Soil Calculator
Cubic yards, tonnage & truckloads for commercial Texas site work, quoted same-day.
Move the map to your site, then Drag a box for rectangular pads & lots, Tap corners to place them one by one, or Free draw freehand (press and drag, release to finish). Every point is draggable to fine-tune; tap one to remove it.
Same-day delivered quotes across DFW · Austin · San Antonio · Houston
How to calculate soil for your project
Every dirt order comes down to three numbers: the space you are filling, how much the material settles, and how many trucks that becomes. Here is exactly how the calculator gets there, so your delivered total is never a surprise.
- 27 cubic feet in one cubic yard
- 43,560 square feet in one acre
- 18cy in one standard truckload
A 120 x 40 ft pad, 6 inches deep
120 times 40 times 0.5, divided by 27, equals 88.9 cubic yards.
That is the in-place volume, before waste and compaction. Six inches deep goes in as 0.5 ft, so depth is always entered in feet.
Why your delivered number is bigger
Soil loses volume on the way to the finished grade. The calculator adds it back, so the trucks that show up actually fill the hole.
- +10% Waste allowance
- Material lost in transport, spreading, and grading. Standard on most commercial jobs.
- +15-25% Compaction
- Extra loose material to reach 95% Standard Proctor density on a structural fill.
What each material weighs
Tonnage depends on the material. These are the loose densities the calculator uses.
Fill dirt
1.15-1.35tons / cyGeneral grading, pads, backfill
Select fill
1.20-1.40tons / cyEngineered structural pads
Topsoil
1.00-1.20tons / cyFinal grade, landscaping, sod
Sand
1.30-1.50tons / cyBedding, drainage, concrete
Acres to cubic yards, at a glance
Large sites add up fast. A quick reference at common fill depths, with truckloads at 18 cy each.
| Acres | Depth | Cubic yards | Trucks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 inches | 807 | 54 |
| 1 | 1 foot | 1,613 | 108 |
| 5 | 1 foot | 8,067 | 538 |
| 5 | 2 feet | 16,133 | 1,076 |
| 10 | 2 feet | 32,267 | 2,151 |
| 13.75 | 2 feet | 44,367 | 2,958 |
Ready to order?
Send your calculator results with your quote request. Same-day response across DFW, Austin, San Antonio, and Houston.
Request a quoteHow the soil calculator works
The Soil Depot soil calculator turns a length, width, and depth into the cubic yards, tons, and truckloads of material you actually need to order. It works for fill dirt, select fill, topsoil, sand, and base, so whether you are raising grade, backfilling, topping a lawn, or bedding a slab, you get a real quantity in seconds instead of guessing. Enter the area by hand, draw it on the map, or pick a shape, set the depth, choose the material, and the estimate updates as you type.
Bulk material is priced and delivered by the cubic yard and by the truckload, so knowing your yards up front is the difference between one clean delivery and a second trip. The calculator converts yards to tons using real material densities and shows roughly how many dump-truck loads that is, which is exactly what you need when you call in a delivery across DFW, Austin, San Antonio, or Houston.
How to use the soil calculator
- Measure your area. Enter length and width in feet, or draw the area on the map for an odd-shaped lot.
- Set the depth. Enter how deep you need the material in inches. As a reference, 3 to 4 inches is typical for a topsoil dressing and 6 to 12 inches for building up grade.
- Choose the material. Pick fill dirt, select fill, topsoil, sand, or base so the tons and truckloads use the right density.
- Read your estimate. The tool shows cubic yards, tons, and the number of truckloads, and you can send it straight to a quote.
Soil calculator FAQ
How much fill dirt do I need?
Multiply your area in square feet by the depth in feet, then divide by 27 to get cubic yards. The calculator does this for you and adds the material density so you also see tons and truckloads. For a quick sense of scale, a 10 ft by 10 ft area at 6 inches deep is about 1.85 cubic yards.
How many cubic yards are in a ton of dirt?
It depends on the material and its moisture. Dry fill dirt runs roughly 1.2 to 1.3 tons per cubic yard, so a ton is a little under a cubic yard. The calculator uses real densities per material so you do not have to guess.
How many yards of dirt fit in a dump truck?
A standard tandem dump truck carries about 10 to 18 cubic yards depending on the truck and the material. The calculator shows your total in truckloads so you know how many deliveries to plan.
Does the calculator account for compaction?
Loose material shrinks as it compacts, so you order more loose yards than the finished compacted volume. As a rule of thumb, add roughly 15 to 25 percent for fill that will be compacted in lifts. Tell us your compaction spec and we help you size it.
Is the estimate a quote?
The quantity is an estimate to help you order. Delivered price depends on the material, the yards, and the haul distance to your site, so send the estimate to us and we return a same-day quote.
See everything the calculator suite does, one guide to all four tools →