Can I use fill instead of topsoil for a garden?

No. Fill is a structural material with little organic content; plants struggle in it. Use clean fill to build up and compact the level, then spread topsoil over the top as the growing layer.

Inert, compactable material free of contamination and rubbish, used to raise levels and build pads. Because soil is regulated once it leaves a site, clean fill that is being received or disposed of needs to be classified. See our clean fill vs contaminated soil guide.

Is fill dirt the same as clean fill?

Not quite. Clean fill is selected, inert and compactable for building up levels. Fill dirt is the cheaper subsoil end, used for bulk filling where nothing has to grow or carry real load. For an engineered pad, ask for select or engineered fill.

Fill vs Topsoil vs Fill Dirt: What Is the Difference?

Quick answer

Topsoil is the rich growing layer for gardens and turf. Fill is clean, compactable material for raising levels and building pads. Fill dirt is cheaper subsoil for bulk filling where nothing has to grow.

Simple rule: topsoil to grow, fill to build up and compact, fill dirt to fill cheaply.

The three, sorted out

Topsoil

The upper layer of soil with the organic matter, nutrients and structure that plants need. It is what you spread for garden beds, lawn underlay and any planting. Quality topsoil is screened, and for specified jobs it is supplied to a standard like AS 4419. It is not a structural material; it holds moisture and compresses, so you never build a pad on it.

Fill (clean fill)

Inert, compactable material used to raise site levels, build up pads and bring ground to grade. Good fill compacts and carries load without settling unevenly. "Clean" means it is free of contamination and rubbish, which matters because the moment soil leaves a site it is regulated. See clean fill vs contaminated soil.

Fill dirt

The budget end: subsoil and excavated material with little or no organic content, used for bulk filling where nothing needs to grow and the engineering demands are low. It is cheaper because it is whatever came out of someone else’s hole, screened of the worst of the rubbish. Useful for filling a void, not for a building pad with a spec.

Side by side

	Topsoil	Fill	Fill dirt
Purpose	Growing plants & turf	Raising levels, pads	Cheap bulk filling
Organic content	High	Low	Very low
Compacts well?	No (and you would not want it to)	Yes	Variable
Grows plants?	Yes	No	No
Relative cost	Highest	Mid	Lowest

Which one do you need?

01Planting a garden or laying turf: topsoil (specified soil if the job calls for it).

02Raising a site, building a shed or house pad, bringing ground to level: clean fill.

03Filling a big low-value void where nothing grows or carries load: fill dirt.

04Building a pad that has to meet a spec: ask for engineered or select fill, and tell us the requirement.

Watch the order of works: you fill and compact to level with fill first, then spread topsoil over the top as the final growing layer. The two are a team, not substitutes.

What is the difference between fill, topsoil and fill dirt?

The three, sorted out

Topsoil

Fill (clean fill)

Fill dirt

Side by side

Which one do you need?

The right dirt for the right job.

The three, sorted out

Topsoil

Fill (clean fill)

Fill dirt

Side by side

Which one do you need?

Common questions

Related guides

The products

The right dirt for the right job.