Two questions come up on almost every topsoil order. Which soil do I need, and how much of it. The first one we cover on the topsoil page, where the short version is that growing layers go on top and fill goes underneath. This post is about the second question, because that is the one that decides what you pay and whether you end up short on a Saturday afternoon with the job half done.
Ordering soil by the cubic yard trips people up because nobody thinks in cubic yards day to day. It is not complicated once you see the math, so here is the whole thing.
The Formula
Soil is sold by volume, and volume is length times width times depth. The one wrinkle is that everything has to be in the same unit, and a cubic yard is 27 cubic feet. So:
Length (ft) x Width (ft) x Depth (ft) divided by 27 = cubic yards.
The part people get wrong is depth. You are not spreading a foot of soil. You are usually spreading one to a few inches, so the depth number is a fraction of a foot. One inch is about 0.08 feet. Two inches is 0.17. Three inches is 0.25. Four inches is 0.33. Plug that small number in and the math comes out right.
How Deep to Go
Depth depends entirely on the job, and using the wrong depth is the most common way an order comes out wrong.
Topdressing a thin lawn or a seed bed: about one inch. You are giving seed something to sit in and make contact with, not burying the existing grade. A thin, even layer is the goal.
Filling shallow bare spots and low areas: one to two inches in most spots, more where the dip is deeper. Level it flush with the lawn around it so it does not scalp under the mower later.
Building a new planting bed: two to four inches of the blend, depending on what is going in and what is under it.
Establishing a new lawn on prepped ground: three to four inches of growing layer over the base, which is the range we work in under lawn and turf installation.
If you are raising a grade or backfilling more than a few inches, that is fill dirt underneath first, then topsoil on top. Ordering premium topsoil to fill a deep low spot wastes good soil, and it settles unevenly besides. Larger grade corrections run through excavating.
Coverage Per Yard
If you would rather not do the arithmetic for every area, work from coverage instead. One cubic yard covers roughly:
- 300 square feet at 1 inch deep
- 150 square feet at 2 inches
- 100 square feet at 3 inches
- 80 square feet at 4 inches
So a 900 square foot area you want covered 2 inches deep is about six yards. A 500 square foot bed at 3 inches is about five yards. Estimate your square footage, pick your depth, and divide.
A Worked Example
Say you are patching and topdressing a tired front lawn that runs about 40 feet by 25 feet, so 1,000 square feet, and you want a half inch to an inch of the blend worked in before overseeding.
1,000 square feet at 1 inch is a bit over three yards off the coverage table. Call it three and a half to give yourself margin. That is a small, practical delivery, and it is the kind of everyday repair that keeps a lawn from developing the low, patchy areas that only get worse if you leave them.
Why You Round Up on the Shore
Always round up rather than down, and on the Eastern Shore there are real reasons for it, not just caution.
Our native soils are sandy and settle. Freshly spread soil sits looser than it will after a rain or two, so a bed measured tight when dry ends up a little low once it packs in. A screened, blended topsoil like ours holds together better than raw dirt, but any soil settles some.
Coming up a half yard short means a second trip, a second minimum, and a color or texture line where the new pile meets the old one if it does not match. Coming out a little long means you have material for the next bare spot, which on most properties turns up within the season. The cost of ordering slightly over is small. The cost of ordering under is a stalled job.
Getting It to the Property
One thing the calculator cannot tell you is whether a dump truck can reach your drop spot. Before you order, think about access. Where does the pile go, can the truck get to it, and is the ground firm enough to hold a loaded truck without rutting. On tight lots, waterfront properties, and soft spring ground, the drop location matters as much as the quantity. We confirm access and drop point when we schedule, and for properties where spreading and fine grading are part of the job we can carry it through installation rather than leaving you a pile.
Summer orders water in. New soil and fresh seed dry out fast in July and August, so plan to keep it damp while it establishes. That held moisture is exactly what our screened and blended topsoil is built to give you, but the first couple of weeks still want a hose or a sprinkler on a timer.
When You Would Rather We Size It
None of this has to be your problem. If you tell us the area and what you are doing, we will size the order, tell you whether it is topsoil, the blend, or fill you actually need, and give you a delivered price for your address. That is usually faster than measuring twice, and it means the material and the quantity are both right the first time.
The free estimate request is the place to start. Send the rough dimensions and the job, and we will come back with the number.
Marshall Property Management. Cambridge, Maryland. Screened and blended topsoil, fill, and sand delivered across the full Delmarva Peninsula. Maryland’s Eastern Shore, Delaware’s Sussex and Kent Counties, Virginia’s Accomack and Northampton Counties.
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