Gardening
Raised Bed Soil Calculator
Calculate soil needed for raised garden beds. Get cubic yards, cubic feet, and cost.
Inputs
Live estimate
Material needed
18.52 cu yd
- Area
- 500 sq ft
- Cubic feet
- 500
- Cubic yards
- 18.52
- Estimated tons
- 16.67 tons
- Estimated truckloads
- 1.85
You will likely need
- •18.52 cu yd — material needed
- •Schedule 2 truck loads
- •Approximate delivered weight: 16.67 tons
Diagram
Live estimate
- Mathematical quantity
- 19 cu yd
- Blend settlement (initial order not auto-inflated)
- Informational
- Field conditions
- Not applied
- Adjusted requirement
- 19 cu yd
- Ordering rule
- Round up to whole cubic yard
- Suggested order
- 19 cu yd
Compost-rich blends settle further than mineral soil, but timing and magnitude vary. The initial order stays at geometric volume; plan for seasonal top-off separately.
What you actually need in the field, before rounding to a supplier-friendly ordering unit.
Estimator confidence
HighScreened topsoil settles after watering and may compact further over the first season. Yardexa does not automatically add a blanket settlement percentage to the initial order; plan a small future top-off rather than over-ordering up front.
Improve confidence: For beds where finish grade must hold immediately, order slightly high and plan a small top-off after the first watering.
Why this behavior applies: Settlement is real but timing-dependent. A single blanket default hides that distinction; the initial order stays at the geometric volume.
- Blend composition — Compost-heavy blends settle further than mineral blends.
- Line the bottom with cardboard to suppress weeds — it decomposes into the mix.
- Fill in 6-inch lifts and lightly wet each lift.
- Top off with 1–2 inches of compost each spring.
- Filling with fill dirt or subsoil — vegetables will not thrive.
- Ordering only the exact geometric volume and running short after settlement.
- Skipping the compost amendment on the initial fill.
Smart tips
- Ordering 5–10% extra is standard on irregular layouts. Running short costs more than the excess.
- You're just over one truckload — a slightly larger truck could save a delivery fee.
How it's calculated
Area is derived from your shape inputs and converted to sq ft.
Depth is converted to feet; cubic feet = area × depth.
Cubic yards = cubic feet ÷ 27, then × (1 + waste %) × (1 + compaction %).
Estimated tons = cubic yards (with waste) × 0.9.
Truckloads = cubic yards (with waste) ÷ truck capacity.
Total cost = cubic yards (with waste) × price per cubic yard + delivery.
Material assumptions
- Typical raised bed mix: 60% topsoil, 30% compost, 10% aeration (perlite/vermiculite).
- Minimum depth for most vegetables: 10–12 inches.
- Soil settles 10–20% in the first season — top off with compost annually.
Frequently asked questions
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These results are estimates only. Confirm quantities, compaction, waste, and delivery requirements with your supplier or project professional before ordering materials.