Cubic Yard Calculator
Home & EnergyChoose the shape, enter its size and the depth, and add an allowance if you want one. You get cubic yards, cubic feet and cubic meters, the area a cubic yard covers, the weight if you pick a material, and the cost if you enter a price per cubic yard.
Step by step
200 sq ft × depth in feet × (1 + 0 / 100) = 50 cu ft
- Area: length × width, converted to feet, is 200 sq ft.
- Depth: convert it to feet (inches divided by 12). One cubic yard covers 108 sq ft at this depth.
- Volume: area × depth in feet, plus any extra for settling, is 50 cu ft.
- Cubic yards: 50 / 27 = 1.8519. In cubic meters that is 1.8519 × 0.764554857984 = 1.416.
Once every entry is valid, you’ll see each step of the calculation here.
Formula
- area
- length × width of each rectangle, π × radius² for a circle, or the area you typed, in square feet
- depth
- the thickness of the layer in feet; inches divided by 12 give feet
- extra
- the percentage added for settling and waste, 0 for the exact volume
- 27
- cubic feet in one cubic yard, because a yard is 3 feet and 3 × 3 × 3 = 27
- pounds per cubic yard
- the unit weight of the material, for example 2,441 lb for loose sand (EPA)
How it works
A cubic yard is the volume of a cube 3 feet on each side, so it holds 3 × 3 × 3 = 27 cubic feet, about 0.7646 cubic meters. Soil, mulch, sand, gravel and concrete are sold by the cubic yard, so the question is how many of them your project needs. The math is length times width times depth, with every measurement in feet. Inches are divided by 12, so 3 inches is 0.25 foot. Then you divide the cubic feet by 27. A bed 20 feet long and 10 feet wide filled 3 inches deep holds 20 × 10 × 0.25 = 50 cubic feet, which is 50 / 27 = 1.85 cubic yards.
Choose the shape that fits your project. One, two or three rectangles add up beds of different sizes, with one depth for all of them. A circle takes the diameter. Known area takes a total you already have, in square feet, square yards or square meters, which is the quickest way to turn square feet into cubic yards. Known volume converts cubic feet, cubic yards, cubic meters or cubic inches. Lengths can be in feet, yards, inches or meters, and the depth in inches, feet, yards or centimeters. Add a percentage in the extra field if you expect the material to settle.
Pick a material to see what the load weighs. The weights per cubic yard come from the EPA table of volume-to-weight factors: 2,392 lb for loose soil, 2,441 lb for sand, 2,565 lb for gravel, 2,700 lb for crushed stone, 500 lb for shredded wood chips and 463 lb for compost. Real loads vary with moisture and compaction, so use them for planning and ask your supplier for theirs. This page works for any fill. For slabs and bags of mix, use the concrete calculator; for stone and sand sold by the ton, the gravel calculator; and for the area of a yard, the square footage calculator.
The formula
A cubic yard is exactly 27 cubic feet, because a yard is exactly 3 feet. In metric terms a yard is exactly 0.9144 m, so a cubic yard is 0.9144³ = 0.764554857984 cubic meters. The area one cubic yard covers follows from the same numbers: 27 cubic feet spread 1 foot deep cover 27 square feet, and spread 1 inch deep cover 27 × 12 = 324 square feet.
Weights are the unit weights of loose material in the EPA table, in pounds per cubic yard, and a short ton is 2,000 pounds. Compaction and moisture raise the weight of a finished layer. The estimate is for ordering and budgeting. It is not an engineering figure for a road base or a retaining wall.
Example
A garden bed is 20 feet long and 10 feet wide. How many cubic yards of soil fill it 3 inches deep, and what does that weigh?
- Area: 20 ft × 10 ft = 200 square feet. Depth: 3 inches / 12 = 0.25 foot.
- Volume: 200 × 0.25 = 50 cubic feet, and 50 / 27 = 1.85 cubic yards.
- Weight: loose sandy loam is 2,392 lb per cubic yard in the EPA table, so the load is about 4,430 lb, or 2.21 short tons. At this depth one cubic yard covers 108 square feet.
To cover 200 square feet at this depth you need 1.85 cubic yards, which is 50 cubic feet or 1.416 m³.
Load this example into the calculatorFrequently asked questions
How do you calculate cubic yards?
Multiply the length, width and depth, all in feet. The product is the volume in cubic feet, and dividing it by 27 gives cubic yards. A bed 20 ft by 10 ft and 3 inches (0.25 ft) deep is 20 × 10 × 0.25 = 50 cubic feet, and 50 / 27 = 1.85 cubic yards. If you measure the depth in inches, divide it by 12 to get feet; you can leave it in inches in the calculator, which does the conversion and shows each step.
How many cubic feet are in a cubic yard, and is 27 cubic feet equal to 1 cubic yard?
