One of the most common questions we hear at Soilutions is:
"How much is a cubic yard?"
Or sometimes:
"Why don't you sell your soil by the ton?"
The answer is actually pretty simple.
Volume Is More Accurate Than Weight
At Soilutions, we sell our compost, soils, and mulches by volume—specifically, the cubic yard—rather than by weight.
Why?
Because soil products naturally change weight depending on how much moisture they contain.
After a rainstorm, a cubic yard of compost can weigh significantly more than it does after a week of hot, dry New Mexico weather. The amount of product hasn't changed—only the amount of water it contains.
If products were sold by the ton, customers could receive very different amounts of material depending on the moisture content that day.
By measuring volume instead of weight, every customer receives the same amount of product regardless of whether it's freshly watered or not.
It's simply the fairest way to buy soil.
Not All Soil Products Weigh the Same
Even if moisture weren't a factor, different products naturally have different densities.
For example:
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Topsoil is relatively dense.
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Premium Garden Soil contains compost, sandy loam, coco coir, and pumice, making it lighter than topsoil alone.
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Mulches are lighter still because they're made primarily from wood products.
If everything were sold by weight, a ton of topsoil would occupy much less space than a ton of mulch.
When you're filling a raised bed or spreading mulch across your landscape, it's the amount of space the product fills—not how much it weighs—that matters most.
So...How Big Is a Cubic Yard?
A cubic yard measures:
📏 3 feet × 3 feet × 3 feet
That's 27 cubic feet of material.
If you're trying to picture it, it's roughly the size of a standard washer or dryer.
Another way to think about it:
One cubic yard equals approximately 27 one-cubic-foot bags of soil or mulch.
Buying in bulk often saves money while eliminating the plastic waste generated by dozens of individual bags.
Will It Fit in My Pickup?
Customers ask us this every day.
As a general rule:
🛻 Standard pickup bed: about 1 cubic yard
🛻 Long-bed pickup: up to 2 cubic yards
Actual capacity depends on your truck's payload rating, suspension, and the weight of the product you're purchasing. Our staff is always happy to help you determine a safe load.
How We Measure Every Load
Accuracy matters to us.
That's why our loaders use factory-measured buckets that have been calibrated to hold a known volume.
Whether you're purchasing one yard or twenty, our goal is simple:
You receive the amount of product you paid for.
Using measured buckets allows us to load products consistently and accurately every day.
🌱 The Bottom Line
When you're buying compost, soil, or mulch, volume is what matters. Moisture levels and product density change from day to day and from product to product, but a cubic yard is always the same size. That's why Soilutions measures every order by the cubic yard using factory-measured loader buckets—so you can be confident you're getting exactly what you paid for, every time.
