Same hole, three different tons
Volume is still area × depth. A 10 × 20 foot patch at 3 inches is 50 cubic feet, 1.85 cubic yards. The TRORC loose-topsoil row is 2,050 pounds per yard, so that patch is 1.9 tons and, in 2 cubic foot bags, 25 bags exactly. Switch the same dirt to the wet row, 3,375 lb/yd³, and the scale ticket becomes 3.13 tons without a single extra shovel of volume. If your supplier quotes tons, the moisture line is the whole argument.
Fill is a different material. Engineering ToolBox’s loose moist dirt is 78 pounds per cubic foot, 2,106 pounds per yard. The same 50 cubic feet is 1.95 tons. Use fill to bring a low spot up to grade. Use the topsoil rows when the surface is what you will plant. Loam on that page is 80 lb/cu ft, close to moist dirt and not a reason to treat every garden bag as a ton per yard.
Bags are a volume, not a brand yield
Unlike concrete, a soil bag’s useful number is the cubic feet on the plastic. Kellogg’s garden soil is sold in a 2 cubic foot bag; that checks the arithmetic and does not mean the bag weighs 2,050/27 × 2 pounds. Potting mixes are lighter because they are full of bark. If you are buying that bag, keep the volume and ignore the bulk-topsoil tonnage, or type the weight from the label into the custom density.
What this page refuses to invent
There is no default “6 inches for a lawn” hiding in the form. Depth is the job. The example is 3 inches so the 50 cubic feet and the 25 bags are easy to audit. Raised beds are deeper. A dusty top-dressing is shallower. The allowance starts at zero because the loose-to-wet swing is already large; add a percent for an uneven grade if you need it, and the sheet will show it as extra.
Mistakes
- Using a gravel density, around 2,700 lb/yd³, for topsoil. You will book a truck that is a third heavier than the loose topsoil row.
- Planting into fill and wondering why it sheds water and grows nothing.
- Buying 2 cubic foot bags while dividing by 1.
- Comparing a wet scale ticket to a dry estimate and accusing the yard of a short load.
- Calling every “garden soil” bag topsoil. Read the cubic feet, and read what is actually in the bag.
FAQ
How much does a yard of topsoil weigh?
The TRORC chart lists loose topsoil at 2,050 pounds per cubic yard, about 1.03 tons. The same chart lists packed topsoil at 2,565 pounds and wet topsoil at 3,375 pounds. A wet yard is more than half again the loose yard. Ask which one the supplier is weighing.
Is fill dirt the same as topsoil?
No. Fill is the mineral dirt under the topsoil, used to raise a grade. Engineering ToolBox lists loose moist dirt at 78 pounds per cubic foot, about 2,106 pounds per yard, and loose dry dirt at 76. Screened topsoil for a garden is the TRORC topsoil row, not the fill row. Plants do not want a hole filled with subsoil and then called a bed.
How many bags is a yard?
A yard is 27 cubic feet. A bag printed 1 cubic foot is 27 bags. A bag printed 2 cubic feet is 13.5 bags, so 14 if you need the whole yard. Kellogg sells garden soil in a 2 cubic foot bag; that is a volume, and it is a different product from bulk screened topsoil.
Why doesn’t this pick a depth for me?
A lawn top-dressing and a raised bed are not the same depth, and this page does not have an extension bulletin that names one depth for every job. The example uses 3 inches so you can check the arithmetic. Set the depth your bed actually needs.
Sources
- TRORC material weight chart — Topsoil loose 2,050 lb/yd³, packed 2,565, wet 3,375. The chart attributes the weights to the EPA and NTEA.
- Engineering ToolBox, Dirt and Mud - Densities (2010) — Dirt, loose dry 76 lb/cu ft; dirt, loose moist 78; loam 80. Used for fill and loam, not for screened topsoil.
- Kellogg Garden Organics All Natural Garden Soil, 2 cu. ft. — An example of a bag labeled 2 cubic feet. It is garden soil, not a substitute for the bulk topsoil density.
- KWS Trends, topsoil calculator, United States — About 12,000 average US searches a month, updated 10 November 2026, with a spring peak. Included so this page exists for a measured demand, not a template.