Raised Bed Soil Calculator — Soil Volume & Bag Estimate
Enter the dimensions of your raised bed and the desired soil depth to calculate how much soil you need. Results include cubic feet, cubic yards, liters, and an estimated bag count based on the bag size you enter.
What this calculator determines
It calculates the soil volume needed to fill a rectangular raised bed — in cubic feet, cubic yards, liters, and an estimated bag count — from the bed dimensions and soil depth.
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Examples
4×8 ft bed, 12 in deep
8 ft × 4 ft × 12 in, 1.5 cu ft bags
Calculation
- Depth: 12 in ÷ 12 = 1 ft
- Volume: 8 × 4 × 1 = 32 cu ft
- Cubic yards: 32 ÷ 27 = 1.19
- Bags: 32 ÷ 1.5 = 21.3 → 22 bags
32 cu ft (1.19 cu yd, ~22 bags)
Assumptions & Conventions
- Bed shape
- Assumes a rectangular bed; volume = length × width × depth.
- Fill depth
- Enter the depth you actually want to fill, not the full exterior bed height — most gardeners leave headroom at the top.
- Bag rounding
- The bag count is rounded up so the calculated volume is fully covered.
- Bag size
- Bag size defaults to 1.5 cubic feet and can be changed to match the product you buy.
- Unit conversions
- 1 cubic yard = 27 cubic feet; 1 cubic foot = 28.3168 liters.