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Garden Soil Calculator

Work out the soil or growing medium a bed needs, with the settlement allowance that stops it looking half-full a month later.

Computed in your browser — nothing you enter is uploaded. Figures are presented for United States against IRC 2024, and every formula is cited under regulatory standards below.

Last verified 2026-08-26 · v1.0.0

Market
Imperial · sales tax
9.84 ft3.94 ft0.98 ft
Schematic, drawn to the proportions you entered — not to scale on screen.

Soil required

1.7 yd³

High confidence

Geometry plus a settlement allowance. Weight assumes a moist topsoil blend at about 1000 kg/m³.

Finished volume
1.41 yd³
Litres
342.37 gal
Cubic yards
1.7 yd³
60 L bags
22 bags
Approximate weight
2857.19 lb

At the values currently entered, the soil required works out to 1.30 m³. The largest intermediate quantity is finished volume, at 1.08 m³ — check that step first if the total looks off. Note that bed length and bed width sit at the edge of the range this calculator was checked against, so treat the output as indicative rather than settled. Figures are shown for United States, where IRC 2024 is the governing residential reference; switch the market above if you are building elsewhere.

Estimated cost — your price

This site holds no price list for this material — local prices vary too much to publish honestly. Enter your supplier's price and the result is costed with it.

Preliminary estimate, not certified engineering. This tool produces an indicative quantity calculation for planning purposes only — it is not a certified structural analysis, a guaranteed material takeoff, or a substitute for building department approval. Always verify measurements on-site and have a licensed contractor or structural engineer review any load-bearing, code-sensitive, or safety-critical work before purchasing materials or starting construction. Spotted an arithmetic or standards error? Report it to contact@craftquantities.com with your inputs — confirmed fixes become pinned regression tests.

[Schema Verified] Computed in alignment with American Concrete Institute (ACI 318-19) formulas and International Residential Code (IRC 2024) spatial boundaries.

Regulatory standards & verification citations

  • Loose topsoil and compost blends settle 15-25% after watering and initial consolidation — horticultural supplier guidance
  • Typical bulk density of screened topsoil 1300 kg/m³; compost blends 550-900 kg/m³

Your workspace

Most jobs need more than one number. Add the calculators you need next and they open right here, underneath this one — your figures stay on screen and nothing is lost to a page change.

Frequently asked questions

Why does my bed look half empty after a month?
Because loose medium settles once water works the air out of it. A bed filled level with the rim drops 15-25% in the first few weeks, which on a 300 mm bed is 50-75 mm of visible loss. Ordering the settlement allowance up front is cheaper than a second small delivery.
Topsoil or a compost blend?
A blend, for most beds — roughly 60% screened topsoil to 40% compost. Pure compost holds too much water, slumps badly and runs out of structure within a season. Pure topsoil is low in organic matter and drains poorly in a raised bed.
How deep does a raised bed need to be?
200 mm for salads and herbs, 300 mm for most vegetables, 450 mm for carrots, parsnips and anything perennial. If the bed sits on open soil rather than a hard surface, roots go deeper than the frame and you can be at the lower end of each figure.