TOPSOIL CALCULATOR / FIELD GUIDE
Compare the order you’ll actually buy.
A smaller unit price can still lead to a bigger order. Compare the rounded quantities.
Bag and bulk prices use different units, and both can involve rounding. Start with the same measured volume and allowance for each option. Then round bags up to whole bags and bulk up to your supplier’s order increment before multiplying by prices.
One bed, two purchase options
A 20 × 10 ft area with a 3 inch added layer needs 50 ft³ without allowance. That is 25 bags of 2 ft³ each, or 1.85185… yd³. If the supplier’s increment is 0.25 yd³, the bulk order is 2 yd³.
| Option | Purchased quantity | Unit price | Material cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bags | 25 × 2 ft³ | $4 per bag | $100 |
| Bulk | 2 yd³ | $45 per yd³ | $90 |
Bulk buys 54 ft³ in this example, while bags buy 50 ft³. The price comparison accounts for that rounding. With 10% allowance instead, 55 ft³ requires 28 bags or 2.25 yd³ at the same increment: $112 versus $101.25 for materials.
Compare delivery separately
The calculator’s delivery field adds the same entered charge to both options. That is useful only when comparing an equal fee. If the bulk quote adds $60 delivery while bags are collected without a delivery fee, use 0 in the shared delivery field and compare $150 bulk delivered with $100 bag materials separately. Travel, vehicle capacity and handling can also affect your choice.
Read the supplier terms
- Is the quote per cubic yard, cubic metre, bag or weight?
- What are the minimum order and permitted increments?
- Are tax, unloading and any access charges included?
- Does the supplier describe loose or finished volume?
- For bags, what labelled volume and soil blend are you buying?
The tool rounds to the entered increment; it does not automatically impose an unentered minimum order. A weight quote also needs supplier density to compare with volume.
Keep the measurements with the price
Download the CSV or print the estimate after entering your supplier’s figures. Copy estimate link preserves the selected inputs so you can revisit a quote. The link contains those inputs, so avoid private information in area names. Use the coverage chart to check volume and depth before comparing costs.
Last revised 2026-10-19.