How many litres are in a bulk bag of topsoil?
Last reviewed 1 July 2026
Short answer
Most UK topsoil bulk bags hold 700–800 litres, commonly quoted as 730 L or 0.73 m³. One cubic metre is 1,000 litres, so a bulk bag is roughly three-quarters of a cubic metre. Always check the stated volume — bags vary between suppliers and the difference across a multi-bag order is significant.
Work it out for your project with the topsoil calculator →
Litres, cubic metres and bags
| Volume | Litres | Cubic metres | Bulk bags at 730 L | 25 L bags |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 bulk bag | 730 | 0.73 | 1 | 29 |
| 1 cubic metre | 1,000 | 1.00 | 1.4 | 40 |
| 1 cubic yard | 765 | 0.765 | 1.05 | 31 |
| Raised bed 2.4 × 1.2 × 0.4 m | 1,152 | 1.15 | 1.6 | 46 |
Why soil is sold by volume and gravel by weight
Aggregate has a fairly predictable density, so weight is a reliable proxy for how much material you get. Topsoil does not: the same soil can be 1,100 kg/m³ after a dry fortnight and 1,500 kg/m³ after heavy rain.
Selling soil by weight would mean the buyer pays for water. Selling it by volume means the buyer gets a predictable amount of ground covered, which is what they actually care about.
This is why a 'one tonne bag' of aggregate and a 'bulk bag' of topsoil are different things, and why comparing them by name gets people into trouble.
Important: Bag volume varies by supplier
Converting a bed into bags
Work out the volume in litres, then divide by the bag volume and round up.
A raised bed 2.4 m × 1.2 m internal, filled to 400 mm, is 2.4 × 1.2 × 0.4 = 1.152 m³, or 1,152 litres. Add 20% for settlement and you need 1,382 litres — two 730 L bulk bags, or 56 bags of 25 litres.
The 25-litre bag comparison is instructive: 56 bags is an entire car boot several times over, and usually costs far more than two bulk bags.
Handling a bulk bag
- A 0.73 m³ bag of topsoil weighs around 950 kg. It cannot be moved by hand once it is on the ground.
- The delivery lorry needs to place it where you want it. Decide before it arrives, and make sure the ground there is firm and level.
- Cut the bag down the side rather than opening the top, so the soil slumps out instead of having to be dug upwards.
- Empty it promptly. A bulk bag left on a lawn kills the grass under it in a couple of days.
Safety notice: Material planning only