Raised beds & containers

Soil Volume Calculator

List your raised beds, planters and pots with their sizes and quantities. The calculator adds up the volume and tells you how many bags of soil to buy, with extra for settling.

Containers

—Bags to buy
—Liters (with settling)
—Cubic feet
—Cubic yards
—Liters (no settling)
—Estimated cost

Calculated on your device. Nothing is uploaded to a server.

How to use the soil volume calculator

  1. List containersAdd each raised bed or pot type with its size and how many you have.
  2. Choose a bag sizePick the bag size on the shelf, such as 1.5 ft³, 8 qt or 50 L.
  3. Add settlingKeep 10 to 20% extra, because fresh soil settles after watering.

How the soil volume is calculated

Rectangular beds and planters use length × width × depth. Round pots use π × radius² × depth. Each volume is multiplied by the quantity and added together, then converted to liters, cubic feet and cubic yards. Bagged soil is labeled in different units in different places: cubic feet in the US, dry quarts for small potting mixes, and liters in most other countries. The calculator converts all of them, so you can compare bag sizes directly. Loose bagged soil settles noticeably after the first few waterings, so it helps to add a settling allowance.

Raised bed tip

Tall beds don't need to be filled completely with bagged soil. Many gardeners put logs, branches or cheaper fill in the bottom third.

Dry quarts vs liters

Potting mix labeled in quarts uses dry quarts, which are about 1.1 liters each. An 8 qt bag holds about 8.8 liters.

Soil Volume Calculator FAQ

How many bags of soil do I need for a 4×8 raised bed?

A 4 × 8 ft bed filled 12 in deep holds 32 cubic feet. That's about 22 bags of 1.5 ft³ before settling. Enter your own depth to check.

What does the settling allowance do?

It increases the volume to buy by the percentage you choose, because loose soil compacts after watering. A 10 to 20% allowance is typical.

How do I measure a round pot?

Measure the inside diameter across the top and the depth of soil you want. For tapered pots, the calculator slightly overestimates, which gives a little spare soil.

What is a dry quart?

A dry quart is about 1.101 liters. It's the unit used on bagged potting soil in the US.

Is my list saved?

Yes. Your containers and settings are saved in local storage in your browser.

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