How Much Soil for a 6x12 Raised Bed?
Material needed
2.22 cubic yards
A 6 by 12 bed filled to 10 inches, topsoil at roughly 2,200 lb per cubic yard.
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How that number is worked out
These are the figures this page was built with and every line the calculator produces from them. Change anything above and all of it moves.
- Bed area72 sq ft
- Depth10 in
- MaterialTopsoil
Material needed2.22 cubic yards
| Volume | 60 cu ft |
|---|---|
| Cubic yards | 2.22most yards sell in half yard steps |
| Order in half yards | 2.5 cu yd |
| 2 cu ft bags, if bagging it | 30 |
| Approximate weight | 4,889 lb (2.44 tons) |
The material list this produces
| Material, cubic yards | 2.5 |
|---|---|
| Landscape fabric, sq ft | 72 |
| Edging, linear ft | 34 |
Fill depth compared
Here is the same bed at other depths.
| Fill depth | Material needed | Order in half yards |
|---|---|---|
| 6 in | 1.33 cubic yards | 1.5 cu yd |
| 8 in | 1.78 cubic yards | 2 cu yd |
| 10 in | 2.22 cubic yards | 2.5 cu yd |
| 12 in | 2.67 cubic yards | 3 cu yd |
What else matters here
At about 2,200 pounds a cubic yard, that much topsoil weighs close to 4,900 pounds, around two and a half tons.
What this calculator assumes
- Three inches is the usual mulch depth. Two is thin and will not hold weeds down, four starts to smother shallow roots and holds water against trunks.
- Weights are approximate and vary with moisture: mulch about 800 lb per cubic yard, topsoil 2200, gravel 2800, sand 2700.
- Bagged material is sold in 2 cubic foot bags, and there are 13.5 of those in a cubic yard.
Questions people ask
How much soil for a 6x12 raised bed?
About 2.22 cubic yards at a 10 inch fill, which is 60 cubic feet or roughly 30 bags at 2 cubic feet each.
How much does that soil weigh?
Close to 4,900 pounds of topsoil, so around two and a half tons.
The mulch and gravel calculator takes any dimensions you like and hands back the same list.
Other common sizes
7 more sizes are answered on the mulch and gravel calculator page