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How much soil for a 3x5 raised bed?

Filling a 3 × 5 ft raised bed 12 inches deep takes 15 cubic feet of soil: 0.56 cubic yards, or 10 bags of 1.5 cubic feet. Every extra inch of depth adds 1.25 cubic feet.

3 × 5 ft bed, filled 12 inches deep

15cubic feet at 12 in
0.56cubic yards
10bags of 1.5 ft³
+1.25ft³ per extra inch

or mix your own: 7 topsoil+4 compost

  • About 1,200 lb: one trip in a vehicle with 1,250 lb of room after its driver, or one delivered load.
  • 0.56 cubic yards in bulk. Suppliers’ minimum loads run 1 to 5 yards, so get one delivered quote before buying 10 bags.

Soil depth, inches

A 3 × 5 ft bed filled 12 inches deep, drawn across its 36-inch width. 12 in of soil 36 in inside width
Bags of two-thirds topsoil, one-third compost, the University of Minnesota Extension’s mix. Weight as screened topsoil at 2,200 lb a cubic yard.
Open these measurements in the soil calculator

Soil for a 3 × 5 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 in7.50.28108543
8 in100.371410754
10 in12.50.461713975
12 in150.5620151085
18 in22.50.83302315128
24 in301.114030201510

Measure inside the walls

The table uses the full 3 × 5 ft. If that is the outside size of a wooden bed built from boards 1½ inches thick, the growing space inside is 33 × 57 inches. At 12 inches deep that holds 13.06 cubic feet, 13% 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 33 × 57 inOutside 36 × 60 in · boards 1½ in thick

Beds sold at 3 × 5 ft

These are the beds we list in 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 0.56 cubic yards, use the bagged vs bulk soil calculator.

Other bed sizes