Raised bed soil calculator

Measure each bed, estimate the soil to add, and compare whole bags with a delivered bulk order.

01

Measure your beds

Use the inside dimensions of each bed.

Bed measurements

Shopping quantities and supplier quotes use US units.

Buying allowance
%

Editable estimate for settling and measurement differences. Use 0% if you do not want an allowance.

Bagged soil
ft³
$

Use the bag's labeled volume, not its weight.

Bulk soil quotes

Enter your supplier's price and ordering rules. We do not fetch or store quotes.

YOUR ESTIMATE UPDATES AS YOU TYPE

Soil shopping plan

Enter your first bed's measurements to see what to buy.

Start with one bed.

Enter its inside length, width, and target soil height.

Report a calculation issue

How this soil estimate works

For each rectangular raised bed, multiply its inside length by width and the soil depth you need to add. If soil is already in the bed, subtract its current height from the target height. Add the volumes from all beds before applying your extra allowance and rounding to whole bags or the supplier's order increment.

CORE FORMULALength (ft) × width (ft) × added depth (in) ÷ 12 = soil (ft³)Added depth is target soil height minus current soil height, never below zero. Divide ft³ by 27 for yd³.

Example: one 4 × 8 ft bed

Fill a 4 × 8 ft bed to 10 in. It needs 26.67 ft³ before allowance. At 10% extra, plan for 29.33 ft³, or about 1.09 yd³. For 2 ft³ bags, round up to 15 bags. A supplier selling in half-yard increments would quote 1.5 yd³, unless its minimum order is higher.

Check before buying

Use the inside dimensions and the soil height you actually plan to fill, not automatically the full wall height. Bag volume, settling, mixed fill materials, taxes, and supplier rules can change the final order. Prices appear only when you enter them. This is a purchasing estimate, not a guaranteed yield or a soil recipe.

See how to measure soil for a raised bed, compare your approach with the rounding method, or plan mulch for nearby beds.