Landscape Grading & Topsoil Calculator

ANA›Life Services Authority›National Calculator Authority›Landscape Grading & Topsoil Calculator

.calc-container { max-width: 640px; margin: 2rem 0; padding: 1.5rem; background: #fff; border: 1px solid #ddd; border-radius: 8px; box-shadow: 0 1px 3px rgba(0,0,0,0.06); font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, sans-serif; } .calc-container h3 { font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 1.15rem; color: #1a1a1a; margin-bottom: 1rem; padding-bottom: 0.5rem; border-bottom: 2px solid var(--ac, #3d5a80); } .calc-row { display: flex; align-items: center; gap: 0.75rem; margin-bottom: 0.75rem; flex-wrap: wrap; } .calc-row label { min-width: 160px; font-size: 0.9rem; color: #333; font-weight: 500; } .calc-row input[type="number"], .calc-row select { flex: 1; min-width: 120px; max-width: 200px; padding: 0.5rem 0.6rem; border: 1px solid #ccc; border-radius: 4px; font-size: 0.9rem; font-family: system-ui, sans-serif; color: #1a1a1a; background: #fafaf8; } .calc-row input:focus, .calc-row select:focus { outline: none; border-color: var(--ac, #3d5a80); box-shadow: 0 0 0 2px rgba(26,74,138,0.12); } .calc-row .unit { font-size: 0.82rem; color: #888; min-width: 30px; } .calc-btn { display: inline-block; margin-top: 0.5rem; padding: 0.55rem 1.5rem; background: var(--ac, #3d5a80); color: #fff; border: none; border-radius: 4px; font-size: 0.9rem; font-weight: 600; cursor: pointer; font-family: system-ui, sans-serif; } .calc-btn:hover { opacity: 0.9; } .calc-result { margin-top: 1.25rem; padding: 1rem 1.25rem; background: #f0f6fc; border-left: 3px solid var(--ac, #3d5a80); border-radius: 0 6px 6px 0; display: none; } .calc-result.visible { display: block; } .calc-result-label { font-size: 0.78rem; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 0.06em; color: #666; margin-bottom: 0.25rem; } .calc-result-value { font-size: 1.6rem; font-weight: 700; color: var(--ac, #3d5a80); } .calc-result-detail { font-size: 0.85rem; color: #555; margin-top: 0.5rem; line-height: 1.5; } .calc-note { margin-top: 1rem; font-size: 0.8rem; color: #888; font-style: italic; } .calc-grid { display: grid; grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr; gap: 0.75rem; margin-top: 0.75rem; } .calc-grid-item { padding: 0.6rem 0.8rem; background: #f8f9fa; border-radius: 4px; border: 1px solid #eee; } .calc-grid-item .label { font-size: 0.75rem; color: #888; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 0.04em; } .calc-grid-item .value { font-size: 1.1rem; font-weight: 600; color: #1a1a1a; } @media (max-width: 720px) { .calc-row { flex-direction: column; align-items: flex-start; gap: 0.3rem; } .calc-row label { min-width: auto; } .calc-row input[type="number"], .calc-row select { max-width: 100%; width: 100%; } .calc-grid { grid-template-columns: 1fr; } } .calc-chart { margin: 1rem 0; text-align: center; } .calc-chart svg { max-width: 100%; height: auto; } .calc-chart-legend { display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; justify-content: center; gap: 0.6rem 1.2rem; margin-top: 0.6rem; font-size: 0.8rem; color: #555; } .calc-chart-legend span { display: inline-flex; align-items: center; gap: 0.3rem; } .calc-chart-legend i { display: inline-block; width: 10px; height: 10px; border-radius: 2px; font-style: normal; } .calc-related { max-width: 640px; margin: 2rem 0 1rem; padding: 1.25rem 1.5rem; background: #f8f9fa; border: 1px solid #e8e8e8; border-radius: 8px; } .calc-related h3 { font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 1rem; color: #1a1a1a; margin: 0 0 0.75rem; padding-bottom: 0.4rem; border-bottom: 2px solid var(--ac, #3d5a80); } .calc-related-list { list-style: none; padding: 0; margin: 0 0 0.75rem; display: grid; grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr; gap: 0.4rem 1.5rem; } .calc-related-list li a { font-size: 0.88rem; color: var(--ac, #3d5a80); text-decoration: none; } .calc-related-list li a:hover { text-decoration: underline; } .calc-browse-all { margin: 0.5rem 0 0; font-size: 0.9rem; font-weight: 600; } .calc-browse-all a { color: var(--ac, #3d5a80); text-decoration: none; } .calc-browse-all a:hover { text-decoration: underline; } @media (max-width: 720px) { .calc-related-list { grid-template-columns: 1fr; } }

Landscape Grading & Topsoil Calculator

Calculate the volume, weight, and estimated cost of topsoil needed to grade and fill a landscape area to a desired depth.

