Know your soil type before ordering
'Soil' covers everything from screened garden loam to cheap construction fill — and they're different products at different prices. <strong>Fill dirt</strong> (the calculator's 1.3 tons/yd³) is for raising grades and backfilling; <strong>topsoil</strong> is for anything that grows; <strong>compost blends</strong> are for beds. Match the product to the layer: fill below, topsoil above, compost on top.
Settle happens — order for it
Loose delivered soil settles 10–20% as air pockets collapse and organic matter breaks down, and raised beds can settle several inches in the first season. Order the calculated volume plus 15%, and expect to top up the following spring.