First time going with this company for mulch and it was an efficient process from start to finish. Website was easy—I told them exactly where I wanted the mulch put on my driveway, and it was delivered perfectly when I got home from work the next day. Best deal around when I c...
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How Much Fill Dirt Do I Need?
One cubic yard of fill dirt covers about 54 square feet at a 6 inch depth, and most jobs call for 6 to 12 inches depending on how much you're raising the grade. If you're bringing a low corner of a Lansing yard up 8 inches over a 200 square foot area, you're looking at roughly 5 cubic yards before compaction. Order by the cubic yard and round up slightly, since compacted fill settles below its loose volume.
What is a Yard?
A yard is approximately 27 cubic feet. As a general guideline, one yard of material can cover an area of about 100-160 square feet at a 2-3 inch depth.
First time going with this company for mulch and it was an efficient process from start to finish. Website was easy—I told them exactly where I wanted the mulch put on my driveway, and it was delivered perfectly when I got home from work the next day. Best deal around when I c...
How Much Fill Dirt Do I Need?
One cubic yard of fill dirt covers about 54 square feet at a 6 inch depth, and most jobs call for 6 to 12 inches depending on how much you're raising the grade. If you're bringing a low corner of a Lansing yard up 8 inches over a 200 square foot area, you're looking at roughly 5 cubic yards before compaction. Order by the cubic yard and round up slightly, since compacted fill settles below its loose volume.
What is a Yard?
A yard is approximately 27 cubic feet. As a general guideline, one yard of material can cover an area of about 100-160 square feet at a 2-3 inch depth.
First time going with this company for mulch and it was an efficient process from start to finish. Website was easy—I told them exactly where I wan...
Read full review
First time going with this company for mulch and it was an efficient process from start to finish. Website was easy—I told them exactly where I wanted the mulch put on my driveway, and it was delivered perfectly when I got home from work the next day. Best deal around when I compared it to competitors and I will definitely be becoming back.
Wonderful experience! They put the mulch exactly where we wanted. This mulch spread very easily and didn’t have the usual “mulch smell.” We will de...
Read full review
Wonderful experience! They put the mulch exactly where we wanted. This mulch spread very easily and didn’t have the usual “mulch smell.” We will definitely use again!
Most fill jobs get capped with a few inches of topsoil once the grade is where you want it, especially if lawn or landscaping goes on top. If you're backfilling around a foundation or pool, a layer of gravel underneath for drainage is worth considering given how slowly Lansing's clay soil sheds water. Compaction equipment, even a hand tamper for smaller jobs, finishes the work.
Place fill dirt in lifts of 6 to 8 inches and compact each one before adding the next, don't just dump a foot of material and walk away. In Lansing's clay soil, uncompacted fill holds water like a bathtub and settles unevenly over a year or two, which shows up as sinking spots near foundations or dips in the lawn right where you least want them. A rented plate compactor for a weekend handles most residential jobs fine.
Mulch Mound Pro Tip
The most common mistake is treating fill dirt like topsoil and planting straight into it. It's subsoil, low in organic matter and often heavy with clay content itself, so cap it with 4 to 6 inches of actual topsoil before seeding grass or putting in beds. Skip this step and you'll be fighting poor drainage and weak growth for seasons, especially given how compacted Lansing clay already runs.
Mulch Mound Pro Tip
If you're filling a large area, get a rough grading plan before you order so you're not paying to move material twice. It's often more efficient to bring in the full depth of fill in one delivery rather than topping off in small batches, since Lansing's freeze-thaw cycle between October and May can shift partially settled fill before you finish the job.
Grading and Filling in Lansing
Lansing sits on dense clay that holds water and compacts unevenly, which means low spots near foundations and low corners of yards tend to get worse, not better, over time. Fill dirt is the structural fix, used to build the grade back up before anything else goes down. With a growing season that runs roughly May 1 to October 10, most people here are moving fill in spring and fall shoulder seasons when the ground is workable but not frozen or saturated. This is subsoil, not topsoil, so plan to cap it before planting anything.
What Clean Fill Is
Clean fill is screened subsoil free of debris, roots, and contaminants. It is made for volume and grade, and it compacts predictably, which is exactly what you want under slabs, in trenches, and behind walls.
Fill Dirt vs Topsoil
Fill dirt builds the shape of the ground, topsoil grows things on top of it. Bring the grade up with fill, then cap it with 4 to 6 inches of topsoil anywhere grass or plants are going in.
Compact in Lifts
Place fill in layers of 4 to 6 inches and compact each one before adding the next. Dumping the full depth at once leaves voids that settle later, and settling is the one problem fill is supposed to solve.
Frequently Asked Questions
Click a question to see the answer
Answer
Can I plant grass or a garden directly in fill dirt?
No, fill dirt is a structural subsoil meant for raising grade, not a growing medium. Cap it with 4 to 6 inches of topsoil before seeding lawn or planting anything, otherwise you'll deal with poor drainage and weak growth, especially in Lansing's already clay-heavy ground.
Answer
How many cubic yards do I need to raise a 300 square foot low spot by 8 inches?
At 54 square feet per cubic yard at 6 inches, 8 inches over 300 square feet works out to roughly 7.5 cubic yards before compaction. Order a bit over that estimate since fill settles once compacted, and you don't want to come up short mid-job.
Answer
When is the best time to bring in fill dirt around Lansing?
Fill dirt work is driven by the project, not the calendar, but most Lansing homeowners schedule it in spring after the ground thaws or in fall before the first frost around October 10. Working the clay soil here when it's too wet makes compaction difficult, so aim for a stretch of dry weather.
Answer
Where will the delivery truck place the load?
The driver places the load as close to your work area as the truck can safely reach, based on where you direct them on delivery day. Make sure there's a clear path without low branches or narrow gates, since fill dirt loads are heavy and the truck needs solid, accessible ground.
Answer
What's the difference between fill dirt and topsoil for my project?
Fill dirt is subsoil used to raise or build up grade, it's structural and screened of debris but not meant to grow anything in. Topsoil is the organic-rich layer you put on top once the grade is set, for lawns, beds, or anywhere roots need to establish.
