How much fill dirt to level a yard for a backyard rink
A sloped yard leaves two ways to get a flat sheet of ice. Bring in soil and level the ground, or leave the ground alone, build taller boards and fill the low end with more water. The search results for this question give general lawn-leveling rules. I did not find a page that works out the soil for a rink, so the estimator below does, from the same four corner readings the calculator uses.
Your yard
Stretch a level string over the four corners and measure down to the ground at each one, as in how to measure slope for a backyard rink. A bigger number means lower ground. The defaults are that page's worked example.
- Average fill 2.0 in, 133 cu ft
- Soil about $49 (material only)
- Boards 5.0 in all round
- Extra water $14.07 per fill
- Deep end 7.0 in of water, boards 9.0 in (2x10 on the low side)
- Liner 24 × 44 ft instead of 23 × 43
The extra water repeats every season you fill. The soil is bought once. Open these corners in the calculator for board heights on each side.
How the soil is worked out
Between the four corners the ground is a smooth ramp, so the average ground height is the average of the four readings. To raise everything to the highest corner, the average fill depth is the average reading minus the smallest one. The soil is that depth times the rink area. Divide cubic feet by 27 for cubic yards.
A 60 by 30 ft rink on a yard that drops 8 in from one end to the other averages 4 in of fill. That is 1,800 sq ft × 4 in ÷ 12 = 600 cu ft, or 22.2 cu yd. At $10 a yard that is about $222 of dirt. The same yard left as it is needs 4,489 more gallons in the first fill, about $63 at $14.10 per 1,000 gallons, plus boards 13.0 in tall on the low side.
You do not have to bring dirt in. Dig the high end and move it to the low end, and you level the rink at the average height with no soil in or out. For an even slope that moves an eighth of the drop times the area: 5.6 cu yd for the 60 by 30 ft example, a quarter of the imported figure. Your yard moves 1.0 cu yd that way.
Soil or taller boards, by size and slope
An even slope along the length, with the water depth, board height and prices from the form. The soil column is imported fill up to the high end.
| Rink (ft) | Drop | Soil | Soil cost | Extra water | Water cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 × 40 | 4 in | 4.9 cu yd | $49 | 998 gal | $14 |
| 20 × 40 | 8 in | 9.9 cu yd | $99 | 1,995 gal | $28 |
| 20 × 40 | 12 in | 14.8 cu yd | $148 | 2,992 gal | $42 |
| 30 × 60 | 4 in | 11.1 cu yd | $111 | 2,244 gal | $32 |
| 30 × 60 | 8 in | 22.2 cu yd | $222 | 4,489 gal | $63 |
| 30 × 60 | 12 in | 33.3 cu yd | $333 | 6,733 gal | $95 |
| 40 × 80 | 4 in | 19.8 cu yd | $198 | 3,990 gal | $56 |
| 40 × 80 | 8 in | 39.5 cu yd | $395 | 7,980 gal | $113 |
| 40 × 80 | 12 in | 59.3 cu yd | $593 | 11,969 gal | $169 |
Water is the cheaper line on every row at these prices. Dirt starts to look better when you skate on the rink for several winters, or when the low end would need more than a 2x12. The board height guide shows how much drop a board can cover.
Prices and what I could not source
Bob Vila's yard-leveling cost guide lists fill dirt at $5 to $15 per cubic yard and says to ask whether a quote includes delivery and equipment (Bob Vila). The form starts at $10, the middle of that range. Trucking is often a separate line and can cost more than the dirt on a small order, so get a delivered price. The water rate is $14.10 per 1,000 gallons, the Poolesville, Maryland rate used as an example on the water bill page, and your own bill has the real one.
I did not find a figure for how much fill settles on a page I could open, so the estimator adds nothing for it. Order a little over the number above and pack the soil in thin layers.
Pwice, a rink kit maker, says to aim for ground within 2 to 3 in of level across the whole area, to knock down high spots and to fill low spots with sand, dirt or compost. It also says a slope over 6 to 8 in gives uneven water depth, and that for more than 6 in you can build up the low side with bricks, blocks or compacted fill (Pwice). Other sources tolerate more, as the slope guide lays out.
Which way to go
- Drop of 2 to 3 in or less: the ground is already near what Pwice calls level enough. Rake the high spots and build.
- A few inches more than that: a small cut and fill by hand is cheap, and the numbers above are small.
- 6 in and up: compare both columns. Taller boards also need a bigger liner and stronger bracing, so price those with the liner size guide.
- Anywhere in between: turning the rink across the slope shortens the drop for free.