Yes. A cubic yard is a cube 3 feet on each side, and 3 × 3 × 3 = 27 cubic feet. It is also 46,656 cubic inches and about 0.7646 cubic meters. To change cubic feet to cubic yards, divide by 27; for cubic inches, divide by 46,656. To go back, multiply.
Is a cubic yard 3 ft by 3 ft?
Only its base is. A cubic yard is 3 ft by 3 ft by 3 ft, a cube of 27 cubic feet. A patch that is 3 ft by 3 ft but only 1 ft deep holds 9 cubic feet, a third of a cubic yard. And how many cubic yards are in a yard? A yard is a length, and a cube that is 1 yard on every side is exactly 1 cubic yard.
How much is a cubic yard?
It can mean the size, the weight or the price. The size is 27 cubic feet. The weight depends on the material, from about 460 lb for loose compost to 2,700 lb for crushed stone in the EPA table. The price depends on the material and your area, so ask your supplier and enter it for a cost estimate.
How much area will 1 cubic yard cover?
It depends on the depth: 324 square feet at 1 inch, 162 at 2 inches, 108 at 3 inches, 81 at 4 inches, 54 at 6 inches and 27 at 12 inches. The rule is 324 divided by the depth in inches. The calculator shows the figure for your depth and in the chart.
Should I add extra for waste or settling, and how much material should I add?
Usually yes, because loose material settles, spills and ends up uneven. A common allowance is 5 to 10 percent. Type it in the extra field and the calculator adds it to the volume. Then round up to the next half or full yard that your supplier delivers.
How do I measure odd or curved areas?
Split the area into rectangles, circles and triangles, and measure each one. Pick "Two rectangles" or "Three rectangles" for up to three rectangles, or add the areas yourself and use "Known area". A triangle is half the base times the height, and a round bed uses the circle option.
Can I use this for concrete yardage, and how many cubic yards of concrete do I need for a slab?
Yes, the volume is the same, and concrete is sold by the cubic yard. Multiply the slab's length, width and thickness in feet and divide by 27: a 10 ft by 10 ft slab that is 4 inches thick is 100 × (4 / 12) / 27 = 1.23 cubic yards, plus 5 to 10 percent for uneven ground and spills. For slabs, footings and bags of mix, the concrete calculator also gives the number of bags.
Is bulk cheaper than buying bags, and how many 40 lb bags of soil are in a cubic yard?
It depends on the prices. Divide the bulk price per cubic yard by 27 to get the price per cubic foot, then compare it with the bag price divided by the cubic feet printed on the bag, adding delivery and any minimum order to the bulk side. A cubic yard fills 27 bags of 1 cubic foot. By weight, loose sandy loam at 2,392 lb per cubic yard (EPA) is about 60 bags of 40 lb, since 2,392 / 40 = 59.8, but bagged soil varies in moisture.
What is the difference between square yards and cubic yards, and how do I convert square feet to cubic yards?
A square yard measures area, 3 ft by 3 ft or 9 square feet. A cubic yard measures volume, 3 ft by 3 ft by 3 ft or 27 cubic feet. Square feet alone are not enough, because a volume also needs a depth: multiply the square feet by the depth in feet and divide by 27. For 1,000 square feet at 2 inches deep, that is 1,000 × (2 / 12) / 27 = 6.17 cubic yards. Choose "Known area" and enter both.
Why does my result seem too low or too high?
The usual causes are mixed units and the depth. Check the unit selectors, because 3 inches typed as 3 feet makes the result 12 times larger. Also check that the depth is not swapped with the length or width, and whether an extra percentage is entered.
How do I convert cubic yards to tons, and tons to cubic yards?
Multiply the cubic yards by the weight of a cubic yard in pounds and divide by 2,000: loose sand at 2,441 lb gives 1.22 short tons per cubic yard. For tons to cubic yards, divide 2,000 times the tons by that weight: a ton of loose sand is 0.82 cubic yard. Suppliers use their own weights, so ask for theirs.
How much does a cubic yard of materials weigh?
In the EPA table, loose soil (sandy loam) is 2,392 lb, loose sand 2,441 lb, loose gravel 2,565 lb, crushed stone 2,700 lb, shredded wood chips 500 lb and loose compost 463 lb. The table has no entry for mulch; wood chips are the closest, and wet or dense mulch can weigh more. Moisture and compaction change these numbers.
- Standard Volume-to-Weight Conversion Factors (last updated 2006): soil, sand, gravel, stone, compost and wood chips (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)
- NIST Guide to the SI, Appendix B.8: Factors for Units Listed Alphabetically (cubic yard, cubic foot, yard, short ton) (National Institute of Standards and Technology)
- Cubic yard (Wikipedia)