Soil Volume Calculator

Soil Volume

{{ measurement_system === 'imperial' ? totalVolumeImperialDisplay : totalVolumeMetricDisplay }}

{{ measurement_system === 'imperial' ? totalVolumeMetricDisplay : totalVolumeImperialDisplay }}

{{ shapeLabel }} Depth {{ depthDisplayImperial }} / {{ depthDisplayMetric }} Beds {{ bedCountNumeric }} Overage {{ formatNumber(overage_percent, 0) }}% Loads {{ wheelbarrowLoadsDisplay }} Weight {{ materialWeightPoundsDisplay }} / {{ materialWeightKilogramsDisplay }}

Measurement system:

Bed shape:

Bed count:

beds

Fill depth:

Bed length:

Bed width:

Bed diameter:

Surface area:

Extra allowance:

{{ formatNumber(overage_percent, 0) }}%

Wheelbarrow capacity:

Bulk density:

Metric	Value	Copy
{{ row.label }}	{{ row.display }}

Enter your bed dimensions and depth to calculate soil volume for one or many beds.

Use Advanced settings to match wheelbarrow loads or estimate delivery weight.

Tags: Gardening , Productivity

Export to PDF Fullscreen

Embed:

Soil volume is the amount of material needed to reach a target depth across a garden bed or irregular plot. Estimating it well helps schedule deliveries and prevents shortfalls or waste.

You enter the bed shape and dimensions along with the intended depth and the number of identical beds. Results return total volume and per bed figures in everyday units so you can compare suppliers or plan weekend work.

An allowance for settling can be added to reduce the chance of running short after the first watering. If you know your wheelbarrow capacity you can turn the volume into an easy count of trips, and a bulk density figure converts volume to delivery weight for quick checks with a yard.

For example, a bed that measures 8 by 4 with a depth of 6 inches and a settling allowance of 10 percent comes out to about 0.65 cubic yards or roughly 498 liters, which is about three heaped trips with a 6 cubic foot barrow. Measure inside edges, keep units consistent, and round up when planning a delivery.

Estimates assume uniform depth and a level base, so real beds with lumps or edges may vary a little. Use the results as a practical guide rather than an exact promise.

Technical Details:

The quantities measured are length, width or diameter, surface area for irregular shapes, depth, and bed count. From these, geometric volume is calculated for one bed and then scaled by the number of beds and any extra allowance for settling.

Per bed volume comes from simple geometry. Rectangles use length times width times depth. Circles use the area of the circle times depth. If you already know the surface area for an irregular space, volume is that area times depth. A settling allowance multiplies the result by one plus the percentage.

Results are presented in cubic metres, cubic feet, cubic yards, and litres. When a wheelbarrow capacity is provided, the tool divides total volume by capacity to show the number of trips. If a bulk density is provided in pounds per cubic foot or kilograms per cubic metre, weight is estimated in both pounds and kilograms.

Comparisons are most reliable when measurements are taken from inside edges at soil level and depth is measured consistently. Volumes describe compact fill and do not account for soil structure, voids, or moisture.

\begin{array}{l} V_bed & = & l \times w \times d (rectangular) \\ V_bed & = & π \times {(\frac{D}{2})}^{2} \times d (circular) \\ V_bed & = & A \times d (irregular) \\ m & = & 1 + \frac{p}{100} \\ V_total & = & V_bed \times n \times m \end{array}

Symbols and units
Symbol	Meaning	Unit/Datatype	Source
l	Bed length	m	Input
w	Bed width	m	Input
d	Fill depth	m	Input
D	Bed diameter	m	Input
A	Surface area	m²	Input
n	Number of beds	integer	Input
p	Extra allowance	percent	Input
m	Allowance multiplier	dimensionless	Derived
V_bed	Per bed volume	m³	Derived
V_total	Total volume	m³	Derived

Worked example. Rectangular bed with length 8 ft, width 4 ft, depth 0.5 ft, one bed, allowance 10%.

\begin{array}{l} l = 2.4384 m \\ w = 1.2192 m \\ d = 0.1524 m \\ V_bed = 0.4530695 m^{3} \\ m = 1.10 \Rightarrow V_total = 0.4983765 m^{3} \end{array}

That is about 17.6 cu ft, 0.65 cu yd, and 498 L. With a 6 cu ft barrow this is about 2.9 loads. With 80 lb/ft³ density it weighs about 1408.6 lb or 638.7 kg.

Constants used
Constant	Value	Unit	Notes
FT_TO_M	0.3048	m/ft	Linear conversion
SQFT_TO_SQM	0.09290304	m²/ft²	Area conversion
CUFT_TO_CUM	0.028316846592	m³/ft³	Volume conversion
LITER_PER_CUM	1000	L/m³	Volume conversion
LB_PER_CUFT_TO_KG_PER_M3	16.01846337396	kg/m³ per lb/ft³	Density conversion
LB_PER_KG	2.20462262185	lb/kg	Mass conversion
CUFT_PER_CUYD	27	ft³/yd³	Volume relation
LB_PER_SHORT_TON	2000	lb	Weight relation
KG_PER_TONNE	1000	kg	Weight relation

Units, precision, and rounding:

Total volume shows m³ to three decimals and cu yd to two decimals. Per bed follows the same policy.
Cubic feet show one decimal and litres show whole numbers.
Depth displays two decimals in feet and three decimals in metres.
Wheelbarrow loads show one decimal. Capacity shows two decimals in cu ft and three decimals in m³.
Density shows one decimal in either system. Bed count is an integer that rounds to the nearest whole number.
Numeric rounding uses standard half up rules to the listed decimal places.

