Guide
How much does a yard of soil weigh?
From under 900 lb to well over a ton, depending on the mix and the water in it.
Short answer
A cubic yard of moist topsoil and compost blend weighs about 1,854 lb, close to a ton. Bulk sand and loam is about 2,360 lb, compost about 1,264 lb, and potting mix only 758 to 843 lb. Water matters too: every 10% of the volume that is water adds 169 lb, so the same yard is several hundred pounds heavier after rain. A yard is 27 cubic feet, or 14 bags of 2 cu ft.
A cubic yard, by mix
| Mix | lb per cubic yard | Tons | lb per 2 cu ft bag |
|---|---|---|---|
| potting mix (peat based) | 758 | 0.38 | 56 |
| potting mix (coir based) | 843 | 0.42 | 62 |
| Mel’s Mix (1:1:1) | 809 | 0.40 | 60 |
| topsoil and compost blend | 1,854 | 0.93 | 137 |
| compost only | 1,264 | 0.63 | 94 |
| sand and loam (bulk) | 2,360 | 1.18 | 175 |
These are the moist weights the raised bed calculator uses for its weight estimate: soil as it comes out of a bag or off a pile, damp but not soaked.
Wet against dry
Water weighs 1,686 lb per cubic yard, so each 10% of a yard that is water adds 169 lb. Soil holds a lot of it. Cornell’s crop advisor training puts the water held at field capacity, after a soaking has drained, at 15 to 25% of the volume in sandy soil, 35 to 45% in loam and 45 to 55% in clay. For soil in the ground, at the bulk densities soil scientists treat as normal:
| Soil | Dry density (g/cm³) | Dry lb | At field capacity, lb |
|---|---|---|---|
| Loam, textbook ideal (UNL) | 1.33 | 2,242 | 2,832 to 3,000 |
| Sandy soil, upper ideal limit (Illinois) | 1.60 | 2,697 | 2,950 to 3,118 |
| Clay soil, upper ideal limit (Illinois) | 1.10 | 1,854 | 2,613 to 2,781 |
The University of Nebraska’s soils lesson describes the ideal soil as half solids and half pore space, with a bulk density of 1.33 g/cm³. University of Illinois soil quality guidance gives 1.60 as the upper ideal for sandy soil and 1.10 for clay, and says root growth is restricted above 1.80 in sand and 1.47 in clay. Soil in the ground is heavier than the same soil delivered, because digging and screening loosen it and add air.
Compost and potting mix
Compost weight varies widely. Oregon State University Extension (EM 9217) puts screened compost at 50% moisture at about 1,000 lb a cubic yard, very wet compost at over 1,500, and as-delivered compost anywhere from 800 to more than 1,600. The calculator’s 1,264 lb sits in that range.
Potting mix is light because its base is light. Sphagnum peat is about 0.08 g/cm³ dry, which is 135 lb a cubic yard; the rest of the 758 lb a moist yard of peat mix weighs is mostly water. That is why a 2 cu ft bag can weigh 56 lb in the store and much less once it dries out.
Weigh your own
Oregon State’s method works for any pile: fill a 5 gallon bucket level, weigh it, subtract the empty bucket, and multiply by 40. That gives pounds per cubic yard for that material at today’s moisture.
How much soil is a cubic yard
| Cubic feet | 27 |
| Litres | 765 |
| Bags of 1 cu ft | 27 |
| Bags of 1.5 cu ft | 18 |
| Bags of 2 cu ft | 14 |
| Bags of 40 L | 20 |
| Bags of 50 L | 16 |
| Covers, 1 in deep | 324 sq ft |
| Covers, 3 in deep | 108 sq ft |
| Fills a 4 × 8 ft raised bed, after settling | about 9.0 in deep |
If you are hauling it yourself, compare the weight with the payload on your vehicle’s tire and loading label, on the driver’s door frame. The soil bag coverage page converts any bag size, and the raised bed calculator gives the volume and weight for your own bed.