Bulk topsoil runs $15 to $50 per cubic yard if you pick it up, $20 to $50 delivered for standard screened soil, and $40 to $80 for premium compost-enriched blends. Delivery adds $50 to $150 on small loads, and bagged soil costs three to four times the bulk rate by volume. Most homeowners end up spending $262 to $1,015 all-in. Here's what drives those numbers and how to order the right amount the first time.
Topsoil pricing follows quality tier more than anything else. The bands below reflect current supplier and cost-guide data:
| Type | Price per cubic yard | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Unscreened / fill dirt | $15-$25 | Cheapest; clods, roots, and stones included — fine for filling, wrong for growing |
| Screened loam (standard) | $20-$50 delivered | Sifted to roughly 3/8"; the default choice for lawns and beds |
| Premium blend (3-way mix) | $40-$80 | Topsoil + compost + sand or peat; what you want in a vegetable garden |
| Bagged (40-lb) | $2-$5 per bag | $72-$180 per yard equivalent — you're paying for the bag, not the soil |
One quirk of the market: "topsoil" is not a regulated word. Screened loam from a reputable landscape yard is a product; "topsoil" with no specification from a guy with a dump truck can be construction spoil with weed seed in it. Ask what's in it and where it came from before you pay, because a cheap yard of junk costs more to fix than a good yard costs to buy.
A 40-pound bag holds roughly half to three-quarters of a cubic foot depending on density and moisture. That works out to 40 to 55 bags per cubic yard. Run the per-bag price against it and the markup becomes obvious:
| Buying method | Per-yard equivalent | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bulk, picked up | $15-$50 | You need a truck or trailer; a yard weighs about a ton |
| Bulk, delivered | $20-$50 + $50-$150 flat fee | Delivery amortizes to nothing past about 5 yards |
| Bagged at $2-$5 each | $72-$180 | 36-54 bags per yard; sensible only under a yard of total need |
The break-even sits near one yard. Below that, bags are convenient — you can fit them in a car and stage them next to the work. Above it, bulk wins decisively, and your back will notice the difference too. Bagged soil is also usually blended and sterilized product, which can be a feature if you're filling planters rather than grading a lawn.
A flat delivery fee of $50 to $150 covers most small loads, and many suppliers drop the fee entirely once the order gets big enough. Three delivery realities worth planning around: bulk loads get dumped, so pick where the pile lands (a tarp under it saves the lawn or the driveway); dump trucks need clearance to reach the spot; and a "yard" of topsoil weighs roughly 2,000 lb when reasonably moist, ranging from about 1,700 lb dry to over a ton saturated. Suppliers quote by the yard or the ton — if yours quotes by weight, divide tonnage by about one ton per yard to get back to volume.
Volume is fixed arithmetic: cubic feet = area × depth ÷ 12, and yards = cubic feet ÷ 27. Add roughly 10% because nobody spreads to a uniform depth with a wheelbarrow and rake. Applied to real projects at a mid-range $30 per yard plus a $75 delivery:
| Project | Exact volume | Order (w/ 10%) | Material @ $30/yd | Total w/ delivery |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 200 sq ft bed, 3 in deep | 1.9 yd³ | 2 yd³ | $60 | $135 |
| 500 sq ft garden, 6 in deep | 9.3 yd³ | 10 yd³ | $306 | $381 |
| 1,200 sq ft lawn, 2 in topdress | 7.4 yd³ | 8 yd³ | $244 | $319 |
| 3,000 sq ft lawn, 4 in deep | 37 yd³ | 41 yd³ | $1,222 | $1,297* |
*Loads this size usually come on a tandem dump or split into two deliveries, and the flat fee often disappears — negotiate rather than assuming.
Depth should match the job. Overseeding wants a quarter to half inch. New turf wants 4 to 6 inches of rootable soil. Vegetable gardens commonly target 6 to 12 inches, but raised beds get a blend rather than straight topsoil. And deeper isn't automatically better — subsoil drainage matters as much as topsoil depth, which is why spending on 12 inches over hard clay buys you a bathtub.
Match the product to the planting. Lawns do well in screened loam. Vegetable gardens and perennial beds want the premium 3-way blend, since compost content feeds the soil instead of just sitting in it. Filling low spots behind a shed? Unscreened fill plus a thin cap of screened material saves real money. For anything graded against the foundation, keep the finished slope falling about 6 inches over the first 10 feet from the house — water management is part of the soil job whether the supplier mentions it or not.
Cubic yards, bag equivalents, and cost from your area, depth, and local price — waste factor included.
Topsoil Calculator →Budget $20-$50 per cubic yard delivered for standard screened topsoil, $40-$80 for premium blends, and $50-$150 for the truck to show up. Convert your project to yards before you call for quotes — the topsoil calculator does the area-and-depth math with the 10% cushion built in — and remember one yard covers 324 sq ft at an inch, 108 at three. If the same delivery can carry mulch for the beds you're topping, add it to the order; suppliers rarely charge a second delivery fee for a split load. And if the lawn plan involves new sod rather than seed, the sod calculator prices that side of the project.
Standard screened topsoil runs $15-$50 per cubic yard at pickup and $20-$50 delivered, while premium compost-enriched blends run $40-$80. Bagged soil works out to $72-$180 per yard, so bulk wins on anything over a yard.
A 40-lb bag holds roughly 0.5-0.75 cubic feet, so a cubic yard equals about 40-55 bags depending on density. At $2-$5 per bag, that is $72-$180 per yard of bagged soil versus $20-$50 delivered in bulk.
Delivery typically adds $50-$150 to a bulk order, and some suppliers waive it on large loads. A cubic yard of topsoil weighs roughly a ton, so even five yards is a real truck load, not a hatchback job.
New turf wants 4-6 inches of quality topsoil for root establishment, while overseeding an existing lawn needs only a quarter to half inch as a topdressing. That depth difference is the difference between 18.5 yards and 1.5 yards on a 1,000 sq ft lawn.
Multiply area in square feet by depth in inches, divide by 12 for cubic feet, then divide by 27 for cubic yards, and add about 10% for uneven spreading. A 500 sq ft garden at 6 inches needs about 10 yards; a 1,200 sq ft lawn topdressed at 2 inches needs about 8.