Validation and bounds
Field	Type	Min	Max	Step/Pattern	Error Text	Placeholder
Measurement system	Select	—	—	imperial \| metric	—	—
Bed shape	Select	—	—	rectangular \| circular \| area	—	—
Bed count	Number	1	—	1	Bed count must be at least 1.	1
Fill depth	Number	0	—	0.01	Depth must be greater than zero.	0.5 or 0.15
Length (rectangular)	Number	0	—	0.01	Length must be greater than zero for rectangular beds.	8 or 2.4
Width (rectangular)	Number	0	—	0.01	Width must be greater than zero for rectangular beds.	4 or 1.2
Diameter (circular)	Number	0	—	0.01	Diameter must be greater than zero for circular beds.	5 or 1.6
Surface area (irregular)	Number	0	—	0.1	Area must be greater than zero for irregular shapes.	150 or 14
Extra allowance	Range	0	40	1	—	10
Wheelbarrow capacity	Number	0	—	0.01	—	6 or 0.17
Bulk density	Number	0	—	0.1	—	80 or 1280

I/O formats:

Input and output formats
Input	Accepted Families	Output	Encoding/Precision	Rounding
Dimensions and counts	Numbers only	Table values	Unit labels with fixed decimals	Half up to listed places
Advanced options	Capacity and density	Loads and weight	Unit labels with fixed decimals	Half up to listed places
JSON view	N/A	Inputs and outputs	Indented JSON	Exact numeric fields

Networking & storage:

Processing is browser based and no network requests are made. Copy, download, and document exports are created locally.

Assumptions & limitations:

Uniform depth across each bed is assumed.
Rectangular and circular entries use inside dimensions at soil level.
Irregular areas assume a measured footprint without curves correction.
Settling allowance is a simple percentage multiplier.
Loads assume the barrow is filled to the stated capacity.
Density based weight assumes uniform bulk density.
Moisture, compaction, and particle size are not modeled.
Heads‑up Results do not account for wall thickness or sloped sides.
Very small beds may round to zero in litres.
Very large values may exceed typical yard delivery practices.

Edge cases & error sources:

Depth, length, width, diameter, or area at zero trigger validation messages.
Bed count rounds to the nearest whole number before calculation.
Allowance slider is limited to 0 to 40 while program logic clamps 0 to 100.
Wheelbarrow capacity at zero hides loads to avoid divide by zero.
Density at zero hides weight to avoid misleading values.
Floating point rounding may differ from hand calculators at the last digit.
Mixing units by mistake leads to incorrect volumes.
Area entry with inconsistent depth measurements skews results.
Copying values into spreadsheets may reformat units as text.
JSON consumers must handle numbers as decimals, not strings.
Browser number parsing ignores non numeric characters.
Rapid unit switching converts and rounds current values.

Privacy & compliance:

No data is transmitted or stored server side. Exports are generated locally in the page.

Step‑by‑Step Guide:

Soil volume estimation turns measurements into total and per bed quantities you can act on.

Select the measurement system and bed shape.
Enter the depth and the bed’s dimensions or surface area.
Set the bed count and adjust the settling allowance if needed.
Open Advanced to add wheelbarrow capacity or bulk density.
Review volumes in m³, cu ft, cu yd, and litres, plus loads and weight when provided.
Copy a value or download a summary if you need to share details.

Example: Circular bed with diameter 5 ft and depth 0.5 ft for two beds and 10% allowance gives a clear total volume and per bed result.

Measure inside edges to avoid counting wall thickness.
Keep depth consistent across all beds for fair comparisons.

FAQ:

Is my data stored?

No. All calculations and exports happen in the page and nothing is sent to a server.

Keep private notes out of shared files.

How accurate are the volumes?

They reflect geometry with the inputs you provide. Real outcomes vary with moisture, compaction, and uneven depth, so consider a small buffer.

Rounding is applied to keep figures readable.

Which units are supported?

Choose imperial or metric. You can enter feet or metres for dimensions, and results include m³, cu ft, cu yd, and litres.

Can I use it offline?

Yes. Once loaded, it works without a connection because all processing is done in the page.

What does allowance do?

It multiplies volume by one plus the percentage to cover settling or edge loss. Set it to zero to remove the buffer.

How do I calculate cubic yards of soil?

Enter your measurements and read the cu yd line in the results. The tool converts from basic geometry automatically.

Why are loads or weight missing?

They show only when wheelbarrow capacity or bulk density is set to a value greater than zero.

Does a result near the boundary matter?

If your plan sits just below a whole load or yard, round up to reduce the risk of running short after settling.

Troubleshooting:

No totals: check that depth and the relevant dimensions are greater than zero.
Unexpected units: confirm the measurement system before entering values.
Loads missing: set wheelbarrow capacity above zero.
Weight missing: set bulk density above zero.
Strange rounding: remember volumes round to fixed decimals for readability.
Switching systems changed numbers: conversions apply to current values and round to typical precision.

Blocking validation messages must be cleared before results appear. Ensure all required inputs are positive.

Glossary:

Cubic yard (cu yd): A volume equal to 27 cubic feet.
Cubic metre (m³): The SI unit of volume; 1000 litres.
Bulk density: Weight per unit volume including voids in a pile.
Settling allowance: Extra percentage added to cover compaction and loss.
Surface area: Measured footprint of an irregular space.
Wheelbarrow capacity: The volume a single barrow holds when leveled.