Soil Calculator
Find how much soil or dirt to order. Pick topsoil, triple mix, fill dirt or compost, then type your sizes.
Measure your project
Your answer
That is 4.67 m³ and weighs about 5.56 tonnes. We added 10% extra.
If you buy bags
What it costs
Screened topsoil: $39 a cubic yard, the middle of 23 Canadian yards (Oct 2026). Pickup price, before delivery and tax.
Quick answers
- Yards of dirt
- Length × width × depth, all in feet, gives cubic feet. Cubic feet ÷ 27 = cubic yards.
- Soil in litres
- A cubic yard is 764.6 litres. A m³ is 1,000 litres.
- Which soil to use
- Topsoil for lawns, a richer mix for gardens, fill dirt to raise low ground, and compost in thin layers.
- Weights we found
- One Alberta producer uses 1.15 tonnes a yard for both topsoil and fill. Compost is about 0.50, from a US figure.
- 15 × 20 ft, 6 in deep
- About 5.56 cubic yards (4.25 m³). That is 4,250 litres.
How to work it out
- Take the length and width in feet. Turn the depth into feet too: inches ÷ 12.
- Multiply the three to get cubic feet. Divide that by 27 to get cubic yards.
- Need litres? Multiply the cubic yards by 764.6.
- Add some spare for settling if you like. One US supplier adds 10% for settling, so we start there.
15 × 20 × (6 ÷ 12) = 150 cubic feet
150 ÷ 27 = 5.56 cubic yards
5.56 + 10% = 6.11 cubic yards to order
Which soil for which job
Each soil has its own job. Pick by what you will grow, or by what you need to fill.
New lawn
Use screened topsoil. The City of Kitchener asks for at least 150 mm (6 in) under sod or seed.
Shrub and garden beds
Beds need deeper soil. Kitchener asks for 300 mm (12 in) under shrubs.
For vegetables, the University of Saskatchewan says 6 to 12 inches of good topsoil. Manitoba Master Gardeners suggest a 4-way mix.
Low spots and grading
Use fill dirt. It costs about $30 a yard in Alberta and Saskatchewan (6 yards). We found no per-yard fill prices elsewhere.
Compost
Spread compost thin. Halton Master Gardeners say to use no more than 2–3 cm as a mulch.
Lawn soil, garden soil and triple mix
Some yards sell soils by how much organic matter they hold. That means compost, peat or manure. At one Nova Scotia yard, garden soil holds more than lawn soil.
| Soil | Organic part | Price per yard |
|---|---|---|
| Lawn soil | 25% | $33.50 |
| Seed lawn soil | 35% | $37.50 |
| Garden soil | 45% | $42 |
| Triple mix | 70% | $63 |
EARTHCO, Lower Sackville NS. Pickup, before tax, Oct 2026. One yard only, so it shows the idea, not a national price.
Same soil, other names
In Ontario, a rich garden soil is sold as triple mix. EARTHCO's price list says its triple mix is 70% organic. Another part of its site says 60–65%.
In Manitoba, yards sell 4-way mix. One yard there makes it from topsoil, peat, washed sand and manure.
Quebec yards sell "terre à pelouse" for lawns and "terre à jardin" for gardens.
What each soil weighs and costs
Weight matters for a truck or trailer. Price matters for your budget. Here are both, per cubic yard.
| Soil | Tonnes | Middle price | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Topsoil | 0.91 (only 3 sellers) | $39 (23 yards) | $16.50–$70 |
| Triple mix | 1.09 (only 3 sellers) | $55 (9 yards) | $40–$80 |
| Fill dirt | 1.15 (1 producer, same as its topsoil) | $30 (6 yards, AB and SK) | $15–$37 |
| Compost | 0.5 (US figure) | $73.25 (6 yards) | $35–$85 |
Pickup prices, before tax. Weights are loose, as delivered. Compost weight is a US figure; we found no Canadian one.
One job, four soils
Here is the 15 × 20 ft example, 6 in deep. It needs 5.56 cubic yards of any soil.
| Soil | Weight | Cost at the yard |
|---|---|---|
| Topsoil | 5.1 t | $217 |
| Triple mix | 6.1 t | $306 |
| Fill dirt | 6.4 t | $167 |
| Compost | 2.8 t | $407 |
No extra added. Before tax and delivery. Fill uses one producer's weight, the same as its topsoil. Fill price: Alberta and Saskatchewan only.
Soil in litres
Store bags are sold in litres. Yards sell by the cubic yard. This table links them.
| Amount | Is the same as |
|---|---|
| 1 cubic foot | 28.3 L |
| 1 bag of 25 L | 0.88 cubic feet |
| 1 cubic yard | 764.6 L |
| 1 m³ | 1,000 L |
Price per litre
Loose topsoil at $39 a yard costs about 5.1¢ a litre. Topsoil in store bags costs about 14¢ a litre (9 prices, only 3 Ontario stores).
Garden soil in bags is about 16¢ a litre. That is the middle of 7 prices at only 3 Ontario stores.
Questions people ask
How do I calculate yards of soil?
Multiply length, width and depth, all in feet. Divide by 27. A 15 × 20 ft area, 6 in deep, needs 5.56 cubic yards.
How much soil do I need in litres?
Work out the cubic yards, then multiply by 764.6. Or measure in metres: length × width × depth gives m³, and each m³ is 1,000 litres.
How much does a yard of fill dirt weigh?
One Alberta producer uses 1.15 tonnes a yard for fill and topsoil. That is the only Canadian fill figure we found, so ask your yard. Compost is lighter, about 0.5 tonnes (a US figure).
What is fill dirt used for?
Fill is plain dirt for raising or levelling ground. A Calgary yard sells it for levelling, site work and grading.
How much does fill dirt cost in Canada?
About $30 a cubic yard, picked up, before tax. That is the middle of 6 yards in Alberta and Saskatchewan. We found no per-yard fill prices in other provinces.
How much is a yard of compost in Canada?
About $73.25, the middle of 6 yards. They charged $35 to $85, picked up, before tax.
What is the difference between topsoil and garden soil?
It is the organic part: compost, peat or manure. One Nova Scotia yard sells lawn soil at 25% organic and garden soil at 45%.
Where our numbers come from
- Weights per cubic yard: Canadian yards and producers (few sources each)
- Weight: Skoreyko Crushing (Alberta) calculators page
- Coverage and weights: Front Range Material conversion sheet
- Loose prices: the middle of up to 23 Canadian yards (Oct 2026)
- Loose prices by region: Quebec, Prairies, Atlantic, Ontario/BC/Alberta
- Store prices: Ontario Home Depot, RONA, Home Hardware and Chamberlain Timber Mart (Oct 2026)
- Bag sizes sold in Canada (soil, mulch)
- Topsoil depth: City of Kitchener landscape design (150 mm)
- Raised beds: University of Saskatchewan gardening guide
- Raised beds: Manitoba Master Gardener Association
- 4-way soil mix: Anseeuw Bros (Manitoba)
- Mulch depth: Halton Master Gardeners (5–8 cm)
- Fill dirt use: Farmboy Soil Sand Gravel (Calgary)
- Soils by organic content: EARTHCO Premium Soils (Nova Scotia)
- Triple mix: 14 Canadian sellers (contents and prices)
- Unit sizes: NIST Handbook 44, Appendix C (1 ft = 0.3048 m; 1 US gallon = 231 cubic inches)
- Topsoil extra: Palmetto Sand & Gravel (add 10% for settling)
Made by BuildersCount. Last checked 4 Oct 2026.
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