Fill Dirt Delivery in Rochester, NY
Bulk fill dirt delivered in Rochester, NY. Brown color.
Starting from $473.18 delivered to Rochester for 2 tons, our minimum order
Rochester sits on the Lake Ontario plain, where many lots are flat, wet in spring and short on usable grade. Fill dirt delivery in Rochester, NY solves that: brown subsoil sold by the ton, dumped where you need it, with the delivered price calculated for your ZIP.
Where fill dirt gets used around Rochester
With about 210,000 residents and a mix of older neighborhoods and newer subdivisions, the city sees steady demand for dirt that simply takes up space and holds a load. Common jobs include:
- Raising a low backyard so water drains toward the street instead of the foundation.
- Backfilling around a new foundation, a retaining wall or a removed pool.
- Building up a base for a shed pad, a patio or a driveway.
- Filling a trench after a utility or drain tile repair.
Fill dirt is not a planting soil. For a lawn or garden bed, spread a layer of Premium Screened Topsoil over the fill once it is graded.
How much fill dirt to order
Start with the footprint. On a Rochester fill dirt job, multiply the length and width in feet by the depth in inches, then divide by 324 to get cubic yards. Then convert: because this material is sold by the ton, multiply the yards by about 1.1 to get tons. A 20 by 15 foot low spot filled 6 inches deep works out to about 5.6 cubic yards, or roughly 6 tons.
Fill that is dumped loose will pack down once it is tamped or rained on, so add about 10 to 15 percent to your total. If you would rather not do the math by hand, the calculator handles the conversion from dimensions to tons. The smallest order is 2 tons, which covers a small patch or a few wheelbarrow loads of backfill.
Getting the delivery in place
Choose a drop spot on firm ground that the truck can reach without crossing a soft lawn or a septic field, and leave room overhead for the bed to tip. The load goes down in one pile, so decide the spot before the truck arrives. Find the details for your block on the page for delivery in Rochester.
Spread in lifts of about 6 inches and compact each one before adding the next. A rented plate compactor does a better job than a shovel and a few passes with the truck tires.
Grading and drainage after the dirt lands
Fill is only as good as the slope you leave behind. Aim for a fall of about 1 inch per 4 feet moving away from the house for the first 10 feet. Lake-effect snow melts fast in March, and a flat or reverse grade sends that water straight to the basement wall. Rake the pile out roughly level, check it with a string line, and tamp the final surface before it gets topsoil, sod or stone.
Let newly placed fill sit through a few rains before building on it. Settling shows up quickly in the first wet spell, and a quick top-up is far easier before a patio or walkway goes over it.
Pricing for Fill Dirt in Rochester
Fill dirt is priced per ton, and the number you see is the delivered price for your ZIP, not a pickup price you have to add freight to. Enter your ZIP on the product page and the live engine shows the total. Larger orders get a lower rate per ton, so a full job often costs less per ton than two separate small ones.
Pair it with other materials
Many Rochester projects use more than one product. A driveway or shed pad often takes fill dirt as the lower layer and Crushed Stone as the surface course. After planting beds are built, Mulch finishes the top and slows weeds. Browse all of Fill Dirt in New York for the rest of the state.
About Fill Dirt
Fill dirt is subsoil: a brown, compacted-friendly mix of clay, sand and silt that is dug from below the topsoil if you want grass.
It is sold by the ton here, and a cubic yard of fill dirt weighs roughly 2,200 lb, a little over a ton. Material is delivered loose in a dump truck. The delivered price for your ZIP appears on the page, and larger orders get a lower rate per ton.
What Fill Dirt costs in Rochester
Around Rochester, fill dirt is quoted by the ton with delivery layered in based on distance from the closest yard. Send your ZIP and load size and we will send back a same-hour quote with the truck rate and the per-ton figure spelled out. Plan on roughly 98 sq ft of coverage per ton at 3 inches deep, which puts a single-car driveway in the 4 to 7 ton bracket.
How crews use Fill Dirt in Rochester
Rochester contractors keep fill dirt on the order sheet for a short list of standard installs. Top of the list is erosion control, where the material is rolled out in tight urban lots and infill builds and screeded to grade. Right behind that is driveway gravel, common in dense neighborhoods where curb access is short and often paired with edging or fabric below the lift. Rochester sits at about 210,000 residents, which means we see steady weekday traffic from landscape crews and weekend pickups from owner-builders.
Delivery day in Rochester
Delivery in Rochester runs out of the nearest pit; you get a two hour arrival window the evening prior and a call when the driver leaves the scale. Plan for 12 ft of clear path for a tandem and 14 ft for a tri-axle, plus a level area at the dump point so the bed lifts straight. Standard lead time on this lane is Mon-Sat, with same-day windows held open for orders that hit the desk before 11 AM and clear payment.
Related materials we deliver in Rochester
Price by ZIP- SizeScreened, no size grade
- Density2200 lb/yd³
- ColorDark brown
Price by ZIP- Density2000 lb/yd³
- ColorDark brown
Price by ZIP- Density1000 lb/yd³
- ColorDark brown
Estimate how much you need
Work out your material
A planning figure, not a guarantee. Order roughly a tenth extra to cover settling and uneven ground.
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Common uses for Fill Dirt in Rochester
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Can fill be placed when the ground is frozen or soggy?
It is better to wait. Fill spread over frost settles unevenly once the ground thaws, and a heavy truck leaves deep ruts in a soft, saturated lawn. Rochester's spring thaw can leave lots wet for weeks, so pick a day when the ground is firm and free of standing water, and have your drop spot cleared of snow or debris first.
How is fill dirt different from topsoil?
Topsoil is the dark, organic upper layer of ground and is meant for plants. Fill dirt comes from deeper down, is mostly clay, sand and silt, and is meant to take up volume and compact. It suits bulk filling well, so choose it when volume and stability matter more than a fine surface.
What weight should I expect per cubic yard?
A cubic yard of fill dirt weighs roughly 2,200 lb, so a ton covers a bit less than one cubic yard. Moisture changes this some, because wet dirt is heavier. That is why the order is placed by the ton and not by volume, and why the calculator output is a good starting point.
Can fill dirt be used under a concrete slab?
Yes, as long as it is spread in thin lifts and compacted well. Many builders put a layer of crushed stone on top of the compacted fill before pouring. Check your local building rules and any engineer's plans, since some slabs need a specific compaction test before the concrete goes in.
Will the dirt contain rocks or debris?
Fill dirt is not screened to the same standard as topsoil layer, or rake out the larger pieces before you finish grading.
How do I keep the pile from washing into the street?
Place it on the driveway or a tarp, away from storm drains, and cover it if rain is coming. Rochester gets plenty of wet weather off the lake, and loose dirt runs fast. Spread the pile soon after it lands and move any spillover from the curb with a shovel.
Can I order a mix of materials in one go?
Each product is its own order, with its own tonnage and its own delivered price for your ZIP. That lets you size each load to the job, such as fill for the base and a smaller amount of stone or mulch for the finish. Add each one to the cart and check out together.
What if I am not sure how deep to fill?
Stake the corners, run a string line at your finished height, and measure down to the ground at several points. Average those readings for the depth. For a low spot, measure at the deepest part and the edges.