How much fill dirt do I need? (yards, tons and truckloads by area)
Area in square feet times depth in inches, divided by 324, is the cubic yards in place: 1,000 square feet raised 6 in is 18.5 cubic yards, and because fill is delivered loose and tamped down you order about 20% more, 22.2 yards, which is 27.2 tons and 3 loads of a 10-yard truck. The tables give the order for 100 to 5,000 square feet at 3, 6 and 12 in, a low spot, a shed pad, and metric.
Fill dirt by area and depth
Fill dirt at 90 lb per cubic foot, 20% added for compaction, 10-yard truckloads. In place is what ends up on the ground; order is what the truck brings. Change the depth, the compaction or the truck size in the topsoil and fill dirt calculator.
| Area | In place | To order | Weight | 10-yd loads |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 sq ft | 0.9 yd³ | 1.1 yd³ | 1.4 tons | 1 |
| 250 sq ft | 2.3 yd³ | 2.8 yd³ | 3.4 tons | 1 |
| 500 sq ft | 4.6 yd³ | 5.6 yd³ | 6.8 tons | 1 |
| 1,000 sq ft | 9.3 yd³ | 11.1 yd³ | 13.6 tons | 2 |
| 2,000 sq ft | 18.5 yd³ | 22.2 yd³ | 27.2 tons | 3 |
| 5,000 sq ft | 46.3 yd³ | 55.6 yd³ | 67.9 tons | 6 |
| Area | In place | To order | Weight | 10-yd loads |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 sq ft | 1.9 yd³ | 2.2 yd³ | 2.7 tons | 1 |
| 250 sq ft | 4.6 yd³ | 5.6 yd³ | 6.8 tons | 1 |
| 500 sq ft | 9.3 yd³ | 11.1 yd³ | 13.6 tons | 2 |
| 1,000 sq ft | 18.5 yd³ | 22.2 yd³ | 27.2 tons | 3 |
| 2,000 sq ft | 37 yd³ | 44.4 yd³ | 54.3 tons | 5 |
| 5,000 sq ft | 92.6 yd³ | 111.1 yd³ | 135.8 tons | 12 |
| Area | In place | To order | Weight | 10-yd loads |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 sq ft | 3.7 yd³ | 4.4 yd³ | 5.4 tons | 1 |
| 250 sq ft | 9.3 yd³ | 11.1 yd³ | 13.6 tons | 2 |
| 500 sq ft | 18.5 yd³ | 22.2 yd³ | 27.2 tons | 3 |
| 1,000 sq ft | 37 yd³ | 44.4 yd³ | 54.3 tons | 5 |
| 2,000 sq ft | 74.1 yd³ | 88.9 yd³ | 108.6 tons | 9 |
| 5,000 sq ft | 185.2 yd³ | 222.2 yd³ | 271.6 tons | 23 |
The 5,000 sq ft row at 12 in is 222 yards and 23 truckloads: at that size the supplier quotes by the load and the compaction is a machine job, not a hand tamper.
Low spots, pads and slopes
- A low spot is a dish, not a box: use half the deepest depth as the average. 300 sq ft dipping to 4 in is 2.22 yards to order.
- A pad for a shed or a slab is a box: 20 x 40 ft raised 8 in is 23.7 yards, 3 truckloads, compacted in 3 in lifts.
- A slope you are levelling is a wedge: half of length times width times the height at the deep end. 30 ft long, 20 ft wide, 12 in at the deep end is 30 × 20 × 1 ÷ 2 = 300 cubic feet, 11.1 yards in place.
- Leave the top 4 to 6 in for topsoil where anything will grow; fill dirt has no organic matter and grass on it stays thin. The topsoil guide has that layer.
