Topsoil calculator for Delaware
Find topsoil quantities for lawns, planting areas, and final grading, with guidance on selecting the order depth.
Enter your project dimensions
Topsoil depth has more effect on an order than the size of the area. A 1,000-square-foot lawn, for example, takes 12 cubic yards at 4 inches but only 1.5 yards for a half-inch topdressing. Start by identifying the job the soil must do. This calculator turns your measured area and selected depth into cubic yards, the sales unit for topsoil, and tons, using about 2,200 lb per dry yard. Screened topsoil has rocks, roots, and clods removed by sifting, leaving less material to rake out during spreading.
Choose depth before calculating
- For lawn topdressing, use 1/4 to 1/2 inch and rake lightly so the grass tips remain above the soil.
- Overseeding preparation: 1/2 to 1 inch.
- New seeded or sodded lawn: 4 to 6 inches over a loosened subgrade.
- Flower beds: 6 inches, incorporated into the native soil beneath.
- Vegetable beds need 12 inches; for that use, a garden-soil blend is the better material (see the Soil Calculator).
- Measure the site in feet, then choose a depth from the options above.
- To convert, divide cubic feet by 27 for cubic yards, then multiply yards by 1.1 for tons. The calculator completes these calculations and adds 5% when the allowance remains selected.
Tons = cubic yards × 1.1
Coverage by depth
| Depth | 1 cubic yard covers | 5 yards cover |
|---|---|---|
| 1/2 inch topdress | 648 sq ft | 3,240 sq ft |
| 2 inches | 162 sq ft | 810 sq ft |
| 4 inches | 81 sq ft | 405 sq ft |
| 6 inches | 54 sq ft | 270 sq ft |
| Project | Typical size | Depth | Volume | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New lawn, seed or sod | 1,000 sq ft | 4" | 12.3 yd³ | 13.6 tons |
| Lawn topdressing | 2,000 sq ft | 0.5" | 3.1 yd³ | 3.4 tons |
| New flower bed | 15 x 4 ft | 6" | 1.1 yd³ | 1.2 tons |
| Patch repairs around the yard | ≈ 150 sq ft | 2" | 0.9 yd³ | 1 tons |
| Finish grade over fill | 600 sq ft | 4" | 7.4 yd³ | 8.1 tons |
Example calculation: 1,000 square feet of new lawn
For a 4 inch layer: 1,000 x 0.333 = 333 cubic feet = 12.3 cubic yards, or around 13.5 tons on the truck. Orders are often rounded to 12.5 to 13 yards, with the remaining material worked into low spots and along the edges. Where the subgrade needs added height, build it first with fill dirt and reserve topsoil for the upper 4 inches, where roots grow.
Screened topsoil and ways to assess a load
Natural topsoil is the surface layer, containing organic matter and soil life. Screening uses mesh to separate stones, roots, and clods. Screened material should be dark, loose in the hand, and smell earthy rather than swampy. Press a moist handful into a loose ball, then poke it: it should fall apart. A smooth ribbon indicates heavy clay, while soil that will not form a ball is largely sand. Gray color or a sour odor can indicate wet, airless storage, and visible rhizomes can bring in weeds. Photograph questionable material before spreading it.
Spreading with care
- Before spreading, loosen the subgrade by an inch. In clay-over-rock ground around Wilmington, topsoil placed over a sealed surface can hold water rather than let it move through.
- Set the grade to fall away from the house: 6-inch of drop within the first 10 feet.
- Settle the topsoil firmly without stomping it. A footprint in settled soil should press down about half an inch.
- Set delivery for the same week the material will be spread. Rain adds a third more weight to each shovel and leaves the pile prone to smearing instead of raking.
Understanding topsoil quantities
What quantity of topsoil is needed to establish a lawn?
What does one yard of topsoil weigh?
What does a yard of topsoil cost?
What area will a yard of topsoil cover?
Definition of topsoil
Can topsoil be spread over existing grass?
For beds, topsoil or garden soil?
Should I till before adding topsoil?
Other calculators
Finished the lawn calculation? We'll deliver the soil.
Screened topsoil sold by the cubic yard, with free delivery across Delaware.
