About SoilSum
Engineering mathematical clarity for residential gardens, commercial groundskeeping, and agronomic planning.
Why We Built SoilSum
Estimating landscape materials should never be a guessing game. Every spring, homeowners and landscapers either buy too few bags of mulch—requiring multiple inconvenient trips to garden centers—or purchase costly bulk cubic yards that pile up unused.
SoilSum was created to solve this problem with exact geometric formulas, multi-area compound calculation, accurate bag volume conversions, and customizable settling cushions. We provide completely free, ad-light, high-precision tools that give you immediate answers in both US Customary and Metric systems.
Mathematical Rigor & Transparency
All our tools, including the Mulch Calculator, Fertilizer Calculator, and Plant Spacing Calculator, operate on transparent physical principles:
- Euclidean Geometry: Accurate area formulas for rectangles, standalone circles, concentric tree rings (annuli), and irregular triangles.
- Volume Conversion Constants: Rigorous 27 cubic feet per cubic yard and 46,656 cubic inches per cubic yard conversion factors.
- Empirical Settling Allowances: Factoring in real-world compaction of shredded organic matter and playground wood fibers.
- Zero Forced Sign-Ups: Instant browser-side computation without paywalls, gated results, or tracking cookies.
Editorial & Technical Standards
Our calculator models and agronomic reference guides are verified against standards published by university agricultural extension offices (such as Cornell, Penn State, and UC Davis Cooperative Extensions) and the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM).