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MATERIAL CALCULATOR

Potting soil calculator.

Estimate growing-medium volume for rectangular or round containers.

KEEP YOUR PLAN

Give your project a name.

Save your measurements and quotes on this device. No account needed.

My saved projects

YOUR MEASUREMENTS

Use the depth and allowance from your project specification.

Bag sizes, weight & pricing +

Bag counts and prices apply to the main material only. Enter your supplier’s density to calculate weight.

Compare bags with bulk delivery +

Use the bag size and units above. Compare the same product at your supplier’s quoted prices. Enter small-bag contents above and its price below. Include each delivery charge; enter zero for pickup.

Bulk-bag quote · optional third option

Compare small bags, bulk bags and a loose load side by side. Each price is optional; include delivery once for each option.

Minimum and increment use the bulk quote unit. For half-yard orders, enter 0.5 as the increment. Zero uses the exact estimate. Check taxes, unloading charges and access separately. Weight quotes need your supplier’s bulk density.

Your soil blend +

Enter two materials and their percentages if you want to calculate a blend. Choose the proportions for your planting plan.

Gouache illustration of a timber raised bed with soil, leafy plants and terracotta pots.
AI-generated illustration, not a photograph of a completed project.
BEFORE YOU ORDER

Getting a useful estimate

A cylinder assumes straight walls. For tapered pots, break the volume into sections or use the manufacturer’s capacity.

Measure the space you need to fill. Rectangles use length and width; circles use diameter. For several sections, choose combined areas and add rectangles, then subtract exclusions. The final area must be greater than zero.

Use the container’s inside dimensions

The circular option calculates a cylinder. Measure the container’s inside diameter and remaining fill depth. A tapered pot holds less than a cylinder with the same top diameter and height.

University of Minnesota Extension explains how container growing media differ from raised-bed fill. Follow your planting plan when choosing a mix. If the pot is not straight-sided, use the manufacturer’s stated capacity.

University of Minnesota Extension: Raised bed gardens

Volume formula

Volume = area × depth × (1 + allowance ÷ 100)

Allowance applies once to each volume layer. No density or compaction factor is assumed. If buying by weight, enter the density for your supplier’s product in the units shown.

A worked example

An example 3-foot by 2-foot rectangle filled 10 inches deep needs 5.000 cubic feet, or 0.185185 cubic yards, without allowance. A 10% allowance gives 6 cubic feet. These are arithmetic examples, not recommended depths.

Calculate a two-component blend

Use internal bed or container measurements and the remaining depth to fill. An optional blend divides the total between two components at percentages you supply. The percentages must total 100. Full bags round up and may leave extra material.

Buying and checking quantities

Enter the volume printed on a bag, or its mass alongside supplier density. Counts round up to full bags. Costs use the purchasing unit and price you enter. Delivery is separate; labor and installation are outside this estimate. Copy or print your list to check with your supplier.

Sources & what they cover

  • NIST SI conversion factorsNational Institute of Standards and Technology

    Exact US customary and SI conversion factors; no material or installation recommendations.

    Source checked
  • Raised bed gardensUniversity of Minnesota Extension

    Raised-bed fill and distinctions between topsoil, compost and container media. No blend recipe imported.

    Source checked

We check what each reference covers. A source check does not mean a specialist has reviewed this tool. You supply the depths, densities, prices and blend proportions.

Operated by Pete CallaghanUpdated Not yet independently reviewedHow we check our toolsReport a correction