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How much soil for a 2x4 raised bed?

Filling a 2 × 4 ft raised bed 12 inches deep takes 8 cubic feet of soil: 0.3 cubic yards, or 6 bags of 1.5 cubic feet. Every extra inch of depth adds 0.67 cubic feet.

2 × 4 ft bed, filled 12 inches deep

8cubic feet at 12 in
0.3cubic yards
6bags of 1.5 ft³
+0.67ft³ per extra inch

Soil depth, inches

A 2 × 4 ft bed filled 12 inches deep, drawn across its 24-inch width. 12 in of soil 24 in inside width
Open these measurements in the soil calculator

Soil for a 2 × 4 ft bed at each depth

Whole bags are rounded up. The bed’s wall height is not the soil depth: measure the depth you plan to fill.

Bags of
Soil depthCubic feetCubic yardsBags of ¾ ft³Bags of 1 ft³Bags of 1.5 ft³Bags of 2 ft³Bags of 3 ft³
6 in40.1564322
8 in5.330.286432
10 in6.670.2597543
12 in80.3118643
18 in120.441612864
24 in160.5922161186

Measure inside the walls

The table uses the full 2 × 4 ft. If that is the outside size of a wooden bed built from boards 1½ inches thick, the growing space inside is 21 × 45 inches. At 12 inches deep that holds 6.56 cubic feet, 18% less than the table. Metal and composite walls are thinner, but corner posts and braces still take space, so measure between the inner walls before you order.

Inside 21 × 45 inOutside 24 × 48 in · boards 1½ in thick

Beds sold at 2 × 4 ft

These beds in our catalogue are sold at this size. A maker’s stated capacity often differs from the table because the inside is smaller than the advertised size or the maker assumes a different fill depth.

Work out your own bed

Open these measurements in the soil calculator to change the depth, add more beds or split the fill into a mix. To compare the cost of bags with a bulk delivery for 0.3 cubic yards, use the bagged vs bulk soil calculator.

Other bed sizes