How Much Soil for a 2×6 Raised Bed?

Project Assumptions

This compact raised bed example uses a 10-inch fill height.

• Raised bed size: 2 ft x 6 ft
• Bed height: 10 inches
• Fill level: 100%
• Bag examples: 1.5 cu ft and 2 cu ft bags
• Simple soil mix: 60% topsoil, 30% compost, 10% aeration material

Step-by-step Calculation

Area = 2 x 6 = 12 sq ft. Height in feet = 10 / 12 = 0.833 ft.

Volume = 12 x 0.833 = 10 cu ft. Cubic yards = 10 / 27 = 0.37 cu yd.

Two-cubic-foot bags = 10 / 2 = 5 bags. One-and-a-half-cubic-foot bags = 10 / 1.5 = 6.67, so round up to 7 bags.

For a 60/30/10 mix, topsoil = 6 cu ft, compost = 3 cu ft, and aeration material = 1 cu ft.

Practical Buying Notes

A 2x6 raised bed is small enough that bagged soil is usually convenient. If you are filling multiple beds, bulk soil may become more practical.

Soil settles over time, so keeping one extra bag nearby can help with topping off later.

Common Mistakes

Small beds still need careful height conversion and rounded bag counts.

• Forgetting that 10 inches is not 1 foot.
• Not rounding up bag counts.
• Using dense soil with poor drainage.
• Filling the bed with only compost.
• Forgetting that soil settles after watering.