How Much Topsoil to Level a Lawn or Fill Low Spots?

Updated 2026-09-12 · Yardly

A 500 sq ft lawn with an average 1-inch low spot needs about 1.7 cubic yards of topsoil — and you should spread it no more than about ½ inch at a time so the grass survives. Here’s the formula, the settling allowance, and the never-bury-the-lawn rule that separates a level yard from a dead one.

The leveling formula

Leveling is just a shallow volume spread over an area. The conversion is the same volume math every Yardly calculator uses:

(Area × Average depth ÷ 12) ÷ 27 × 1.10 = cubic yards of topsoil

Area in square feet, average depth in inches (the ”÷ 12” turns it to feet), ”÷ 27” is cubic feet to cubic yards, and ”× 1.10” is a settling allowance — filled soil compacts a bit under rain and foot traffic, so order slightly high.

The soil calculator and fill dirt calculator size the volume; for deep spots use fill dirt for the bulk and topsoil for the cap.

Worked examples

500 sq ft, average 1 in low:

• 500 × (1 ÷ 12) = 41.7 cu ft ÷ 27 = 1.5 cu yd
• × 1.10 = 1.7 cu yd → order 2

1,000 sq ft, average 2 in low:

• 1,000 × 0.167 = 167 cu ft ÷ 27 = 6.2 cu yd
• × 1.10 = 6.8 cu yd → order 7

2,000 sq ft topdressed ½ in:

• 2,000 × 0.0417 = 83.3 cu ft ÷ 27 = 3.1 cu yd
• × 1.10 = 3.4 cu yd → order 3½

Don’t bury the grass

This is the rule that ruins more leveling jobs than bad math:

• ½–1 inch per pass, max. Anything deeper smothers the turf. NC State Extension’s Carolina Lawns guide treats topdressing as a repeated light layer, not one heavy dump — the grass grows up through thin layers and stays alive.
• Over 2 inches total? Cut the high spots down to meet the lows, or strip the sod, fill, and re-lay it. Dumping 3–4 inches of soil on living grass kills it.
• Work it in. Rake thin layers into the existing turf so water and light reach the blades; don’t leave a cap sitting on top.

Topsoil vs fill dirt for deep spots

If a low spot is more than a couple of inches deep, filling the whole thing with bagged topsoil gets expensive fast:

1. Fill the bulk with fill dirt — cheaper per yard, and it’s the structural volume. Screened topsoil runs roughly 1.1–1.3 tons per cubic yard, while fill dirt is similar by weight but far less per yard at the yard.
2. Cap with 2–3 inches of topsoil to seed or lay sod into.
3. Overseed after. Bare topsoil washes and crusts; seed or sod within a day or two of finishing.

Weight figures like those come from the standard dry-basis density methods — ASTM C29/C29M measures bulk density on a dry basis and warns that wet material is heavier than the lab number, so order during a dry stretch if you can.

Keep reading

• Filling deep low spots cheaply? The fill dirt calculator sizes the structural volume under the soil.
• Seeding or sodding the top? The grass seed calculator and sod calculator size the cover.
• Building beds instead of a lawn? Topsoil for raised beds and lawns explains why soil density swings more than stone.

Frequently asked questions