Topsoil calculator for New Mexico
Find yardage for lawns, beds, and finish grading by choosing the depth first.
Enter your project dimensions
Choose the intended use before measuring, because depth changes the order more than area. At 4 inches, a 1,000-square-foot lawn requires 12 cubic yards, while a half-inch topdressing needs barely 1.5 yards. Enter the area and selected depth to calculate cubic yards, the sales unit for topsoil, and tons at about 2,200 lb per dry yard. Screening separates rock, roots, and clods from the soil, leaving less cleanup after it is spread.
Start with depth, then calculate
- Lawn topdressing: 1/4 to 1/2 inch, raked so the grass blades remain visible.
- Preparing to overseed: 1/2 to 1 inch.
- Seeded or sodded lawn: spread 4 to 6 inches over a loosened subgrade.
- Flower beds: 6 inches mixed into the native soil underneath.
- For raised vegetable beds, use 12 inches; a garden-soil blend is better suited to beds (see the Soil Calculator).
- In feet, measure your area, then choose a depth from the options above.
- Divide cubic feet by 27 to find cubic yards, then use yards × 1.1 for tons. The calculator performs both steps and includes 5% when the allowance remains selected.
Tons = cubic yards × 1.1
Coverage guide
| Depth | 1 cubic yard covers | 5 yards cover |
|---|---|---|
| 1/2 inch topdress | 648 sq ft | 3,240 sq ft |
| 2 inches | 162 sq ft | 810 sq ft |
| 4 inches | 81 sq ft | 405 sq ft |
| 6 inches | 54 sq ft | 270 sq ft |
| Project | Typical size | Depth | Volume | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New lawn, seed or sod | 1,000 sq ft | 4" | 12.3 yd³ | 13.6 tons |
| Lawn topdressing | 2,000 sq ft | 0.5" | 3.1 yd³ | 3.4 tons |
| New flower bed | 15 x 4 ft | 6" | 1.1 yd³ | 1.2 tons |
| Patch repairs around the yard | ≈ 150 sq ft | 2" | 0.9 yd³ | 1 tons |
| Finish grade over fill | 600 sq ft | 4" | 7.4 yd³ | 8.1 tons |
Example calculation: 1,000 square feet for a new lawn
For a 4-inch layer, 1,000 x 0.333 = 333 cubic feet = 12.3 cubic yards, or roughly 13.5 tons on the truck. Ordering 12.5 to 13 yards leaves material for edges and low spots. If more height is needed below, build that layer with fill dirt and reserve topsoil for the upper 4 inches where roots grow.
Screened topsoil and ways to assess a load
Topsoil is natural surface soil containing organic matter. During screening, mesh separates stones, roots, and clods. It should be dark, crumbly when handled, and earthy smelling rather than swampy. Press a moist handful together: it should make a loose ball that breaks when poked. A smooth ribbon points to heavy clay, while soil that cannot form a ball is mostly sand. Gray material or a sour odor can indicate wet, airless storage, and visible rhizomes can bring in weeds. Photograph material that seems unusual before spreading it.
Spread it with care
- Water can sit on a sealed layer, so loosen the subgrade an inch before applying topsoil. Four inches over sealed clay drains like a bathtub with the plug in.
- Keep water moving away from the house with a 6-inch drop across the first 10 feet.
- Settle the soil gently rather than stomping it. In properly settled topsoil, a footprint should press down about half an inch.
- Have the load delivered during the week it will be spread. A pile exposed to rain weighs a third more per shovel and smears rather than rakes.
Understanding topsoil orders
How much topsoil should I use for a new lawn?
What does one yard of topsoil weigh?
What does a yard of topsoil cost?
What area will a yard of topsoil cover?
What does topsoil mean?
Can topsoil go over established grass?
For beds, topsoil or garden soil?
Should I till before I add topsoil?
Other calculators
Arrange soil delivery
Order screened topsoil by the cubic yard with free delivery throughout New Mexico.
