Soil Calculator
Topsoil at 76 lb per cubic foot — a cubic yard weighs most of a ton before it rains.
Volume to order3.7037 cubic yards100 cu ft · 2.8317 m³
Weight3.8081 US tons3,454.7 kg · 7,616.2 lb · 3.4547 tonnes
MaterialTopsoil1,220 kg/m³, about 76 lb/ft³
Cubic feet100
Cubic metres2.8317
In 50 lb bags153if buying bagged rather than bulk
Area covered200 sq ft18.5806 m²
Depth6 in152.4 mm
One cubic yard covers54 sq ftat 6 in deep
The method
volume = area × depth; weight = volume × density
Depth in inches, volume in yards
This is where the arithmetic usually goes wrong. A cubic yard is 27 cubic feet, so spread 4 inches deep it covers 81 square feet — not 27. Divide the depth in inches by 12 before multiplying, or work in a single unit throughout.
Order by volume when you can and treat the weight as a cross-check. Loose densities vary by about 10% between quarries and rise sharply when the material is wet, so a ton of gravel is a less definite quantity than a cubic yard of it.
Add a compaction allowance for anything that will be rolled or tamped. Crusher run and road base typically lose 20–25% of their loose volume once compacted.