How much black dirt do you need?
Enter the size of the yard you are filling in. You get cubic yards, tons and truck loads of black dirt.
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How this was worked out
Assumes black dirt at 1.1 tons per cubic yard. Soil weighs more or less with its mix and the water in it, so ask your supplier for their number.
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About black dirt
Black dirt is the name many people use for dark topsoil, and most suppliers fill the order with screened topsoil. The dark color comes from rotted plant matter in the top layer of ground. Ask to see the pile, because a dark color alone does not prove it is good soil.
Also called screened topsoil.
More about black dirt
Black dirt is not a grade on any chart. In some places it means rich bottomland soil, in others it means any dark topsoil, and a few yards sell a blend of soil and compost under the name. Ask what is in it before the truck is loaded.
A good load crumbles in your hand, smells earthy and has few stones or roots. A load that is sticky and shiny when squeezed carries a lot of clay; it will still grow grass but drains slowly. Peaty black soil from low wet ground can shrink as it dries and leave the lawn lower than you graded it.
Use it where you would use topsoil: 4 to 6 inches for a new lawn, a thin layer raked into an old one, or mixed into a bed. It is weighed like topsoil too, so a wet load brings fewer yards per ton than a dry one. If the yard sells it by the scoop, ask how many scoops make a cubic yard.