Fill Dirt
Best for: Inexpensive volume fill and grade work.
Type
Structural fill dirt (subsoil)
Use
Bulk fill & grade raising
Compaction
Good — compact in lifts
Organics
Low — not a planting soil
Overview
About Fill Dirt
Fill dirt is structural subsoil — the economical material you use to add volume and shape ground: raising a low yard, building up a pad, backfilling behind structures or bringing a site up to grade before the base and finish layers go on. Because it is engineered fill rather than a growing medium, it is kept low in organics so it compacts to a firm, stable platform and stays put, instead of settling and breaking down like root-filled topsoil. Placed in lifts and compacted as you go, it forms a dependable subgrade beneath driveways, slabs and landscapes. It is the most cost-effective way to move earthwork volume — and when you are planting rather than building, we will point you to topsoil or loam instead.
- ✓Economical bulk fill dirt.
- ✓Raise grade and fill low spots affordably.
- ✓Compacts to a stable sub-grade.
- ✓The workhorse for moving earthwork volume.
Fill dirt is subsoil — the inexpensive, mostly organic-free earth you use to add volume and shape ground: raising a low yard, building up a pad, backfilling behind structures, or bringing a site up to grade before the base and finish layers go on. Because it is meant to be structural fill rather than a growing medium, the goal is material that compacts to a firm, stable platform and stays put, not topsoil full of roots and organics that will settle and rot.
Place it in lifts and compact as you go, especially under anything that will bear load, so you do not get future settlement. It is the most economical way to move dirt volume, sold by the ton or the cubic yard. If you are planting rather than building, ask about topsoil or loam instead — fill dirt is for structure and grade, not gardens.
Specifications
The details
- Type
- Structural fill dirt (subsoil)
- Use
- Bulk fill & grade raising
- Compaction
- Good — compact in lifts
- Organics
- Low — not a planting soil
- Sold by
- Ton or cubic yard
Applications
Common uses
- ✓ Raising site grade
- ✓ Filling low spots & depressions
- ✓ Pad & building build-up
- ✓ Backfill behind walls & structures
- ✓ Rough grading
- ✓ Berms & contouring
Need Fill Dirt on site?
Priority delivery across French Camp & San Joaquin County.
Questions
Fill Dirt — FAQ
- What is the difference between fill dirt and topsoil?
- Fill dirt is low-organic subsoil for structure and grade — it compacts and stays put. Topsoil is rich, organic and for planting. Use fill to build up, topsoil to grow.
- Should I compact fill dirt?
- Yes, in lifts — especially under anything load-bearing — so it does not settle later. Compaction is what turns loose fill into a stable subgrade.
- Can I plant grass on fill dirt?
- Not directly. Build up with fill, then cap with topsoil or loam for the growing layer.
More materials
Explore the rest of the yard
QuarryVirgin Baserock (AB Class 2)
Virgin baserock is the structural backbone of paved construction — a quarry-fresh Class 2 aggregate base crushed from solid stone and graded continuously from three-quarter inch down to fines. Because every particle is freshly fractured and angular, the blend keys together and compacts into a dense, rigid platform that distributes traffic loads down to the subgrade without rutting, pumping or settling. It is the same material specified beneath California highways, parking structures and building pads — certified to a minimum R-value of 78 and a sand equivalent of 22 under Caltrans Standard Specifications Section 26. When your project demands a clean, certified, load-bearing foundation engineered to perform for decades, this is the base to build on.
QuarryWash Baserock
Wash baserock delivers the structural performance of Class 2 aggregate base with a cleaner, free-draining character. It is the same crushed base material run through a wash plant to flush out excess silt and clay fines — the result is a low-dust product on the jobsite and a more permeable platform that lets water move through rather than perch on top. It still keys together and compacts under pavement and pads, but it is the smarter specification wherever drainage, cleanliness and a tidy backfill matter as much as raw stiffness. Crews choose it under permeable pavers, behind retaining walls and as pipe and utility base where washed material is preferred or required.
RecycledRecycled Base (Class II)
Recycled base is reclaimed concrete and asphalt, crushed and screened back into a graded three-quarter-inch aggregate that meets Caltrans Class II strength — engineered performance at a materially lower cost. The crushing process leaves the same angular, interlocking particle shape as virgin rock, so it compacts into a hard, stable platform that carries load just like quarried base, with a mild self-cementing tendency that can stiffen it further over time. For the vast majority of driveway, lot and pad work it performs on par with new base while diverting demolition debris from the landfill — a genuine sustainability advantage that can also support green-building credits. Produced on site at our French Camp yard, supply stays steady, local and competitively priced.