You can save yourself a fair bit of raking by asking one small question before the soil leaves the yard: has it been screened?
We hear bulk soil pickup vs processed delivery talked about as though pickup means rough soil and delivery means processed soil. They are separate choices. You can pick up screened topsoil, and you can have screened topsoil delivered.
The screening is what changes the material. Our soil goes through fine mesh so larger rocks, roots, sticks, weeds and debris stay out of the finer pile.
Once you know which soil you want, the ride home is easier to figure out.
Pick it up, or have a full cubic yard kept together in a Super Sack. Choose the soil first. Then choose how you want to receive it.
Bulk Soil Pickup vs Processed Delivery Starts Before Loading
“Bulk” tells you how much material you are dealing with. “Processed” tells you something about the condition of that material.
Our Screened Top Soil is available in a 1 cubic foot bag or by the cubic yard.
If you would rather keep a full yard contained at home, the same soil can come in a Super Sack, which holds one cubic yard, or 27 cubic feet.
So a cubic yard in a pickup order can be processed soil. A cubic yard arriving in a Super Sack can be the same processed soil.
Ask how the soil was prepared. Ask whether it went through a screen. Ask what the screen removes. Then look at pickup or delivery once you know what you are buying.
Raw vs Processed Soil Under the Rake
With raw vs processed soil, the difference is physical.
Raw or unscreened soil has skipped the screening step. Larger rocks, roots, sticks, weeds, clumps and other debris can remain mixed through the pile.
Processed Screened Top Soil has gone through fine mesh. The smaller particles pass through, while the oversized material is separated from the finer soil.
A rough pile can ask more of your rake because you may be stopping to pull larger pieces aside. Screened soil gives you a smoother, more consistent starting material.
| What You Are Comparing | Raw or Unscreened Soil | Screened Top Soil |
| Screening step | Has not gone through the screen | Passed through fine mesh |
| Larger material | Rocks, roots, sticks, weeds or clumps may remain | Oversized material is separated |
| Texture | Can be rough and inconsistent | Smoother and more consistent |
| Hand work | May need more sorting as you spread it | Fewer oversized pieces to pull aside |
| Ordering format | Varies by supplier | Available from us in bags and bulk quantities, with a Super Sack option |
If you are comparing the quality difference bulk soil can have from one yard to another, screening is one of the first things worth checking.
Where Processed Soil Earns Its Keep
Here is our view from the yard: spend on refinement where you are going to feel the refinement.
For buried fill where the texture will never become the finished surface, a rougher material may be enough. Save the finer screened material for the layer your rake, seed, sod or planting work will touch.
It also helps to match the blend to the job.
Screened Top Soil is our straightforward choice for general filling and grading. Nature’s Blend is made for levelling and over-seeding.
Premium TopDressing Mix is for building soil quality over time. Triple Mix is the richer choice for garden beds and planting areas.
If those names all blur into “dirt” when you are standing in the yard, you are in good company. Tell us what you are fixing and we can work backwards from there.
No question is a silly question here.
Screened Topsoil Delivery Can Still Be Bulk Soil
This is where screened topsoil delivery gets easier to understand.
Processed soil still comes in bulk quantities. One cubic yard is 27 cubic feet, regardless of whether you arrange pickup or choose a Super Sack.
A Super Sack keeps that cubic yard contained while you work.
Our Super Sacks have:
- A one-cubic-yard capacity, equal to 27 cubic feet
- Heavy-duty polypropylene construction
- A duffle top
- A spout bottom with corner lift loops
The same Screened Top Soil can go into the sack, so the choice is about how you want to manage the material once it reaches your property.
Having the material contained can be handy when you are working over several days or sharing a driveway.
For a wide-open job where you are ready to move several cubic yards, another bulk format may suit the work better. We would rather match the format to the job than push a Super Sack into every project.
For jobs where containment helps, our Super Sack options keep each cubic yard together while you work.
When Bulk Soil Pickup Makes Sense
Pickup can be straightforward when you already have a suitable way to move the material and you want to handle the trip yourself.
Start with quantity. One cubic yard is 27 cubic feet. That is a substantial amount of soil, so check the capacity of the vehicle or trailer you plan to use before loading.
Then think about where the soil is going at home.
If the project is right beside the driveway, the handling may be simple. If every shovel has to travel through a gate or around the house, delivery format starts to feel like part of the labour plan.
That is why bulk soil pickup vs processed delivery should never be decided by the words “pickup” and “delivery” alone. The soil condition, amount, access and handling plan all belong in the decision.
Four Checks Before You Order Soil
You can make the choice in this order:
- Name the job. Decide what the soil needs to do, such as filling, grading, levelling or preparing a finished surface.
- Choose the material. Decide whether screened soil or another blend fits that job.
- Work out the volume. Measure the area in feet and the depth in inches, then use our soil calculator to estimate cubic yards.
- Choose the handoff. Arrange pickup or delivery after you know the product and quantity.
This is the easiest way we know to compare bulk soil pickup vs processed delivery without letting transport drive the whole purchase.
If the job involves soil already sitting on your property, our soil processing service includes mobile screening for customer-owned soil. The screener can come to the property when that route fits the project.
If You Search Buy Processed Topsoil Ontario
A search for buy processed topsoil Ontario can put very different products beside one another.
Some suppliers lead with price per cubic yard. Others lead with pickup schedules, delivery areas, screened soil or unscreened soil.
Read what happened to the material before comparing the final number.
Useful questions include:
- Has the topsoil been screened?
- What kind of oversized material is separated?
- Is the quantity sold by bag, cubic yard or another format?
- Can the same soil be picked up or delivered?
- Does the delivery option suit the space where the soil will sit?
Across Simcoe County, including Innisfil and Barrie, a little clarity before ordering can save a lot of shovelling later.
FAQs About Bulk Soil Pickup vs Processed Delivery
Can I Pick Up Screened Top Soil?
Yes. Screened Top Soil is available for pickup. The soil has already gone through the screening process before the pickup decision comes into play.
Can I Get Screened Topsoil Delivery?
Yes. Screened topsoil delivery is available, including the Super Sack format for customers who want a cubic yard kept contained.
How Much Soil Is in a Super Sack?
Each Super Sack holds one cubic yard, equal to 27 cubic feet.
What Does Screening Remove From Topsoil?
Our screening process separates larger rocks, roots, sticks, weeds and debris while the finer soil passes through the mesh.
Is a Super Sack a Different Soil Blend?
The Super Sack is a delivery format. Screened Top Soil can be ordered in a Super Sack, so you can keep a cubic yard contained while staying with the same soil product.
Can You Screen Soil That Is Already on My Property?
Yes. We screen customer-owned soil, including with a mobile screener that can come to the property. Homeowners and contractors use the service, along with farmers and other larger-property customers.
Which Soil Should I Use for Lawn Levelling?
Nature’s Blend is our option for levelling and over-seeding. Premium TopDressing Mix is intended for building soil quality over time.
Before Anything Gets Loaded
Decide how refined the soil needs to be before you decide how it travels.
If you want a smoother material at the working surface, put screening near the top of your list. Then choose pickup or delivery based on the amount you need and how you want to manage it at home.
Still looking at your measurements and wondering what they mean in cubic yards? Send them our way or give us a call at 705-436-4557.
A cubic yard is a lot easier to plan for before it arrives.