Metric: cubic metres of fill
Area in square metres times depth in metres, plus 20%; an 8 m³ tipper is the usual small delivery. Fill at 1.45 t/m³ is 1.74 tonnes ordered for each cubic metre in place.
| Area | Depth | In place | To order | Tonnes | Loads |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 m² | 10 cm | 2 m³ | 2.4 m³ | 3.5 | 1 |
| 20 m² | 20 cm | 4 m³ | 4.8 m³ | 7 | 1 |
| 50 m² | 10 cm | 5 m³ | 6 m³ | 8.7 | 1 |
| 50 m² | 20 cm | 10 m³ | 12 m³ | 17.4 | 2 |
| 100 m² | 10 cm | 10 m³ | 12 m³ | 17.4 | 2 |
| 100 m² | 20 cm | 20 m³ | 24 m³ | 34.8 | 3 |
| 200 m² | 10 cm | 20 m³ | 24 m³ | 34.8 | 3 |
| 200 m² | 20 cm | 40 m³ | 48 m³ | 69.6 | 6 |
Before you order
- Ask what kind of fill it is: unscreened fill can have rocks, roots and rubble, and "clean fill" costs more because it does not. The fill dirt cost guide has the 2026 prices per yard and per truckload.
- Check where the truck can tip: a 10-yard load is about 12 tons on a truck that needs a straight run and firm ground, and moving the pile by wheelbarrow is 45 trips of 6 cubic feet.
- Order to the truck: 22.2 yards is 3 loads of 10 anyway, so ask for 30 and use the rest to grade around it.
Frequently asked questions
- How much fill dirt do I need for 1,000 square feet?
- 11.1 cubic yards to order at 3 in (9.3 in place), 22.2 at 6 in and 44.4 at 12 in, all with 20% for compaction. At 6 in that is 27.2 tons, 3 truckloads of 10 yards.
- How many square feet does a yard of fill dirt cover?
- 108 square feet at 3 in deep before compaction (100 square feet at 3 in is 0.93 yards), 54 at 6 in and 27 at 12 in. Tamped in place a yard covers about a fifth less, which is the 20% the tables add.
- How much does a yard of fill dirt weigh?
- About 2,400 lb, HomeGuide's 90 pounds per cubic foot, so a 10-yard truck carries 12.2 tons of it and a half-ton pickup takes well under half a yard. Wet clay is heavier; suppliers who sell by the ton weigh the truck.
- How much fill dirt to fill a low spot in the yard?
- Measure the deepest point and use about half of it as the average, because a low spot is a dish: a 20 x 15 ft dip 4 in deep in the middle is 300 square feet at an average 2 in, 1.85 yards in place and 2.22 to order, about 2.7 tons. Fill in 2 to 3 in lifts, tamp each, and finish the top 4 in with topsoil if grass goes on it.
- How much fill for a shed or garage pad?
- A 20 x 40 ft pad raised 8 in is 19.8 cubic yards in place and 23.7 to order, 29 tons in 3 truckloads. Compact it in lifts with a plate compactor; the slab's gravel base and the concrete are in the gravel and concrete calculators.
- Why order 20% more than the volume?
- Fill comes off the truck loose. Earthwork tables put common earth at 20 to 30% more volume loose than in the bank and 10 to 15% less once compacted, so a loose yard ends up as roughly 0.7 to 0.8 of a yard tamped in place. 20% covers a hand-tamped garden job; heavy clay compacted with a plate can take 30% or more, and the calculator's settlement field takes any figure.
More guides
- How much topsoil do I need? Bags and cubic yards by area
Cubic yards, tons and bags of topsoil for 100 to 2,000 sq ft at 2, 4 and 6 inches deep, the metric version in cubic metres and 40 L bags, and when to buy in bulk.
- How much is a yard of dirt? Fill dirt and topsoil cost (2026)
Fill dirt 5 to 25 and topsoil 10 to 50 per cubic yard delivered, US 2026 (HomeGuide): truckloads, delivery fees, bags, and what 1 to 30 yards cost for a lawn or low spot.
- How many bags of topsoil in a cubic yard? (40 lb, 1 and 2 cu ft bags)
36 bags of 40 lb (0.75 cu ft) make a cubic yard, 27 of 1 cu ft, 14 of 2 cu ft. Bags for 1 to 10 yards, what they cost against a bulk load, and where bags stop paying.
- How much does a cinder block garage cost? (blocks, mortar, grout and slab for 1, 2 and 3 car)
Blocks, mortar and grout for 1 to 3 car block garages, 12x20 to 36x24 ft, 8 ft walls, doors and windows taken off, plus the 4 in slab, at 2026 prices.
Last updated 2026-09-15. Figures are planning estimates from typical product data: check the yield, size or coverage printed on what you buy and round up.