, divide by 27: Cubic Feet ÷ 27 = Cubic Yards. This makes the calculator useful as a soil yard calculator, yards of soil calculator, soil yardage calculator, and soil calculator cubic yards tool.Soil Volume Conversion Chart
| Soil Volume | Approximate Equivalent |
|---|---|
| 1 cubic foot | 28.3 liters |
| 2 cubic feet | 56.6 liters |
| 1 cubic yard | 27 cubic feet |
| 1 cubic yard | About 765 liters |
| 1 cubic meter | About 35.3 cubic feet |
| 1 cubic meter | 1,000 liters |
Topsoil Calculator: How Much Topsoil Do I Need?
This tool can also be used as a topsoil calculator, top soil calculator, topsoil estimator, topsoil coverage calculator, or topsoil calculator yards tool. Measure the rectangular surface, choose the depth of new topsoil you want to add, and enter the measurements into the calculator. If ordering bulk topsoil, use the cubic-yard result. Patch Plants Tip When topping an existing garden bed, calculate only the depth of the new topsoil layer—not the entire depth of soil already present.
Dirt Calculator and Fill Dirt Calculator
Because the formula calculates physical volume, it can also work as a dirt calculator, fill dirt calculator, dirt fill calculator, dirt yard calculator, cubic yard calculator for dirt, or dirt cubic yard calculator. The tool estimates volume rather than weight. Soil and dirt weight changes with moisture, density, compaction, and material composition, so cubic yards should not automatically be converted into tons without additional information.Potting Soil Calculator and Potting Mix Calculator
For square or rectangular planters, you can also use this tool as a potting soil calculator, potting mix calculator, or soil calculator for rectangular pots. Measure the internal length, width, and fill depth. Round pots, tapered nursery containers, and irregular planters need different volume formulas and should not be calculated as rectangles. For help choosing an appropriate growing medium, read the Patch Plants guide to the best soil mix for different plants .How Many Bags of Soil Do I Need?
After you know the total volume, calculate how many bags of soil you need by dividing your required cubic feet by the volume printed on one bag. BAG FORMULA Total Cubic Feet ÷ Cubic Feet Per Bag = Bags Needed
If a raised bed requires 32 cubic feet and each bag
contains 2 cubic feet:
32 ÷ 2 = 16 bags
How Many Bags of Soil Are in a Cubic Yard?
1 ft³ Bags 27 Bags
1.5 ft³ Bags 18 Bags
2 ft³ Bags 13.5 Bags
Soil Coverage, Compost and Mulch Calculations
A soil coverage calculator uses the same relationship between volume, surface area, and depth. The deeper you spread a given volume, the smaller the area it can cover. 🌱
Compost Calculator
Estimate compost volume for a rectangular garden bed at a known depth. 🍂
Mulch Calculator
Enter the area dimensions and the mulch layer depth you plan to apply. 🌿
Garden Soil Calculator
Estimate soil volume for rectangular beds, borders, and planters.What Soil Should You Use in a Raised Garden Bed?
A soil volume calculation tells you how much material is required, but not automatically which mix is appropriate for every garden or plant. Raised-bed soil selection depends on the plants being grown, drainage, existing ground conditions, and the properties of available soil and organic materials. For additional raised-bed guidance, see the University of Minnesota Extension raised-bed gardening guide .Why Calculated Soil Requirements Can Vary
A soil calculator provides a mathematical volume estimate. The actual amount you use can vary because of settling, uneven ground, drainage material, existing fill, wall thickness, compaction, and measurement differences. Use the calculated soil volume as a practical purchasing and planning estimate rather than an exact guarantee.Continue Growing With Patch Plants
The soil calculator is one of the practical resources from Patch Plants. Explore our main gardening and plant-care sections below.PATCH PLANTS Plant Care GuidesWatering, soil, pruning, repotting, plant problems and more.
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PATCH PLANTS Outdoor Plant GuidesGardens, containers, growing guides and outdoor plant ideas.
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PATCH PLANTS Indoor Plant GuidesHouseplants, indoor growing conditions and practical care.
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Soil Calculator FAQs
Select a question below to see the answer.
What is a soil calculator? +
A soil calculator estimates the volume of soil required to fill or cover a measured area. For rectangular spaces it uses length, width, and depth to calculate cubic feet, cubic yards, liters, or related volume units.
How do I calculate how much soil I need? +
Multiply length by width by soil depth using compatible units. If length and width are measured in feet and depth is measured in inches, use Length × Width × (Depth ÷ 12) to calculate cubic feet.
How much soil do I need for an 8 × 4 raised bed? +
An 8 ft × 4 ft raised bed filled 12 inches deep requires approximately 32 cubic feet of soil, or around 1.19 cubic yards or 906 liters.
How do I calculate cubic feet of soil? +
When length and width are in feet and depth is in inches, multiply length × width × depth and divide by 12. The result is approximate cubic feet.
How many cubic feet are in a cubic yard of soil? +
One cubic yard contains 27 cubic feet.
How do I calculate cubic yards of soil? +
Calculate the total cubic feet first, then divide by 27. The result is the approximate number of cubic yards required.
How much topsoil do I need? +
Measure the rectangular area and choose the depth of new topsoil. Enter those measurements into the topsoil calculator above and use the cubic-foot or cubic-yard result.
Can I use this as a raised bed soil calculator? +
Yes. Use the inside length, inside width, and actual soil fill depth of the raised bed to estimate the soil volume.
Can I use this as a dirt calculator or fill dirt calculator? +
Yes, for rectangular volume estimates. The tool calculates cubic feet and cubic yards of material but does not estimate dirt weight or tonnage.
Can I use this as a potting soil calculator? +
Yes, for square and rectangular planters. Round, tapered, or irregular containers require a different volume formula.
How many bags of soil do I need? +
Divide the total cubic feet required by the volume of one bag. For example, 32 cubic feet divided by a 2-cubic-foot bag equals 16 bags.
How many bags of soil are in one cubic yard? +
One cubic yard equals 27 cubic feet. That equals 27 one-cubic-foot bags, 18 1.5-cubic-foot bags, or approximately 13.5 two-cubic-foot bags.
How many liters are in one cubic foot? +
One cubic foot equals approximately 28.3 liters.
Can I calculate compost or mulch with this tool? +
Yes. The same rectangular volume formula provides a useful estimate for compost or mulch when the surface area and application depth are known.
Should I use inside or outside raised-bed dimensions? +
Use inside dimensions whenever possible because they represent the actual space available for soil.
Why does the calculator show about 10% extra soil? +
The extra amount is an optional planning allowance for settling and small measurement differences. It is not a universal requirement for every project.
Does this soil calculator estimate soil weight? +
No. This calculator estimates volume. Soil weight varies with moisture, density, composition, and compaction.
Calculate Your Soil With Patch Plants
Whether you need a garden soil calculator, raised bed soil calculator, soil volume calculator, topsoil estimator, dirt calculator, or potting mix calculator, measuring your space first can make planning and purchasing much easier. Use the Patch Plants Soil Calculator above, then explore more practical plant and gardening resources from Patch Plants. Calculator Note: Results are approximate volume estimates. Actual soil, dirt, topsoil, compost, mulch, or potting-mix requirements may vary because of settling, compaction, uneven surfaces, drainage layers, existing material, and measurement differences.