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How much soil for a 5x5 raised bed?

Filling a 5 × 5 ft raised bed 12 inches deep takes 25 cubic feet of soil: 0.93 cubic yards, or 17 bags of 1.5 cubic feet. Every extra inch of depth adds 2.08 cubic feet.

5 × 5 ft bed, filled 12 inches deep

25cubic feet at 12 in
0.93cubic yards
17bags of 1.5 ft³
+2.08ft³ per extra inch

Soil depth, inches

A 5 × 5 ft bed filled 12 inches deep, drawn across its 60-inch width. 12 in of soil 60 in inside width
Open these measurements in the soil calculator

Soil for a 5 × 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 in12.50.461713975
8 in16.670.6223171296
10 in20.830.77282114117
12 in250.93342517139
18 in37.51.395038251913
24 in501.856750342517

Measure inside the walls

The table uses the full 5 × 5 ft. If that is the outside size of a wooden bed built from boards 1½ inches thick, the growing space inside is 57 × 57 inches. At 12 inches deep that holds 22.56 cubic feet, 10% 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 57 × 57 inOutside 60 × 60 in · boards 1½ in thick

Beds sold at 5 × 5 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 0.93 cubic yards, use the bagged vs bulk soil calculator.

Other bed sizes