[greenasiamcabbagelooking]

Hi there folks,
i've nearly completed my raised boxes and am in the process of calculating how much top soil i will need to fill them.
i have 3 beds , the dimensions are : 40cm high x 70cm wide x 210cm long

i know how to work out the volume, but how do i then convert this figure into either litres or tonnes so i can then get the required amount of top soil ?

i'd be very grateful if someone could please work this out for me as it's beyond me   

many thanks
Robert

[paintedlady]

1 cubed cm =1ml.
1 litre = 1000ml
so 1 litre = 1000cm cubed

40 x 70 x 210 cm = 58 8000 cubed cm

therefore divide by 1000 = 588 litres 

LOL I think you'd better get a 2nd opinion

[Kate and her Ducks]

I did a similar calculation but only got 58l. That's only about a bag of compost so I'm thinking I went wrong somewhere. 10 bags sounds a lot more like it if you try imagining what it would look like.

Maths was never my strong point. 

[poultrygeist]

Yep. 588 litres = 0.588 cu. metres

Earth, loam, dry, excavated - 1.25 tonne/cubic meter
Earth, moist, excavated - 1.44 tonne/cubic meter
Earth, wet, excavated - 1.60 tonne/cubic meter
Earth, dense - 2.00 tonne/cubic meter
Earth, soft loose mud - 1.73 tonne/cubic meter
Earth, packed - 1.52 tonne/cubic meter

from here http://forum.onlineconversion.com/showthread.php?t=1176

So you need to know what consistency of soil you're looking for. Assuming dry loam it would be 1.25 * 0.588 = 0.735 tonnes
Substitute the density you want if the soil is moist or wet.

Hoep this helps

ROb

[Aunt Sally]

That's good pg

there is also a good converter here:

http://www.convert-me.com/en/convert/weight2volume#subs

Excavated moist soil converts from 588 litres to 0.84 tonnes

[poultrygeist]

It makes you realise how much weight you shift when you're digging 

Rob

[greenasiamcabbagelooking]

thanks for all your replies, as always,  a great help