How many bags of garden soil make a cubic yard?

A cubic yard of garden soil is 27 bags of 1 cu ft, 18 bags of 1.5 cu ft or 14 bags of 2 cu ft, rounded up to whole bags.

Soil Calculator

Bulk garden soil weighs about 1,600–1,800 lb per cubic yard (supplier estimate). Enter the bed's length, width and depth below to get cubic yards, bags and cost for your garden bed.

Material

Shape

Area

Length ft

Width ft

Count

Depth in

Tape readings work: 10' 6", 10½. Sloped? Type the depth as 2-6. Other material? Use the cubic yard calculator.

Order Estimate

0.5 cubic yards to order

rounded up to the nearest ¼ yd³

Solid: exact 0.44 yd³. Dashed: what you order, 0.5 yd³ (rounded up). Person: 6 ft, for scale.

Weight: 0.4–0.45 tons (bulk blend)
Bags: 12 × 1 cu ft
Cost: $15–$35

Round up to your supplier's step. It settles as it waters in — no published rate, so plan a top-up.

Details: exact volume, bags vs bulk, order sheet

Exact 0.44 yd³ · 12 ft³ · 0.34 m³

At 3 in deep, 1 yd³ covers 108 ft².

You need 0.5 cubic yards of garden soil ≈ 0.4–0.45 tons (bulk blend) ≈ 12 bags of 1 cu ft.

Other bag sizes: 8 × 1.5 cu ft · 6 × 2 cu ft

Bags vs bulk: price per 1 cu ft bag, $

Order sheet for your supplier

Garden soil weight: bulk blend (Bags and Bulk Landscape Supply (WI), Yard Works Landscape Supply). Cost: reference range, bulk blend, before delivery (Lawn Love, Topsoil.com, 2026); local prices vary.

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Garden soil depth for planting beds

Garden soil goes on 2–3 inches deep and gets mixed into the top 6–8 inches of the bed, per Miracle-Gro's directions for its in-ground garden soil.

On the same product page, 4 bags of 1 cu ft cover 24 square feet of garden at 2 inches. Enter 2 or 3 in as the depth above to size a whole bed.

A raised bed needs at least 8 inches of soil — use the raised bed soil calculator for a filled frame.

Garden soil weight and bag sizes

Garden soil weighs about 1,600–1,800 lb per cubic yard as a bulk blend, a figure from supplier specifications only.

Garden soil and raised bed soil: weight, bags and price per cubic yard
Material	lb per yd³	tons per yd³	Bags	$ per yd³
Garden soil^*	1,600–1,800	0.8–0.9	1 cu ft, 1.5 cu ft, 2 cu ft	$30–$70
Raised bed soil^*	1,600–1,800	0.8–0.9	1.5 cu ft, 2 cu ft	$40–$70

Weight basis: garden soil bulk blend; raised bed soil bulk blend. * Estimate: supplier data or one source only. Prices are reference ranges from dated cost guides and supplier lists (updated September 2026); local prices vary. Sources: Bags and Bulk Landscape Supply (WI); Yard Works Landscape Supply; Cummin Landscape Supply; Miracle-Gro; Lawn Love; Topsoil.com; Kellogg Garden Organics; University of Maryland Extension; Texas A&M AgriLife Extension.

Bagged garden soil is lighter than bulk because it is peat- or compost-based. Count garden soil bags by the cubic feet on the bag, not by weight.

Garden soil vs topsoil

Garden soil is topsoil blended with compost for planting beds, while plain topsoil is the screened top layer used for lawns and grading. Bulk topsoil has its own topsoil calculator.

Soil calculator FAQ

How many bags of garden soil make a cubic yard?: A cubic yard of garden soil is 27 bags of 1 cu ft, 18 bags of 1.5 cu ft or 14 bags of 2 cu ft, rounded up to whole bags.
How much does a yard of garden soil cost?: A yard of garden soil costs about $30–$70 as a bulk blend, before delivery (Lawn Love, Topsoil.com, 2026). Delivery is extra and local prices vary.