Area Length (ft)

Area Width (ft)

Topsoil Depth (inches)

Slope / Grade (%)

Enter 0 if flat. Used to estimate extra fill on the low side.

Compaction Factor (%)

Typical loose topsoil compacts 15–25% after settling.

Topsoil Price ($/cubic yard)

Leave blank to skip cost estimate.

Delivery Fee ($)

Calculate

function lanCalc() { const resultEl = document.getElementById('lan-result'); const errorEl = document.getElementById('lan-error'); resultEl.style.display = 'none'; errorEl.style.display = 'none';

// --- Inputs --- const length = parseFloat(document.getElementById('lan-length').value); const width = parseFloat(document.getElementById('lan-width').value); const depthIn = parseFloat(document.getElementById('lan-depth').value); const slopePct = parseFloat(document.getElementById('lan-slope').value) || 0; const compactPct = parseFloat(document.getElementById('lan-compaction').value); const price = parseFloat(document.getElementById('lan-price').value); const delivery = parseFloat(document.getElementById('lan-delivery').value) || 0;

// --- Validation --- const errors = []; if (isNaN(length) || length 100) errors.push("Slope must be between 0 and 100%."); if (isNaN(compactPct) || compactPct 60) errors.push("Compaction Factor must be between 0 and 60%.");

if (errors.length > 0) { errorEl.innerHTML = "" + errors.map(e => "").join("") + ""; errorEl.style.display = 'block'; return; }

// --- Core Calculations ---

// Base area in square feet const areaSqFt = length * width;

// Convert depth from inches to feet const depthFt = depthIn / 12;

// Slope adds extra fill on the low side. // Extra average depth = (slope% / 100) * width / 2 (triangular wedge across width) const slopeExtraDepthFt = (slopePct / 100) * width / 2;

// Effective average depth including slope compensation const effectiveDepthFt = depthFt + slopeExtraDepthFt;

// Net volume needed (cubic feet) — what ends up in place after compaction const netVolumeCuFt = areaSqFt * effectiveDepthFt;

// Loose volume to order accounts for compaction settling // looseVolume = netVolume / (1 - compaction/100) const compactionFactor = compactPct / 100; const looseVolumeCuFt = netVolumeCuFt / (1 - compactionFactor);

// Convert to cubic yards (1 cu yd = 27 cu ft) const netVolumeCuYd = netVolumeCuFt / 27; const looseVolumeCuYd = looseVolumeCuFt / 27;

// Weight: average bulk density of topsoil ≈ 2,000 lb/cu yd (loose) const bulkDensityLbPerCuYd = 2000; const weightLb = looseVolumeCuYd * bulkDensityLbPerCuYd; const weightTon = weightLb / 2000;

// Number of standard pickup truck loads (≈ 0.5 cu yd) and dump truck loads (≈ 10 cu yd) const pickupLoads = Math.ceil(looseVolumeCuYd / 0.5); const dumpLoads = Math.ceil(looseVolumeCuYd / 10);

// Cost let costHTML = ''; if (!isNaN(price) && price > 0) { const materialCost = looseVolumeCuYd * price; const totalCost = materialCost + delivery; costHTML = Material Cost$${materialCost.toFixed(2)} Delivery Fee$${delivery.toFixed(2)} **Total Estimated Cost****$${totalCost.toFixed(2)}**; }

// --- Output --- resultEl.innerHTML = ` ### Results

ParameterValue Area${areaSqFt.toLocaleString()} sq ft Average Effective Depth${(effectiveDepthFt * 12).toFixed(2)} in (${effectiveDepthFt.toFixed(3)} ft) Net Volume (in place)${netVolumeCuFt.toFixed(2)} cu ft  |  ${netVolumeCuYd.toFixed(2)} cu yd Loose Volume to Order${looseVolumeCuFt.toFixed(2)} cu ft  |  ${looseVolumeCuYd.toFixed(2)} cu yd Estimated Weight (loose)${weightLb.toLocaleString(undefined,{maximumFractionDigits:0})} lb  |  ${weightTon.toFixed(2)} tons Pickup Truck Loads (~0.5 cu yd)${pickupLoads} Dump Truck Loads (~10 cu yd)${dumpLoads} ${costHTML}

`; resultEl.style.display = 'block'; }

#### Formulas Used

Area: A = Length × Width (ft²)

Slope Extra Depth: dslope = (Slope% ÷ 100) × Width ÷ 2  (ft) — triangular wedge average across the graded width

Effective Average Depth: deff = dbase + dslope  (ft)

Net Volume (in place): Vnet = A × deff  (ft³) → ÷ 27 = yd³

Loose Volume to Order: Vloose = Vnet ÷ (1 − Compaction Factor)  — accounts for settling after placement

Weight: W = Vloose (yd³) × 2,000 lb/yd³

Total Cost: Cost = Vloose × Price/yd³ + Delivery Fee

#### Assumptions & References

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References

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