What is the Weight of a Yard of Soil?

Typical Weights

• The only way to know the exact weight of soil is to weigh it. There are accepted average values for some types of soil. Clay has an average weight of 2,100 lbs. per cubic yard; topsoil is 2,700 lbs. per cubic yard, the same as loose dry sand. Compacted wet sand has an average weight of 3,200 lbs. per cubic yard.

A Yard of Soil

• A yard of soil is an area, not a volume. When builders refer to a yard of soil, they actually mean a cubic yard, the equivalent of 27 typical 1 cubic foot plastic bags of soil. Builders may also refer to it as "two scoops" because it is roughly equivalent to two digger buckets of soil.

Influencing Factors

• The addition of water, typically through precipitation, increases the weight of soil. For this reason many topsoil providers do not fill their delivery trucks. A truck filled to capacity with dry soil will become overweight if the soil becomes wet during transit. Soil is available sieved or untreated: untreated soil contains rocks and stones that increase its weight.