Topsoil Calculator
Outline the area, set the depth, and get the topsoil in cubic yards, tons and truckloads. Works for topsoil you are stripping and topsoil you are bringing in. Free.
Move the map to your site, then Drag a box to trace it, Tap corners to place them one by one, or Free draw freehand. Every point is draggable; tap one to remove it.
Or enter the area by hand
Topsoil is the darker layer at the surface. On a raw site it usually runs 4 to 12 inches deep. Dig a test hole and measure where the dark soil turns lighter.
- Outline it on the map, or type length and width, square feet or acres
- Pick the depth of the topsoil layer
- Cubic yards in place and loose, tons and truckloads
- Haul it off free if the site qualifies, or have it delivered
Planning estimate from the area and depth you entered. Topsoil depth varies across a site, so confirm it with test holes before you price the work. Calculator Terms
New here? The 30-second version
This is a free topsoil calculator. You outline an area, set how deep the topsoil layer is, and it tells you how many cubic yards of topsoil that is, what it weighs and how many truckloads it takes. It works in both directions: the topsoil you are stripping off a site before the dirt work starts, and the topsoil you need brought in to finish a grade. Depth times area, done properly, with the swell and the truck math the rest of our calculators use. No account, no paywall, no catch.
- 807 cubic yards in one acre at 6 inches deep
- 2 directions, stripping it or bringing it in
- $0 no account, no paywall, ever
How it works, in three steps
You outline the area
Find the site on the satellite map and trace it: tap corners, drag a box, or free-draw it. The tool measures the real area. Not ready to draw? Type a length by width, a square footage, or an acreage by hand instead. Either way you get the same answer.
You set the depth
Topsoil is the darker layer at the surface. On a raw site in Texas it usually runs 4 to 12 inches before the ground turns lighter, and the only way to know your number is a test hole. Pick a preset or type the depth you measured.
You get the volume
The tool multiplies area by depth for the cubic yards in the ground, adds the swell topsoil takes once it is dug, converts to tons, and counts truckloads by whichever fills first, volume or legal weight. Then it points you to the right next step: haul it off, or have it delivered.
What am I looking at?
Every number on the result panel, in plain language.
Cubic yards in place
The topsoil as it sits in the ground: area times depth, divided by 27. This is the number to use when you are describing a site, comparing it with a plan quantity, or asking whether it can be hauled off.
Loose cubic yards
Dug topsoil takes up more room than it did in the ground, about 20 percent more. Loose yards are what go on the trucks, and for a delivery they are what you order, with a small allowance for the compaction it takes when it is spread.
Tons
A range, because moisture changes the weight of topsoil more than any other material we handle. Dry screened topsoil sits near the low end; wet, unscreened strip sits near the high end.
Truckloads
Counted the way a dispatcher counts them: by volume or by legal weight, whichever runs out first for the truck you picked. Change the truck and the count changes with it.
Cubic yards per acre
The same depth expressed per acre, because that is how a developer and an earthwork estimator talk about a site. Six inches is about 807 cubic yards an acre; twelve is about 1,613.
The cross section
A picture of the depth you set: the dark topsoil band over the lighter subsoil. It is there so a number like 8 inches has a shape, and so a typo like 80 inches is obvious before you price it.
Two reasons people use this
You have topsoil to get rid of
Every development site strips its topsoil before the pad goes in, and every one of those stockpiles has to go somewhere. Screened topsoil has real value in landscaping and finish work, which is why a site with enough of it may qualify to have it hauled off at no cost. Run the volume, then see if your site qualifies.
You need topsoil brought in
Finish grade, landscape beds, detention pond slopes and erosion control cover all take a topsoil cap, usually 4 to 6 inches. Set the depth your plans call for, switch the tool to delivery, and send the numbers to us for a same-day quote on screened topsoil.
What it does not know
The tool works from the depth you give it, and topsoil depth is rarely the same across a whole site. It is deeper in the low ground and thinner on the ridges, and a single test hole in the middle can miss both. Dig three or four, average them, and treat the result as a planning number. What screens out as clean, saleable topsoil is a separate question that depends on roots, rock and moisture, and Soil Depot confirms that on site rather than from a map. For the full picture of a site, including cut and fill below the topsoil, use the earthwork calculator, which handles the strip as its own stockpile.
How the Topsoil Calculator works
The Topsoil Calculator measures the topsoil on a site. Outline the area on the satellite map or enter it by hand, set how deep the topsoil layer runs, and it returns the cubic yards in the ground, the loose yards once it is dug, the tonnage and the truckloads. It is the fast way to size a stripping operation, a stockpile or a finish-grade order before anyone prices it.
It works in both directions. If you have topsoil to move, it reports the volume in place and points you to our free removal program. If you need topsoil delivered, it adds the swell and the light compaction spread topsoil takes, so the loose yards you order finish at the depth your plans call for.
How to calculate topsoil
- Outline the area. Trace the site on the map, or type a length and width, a square footage or an acreage.
- Set the depth. Pick 4, 6, 8 or 12 inches, or type the depth you measured in a test hole.
- Choose the direction. Tell it whether you have topsoil to move or need topsoil delivered, and pick the truck.
- Read the volume. See cubic yards in place and loose, tons and truckloads, then check free removal or send it for a quote.
Topsoil calculator FAQ
How do I calculate cubic yards of topsoil?
Multiply the area in square feet by the depth in feet, then divide by 27. One acre at 6 inches is 43,560 times 0.5 divided by 27, about 807 cubic yards in place. The calculator does the arithmetic and adds the swell dug topsoil takes on a truck.
How many cubic yards of topsoil are in an acre?
It depends on the depth. At 4 inches an acre holds about 538 cubic yards in place, at 6 inches about 807, at 8 inches about 1,075 and at 12 inches about 1,613. Loose on a truck, add roughly 20 percent.
How deep is topsoil on a construction site?
Usually 4 to 12 inches in Texas, deeper in low ground and thinner on ridges. The darker surface layer is the topsoil; where it turns lighter the subsoil starts. Dig a few test holes and average them.
Can I get topsoil removed for free?
Development and earthwork sites with enough native topsoil, room for screening equipment and truck access may qualify to have it hauled off at no cost. Run the volume here, then check your site on our free topsoil removal page.
Do you deliver screened topsoil?
Yes, across DFW, Austin, San Antonio and Houston by the truckload for finish grade, landscape beds and erosion control. Switch the calculator to delivery and send the numbers for a same-day quote.
See everything the calculator suite does, one guide to all five tools →