Six yards of dirt is a volume measurement that represents a substantial amount of material for a landscaping or construction project. This measurement refers to six cubic yards, not a linear distance. Understanding this specific volume is the first step in planning any project, whether you are building a raised garden bed or leveling a large section of your lawn.
Understanding the Cubic Yard
Bulk materials like dirt, topsoil, and mulch are typically sold by the cubic yard, a measurement of volume. One cubic yard is defined as a cube that is three feet long, three feet wide, and three feet high, resulting in a total volume of 27 cubic feet.
Sellers use volume rather than weight for pricing because the weight of soil fluctuates based on its moisture content and composition. For example, dry, sandy topsoil weighs less than saturated, clay-heavy soil. Using the cubic yard guarantees the customer the same amount of physical material regardless of how wet it was on the day of delivery.
Physical Dimensions of Six Yards
Six cubic yards is a total volume of 162 cubic feet of material. When dumped, the material will not form a perfect cube but will settle into a conical or pyramid-like mound. A common way to visualize this volume is as a pile that is approximately nine feet long, nine feet wide, and two feet high at its peak.
To put the size into context, six cubic yards is equivalent to the volume of a small compact car or a large hot tub. Transporting this amount yourself requires multiple trips with a standard full-size pickup truck. Since most full-size pickup trucks can safely hold between 1.5 and 2 cubic yards, you would need to make three to four full trips to move the entire six yards. The sheer size of the mound will occupy a significant portion of a standard driveway or yard.
Weight and Delivery Logistics
The actual weight of six cubic yards of dirt varies depending on the soil type and its moisture level. A single cubic yard of dry topsoil weighs around 1,800 to 2,200 pounds, while wet, compacted clay soil can weigh up to 3,000 pounds. Six yards of dirt will weigh between 5.4 tons and 9 tons.
This substantial mass necessitates professional delivery using a small dump truck or a tandem-axle truck. Before delivery, the homeowner must ensure the drop-off location has adequate clearance for the truck to maneuver and raise its bed to dump the load. Placing the pile on a driveway requires considering the weight tolerance of the concrete or asphalt surface, as nearly ten tons of concentrated weight can cause damage. It is also important to place the pile on a protected surface, such as a tarp, to make clean-up easier.
Coverage Area and Spreading Estimates
The practical application of six cubic yards depends entirely on the desired depth of the material. A common formula for bulk materials states that one cubic yard covers 324 square feet at a one-inch depth.
Six cubic yards will cover approximately 1,944 square feet at a depth of one inch, which is suitable for a light top dressing or soil amendment. For more substantial projects, such as preparing a lawn area, a depth of three inches is often recommended. At three inches, six cubic yards will cover about 648 square feet, roughly the size of a medium-sized two-car garage floor. If the goal is to raise a garden bed or fill a depression with a six-inch layer, the coverage area will be reduced to about 324 square feet.