How much topsoil for a 50 x 50 area?
Short answer
- A 50 x 50 ft area is 2,500 square feet. At 4 inches deep it needs 30.86 cubic yards (833.3 cubic feet) of topsoil.
- With 10% extra: 36.7 tons or 917 bags of 1 cu ft (33.95 cubic yards).
- It's typically a new lawn of 2,500 sq ft.
Topsoil for a 50 x 50 area at 2, 4, 6 inches
Cubic yards are shown without extra so you can compare quotes. The other columns include 10% extra, and tons use 80 lb per cubic foot. Ask your supplier for the exact weight of their material.
Open this area in the topsoil calculator to change the size, depth, extra or material.
How the math works
50 ft × 50 ft = 2,500 sq ft. At 4 inches deep that's 2,500 × 4 ÷ 12 = 833.3 cubic feet, and ÷ 27 = 30.86 cubic yards. Adding 10% gives 916.7 cubic feet to buy.
How deep should it be?
Penn State Extension recommends at least 4 to 6 inches of good topsoil for a new lawn, measured after it settles. To improve an existing garden bed, Miracle-Gro's directions are to spread 2 to 3 inches and mix it into the top 6 to 8 inches. Loose soil settles once it's watered and walked on, which is why we add 10% extra.