Calculators
Raised Bed Soil Calculator
Filling a new raised bed means buying soil by the bag or ordering bulk — but first you need cubic feet and cubic yards from the inside dimensions of the box.
Worked example: one 4 ft × 8 ft bed filled 12 inches deep equals 32 cubic feet (about 1.19 cubic yards), 32 one-cubic-foot bags, or 22 bags of 1.5 cubic feet.
Use the controls below for bed length, width, depth, and how many identical beds you are filling.
| Item | Area | Size | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total soil volume | — | 32 cu ft | 32.00 cu ft |
| Cubic yards | — | 1.2 cu yd | about 1.19 cu yd |
| 1 cu ft bags | — | 32 cu ft | 32 bags |
| 1.5 cu ft bags | — | 32 cu ft | 22 bags |
Assumptions
- Bed size: 4 × 8 ft
- Soil depth: 12 in
- Identical beds: 1
- Volume: 32.00 cu ft
- Cubic yards: 1.19 cu yd
- Bag counts round up to whole bags (1 cu ft and 1.5 cu ft sizes).
Supplies checklist
- Garden fork or shovel for mixing and filling
- Wheelbarrow or tub for moving soil
- Landscape fabric (optional, under the mix)
Estimates only. Check the coverage figure on your product before buying.
The Handy Pages · thehandypages.com
Handy gear for filling raised garden beds
- Bagged raised-bed soil mix sized for vegetable and flower beds (opens in new tab)
- Raised garden bed kit with lumber or composite sides (opens in new tab)
- Garden fork or cultivator for blending soil and compost (opens in new tab)
- Wheelbarrow or tub for moving soil to the bed (opens in new tab)
Find these on Amazon (opens in new tab)
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