Free material volume tool
Cubic Yard Calculator
Calculate concrete, gravel, mulch, dirt, sand, and rock in cubic yards. Enter your dimensions to get volume, weight, cost, and a 10 percent overage recommendation.
Quick answer: 1 cubic yard = 27 cubic feet (3 ft x 3 ft x 3 ft). To find cubic yards, multiply length x width x depth in feet and divide by 27. Example: a 10 x 10 ft area at 4 inches deep needs (10 x 10 x 0.333) / 27 = 1.23 cubic yards before overage.
Calculate Cubic Yards
How to Use
- Enter the length and width of the project area.
- Enter the depth or thickness, using inches for most slab, driveway, garden, and landscape projects.
- Select the material and optional price per cubic yard, then calculate the volume, weight, cost, and overage.
Popular Yard and Volume Conversions
Use these guides when you need to convert feet, square feet, cubic feet, yards, or cubic yards before ordering material.
What is a Cubic Yard
A cubic yard is a three dimensional measurement used for bulk materials. One cubic yard is 3 feet long, 3 feet wide, and 3 feet deep, which equals 27 cubic feet. Suppliers use cubic yards because concrete, soil, gravel, mulch, and sand are delivered by volume.
How to Calculate Manually
Use this formula: length in feet x width in feet x depth in feet divided by 27. For a 12 ft by 10 ft area at 4 inches deep, convert 4 inches to 0.333 feet. The math is 12 x 10 x 0.333 = 40 cubic feet, then 40 / 27 = 1.48 cubic yards.
Material Weight Reference Table
| Material | Approx. lbs per cubic yard | Common use |
|---|---|---|
| Concrete | 4,050 | Slabs, footings, patios |
| Gravel | 2,800 | Driveways, drainage, paths |
| Dirt | 2,200 | Fill, grading, backfill |
| Topsoil | 2,400 | Lawns, beds, garden prep |
| Mulch | 800 | Landscape beds |
| Sand | 2,700 | Pavers, pools, masonry |
| Rock | 4,500 | Large drainage or decorative stone |
Common Use Cases
Cubic Yard Coverage Chart by Depth
Use this yardage chart to sanity-check your result before ordering. One cubic yard of any material covers the areas below at each depth:
| Depth | Area covered by 1 cubic yard | Common use |
|---|---|---|
| 1 inch | 324 sq ft | Topdressing, thin mulch refresh |
| 2 inches | 162 sq ft | Mulch beds, walkway refresh |
| 3 inches | 108 sq ft | New mulch beds, garden topdress |
| 4 inches | 81 sq ft | Concrete slabs, patios, sidewalks |
| 6 inches | 54 sq ft | Driveways, shed bases |
| 8 inches | 40.5 sq ft | Heavy slabs, footings |
| 12 inches | 27 sq ft | Raised beds, deep fill |
How Many Cubic Yards Fit in Common Containers
It helps to picture a cubic yard before the delivery truck arrives. These equivalents make the volume concrete:
| Container | Approx. cubic yards | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Standard wheelbarrow (6 cu ft) | 0.22 | About 4 to 5 heaped loads per cubic yard |
| 5-gallon bucket | 0.025 | About 40 buckets per cubic yard |
| Full-size pickup bed | 2 to 3 | Check payload rating; heavy materials max out by weight first |
| Single-axle dump truck | 5 to 6 | Typical small delivery truck |
| Tri-axle dump truck | 10 to 20 | Weight limits often cap the load before volume does |
Common Project Volumes
Quick reference for popular projects, before the 10 percent overage most pros add:
| Project | Dimensions | Cubic yards |
|---|---|---|
| 10x10 patio slab | 10 ft x 10 ft x 4 in | 1.23 |
| Two-car driveway | 20 ft x 20 ft x 4 in | 4.94 |
| Garden bed mulch | 200 sq ft x 3 in | 1.85 |
| Raised bed soil | 4 ft x 8 ft x 12 in | 1.19 |
| Walkway gravel | 30 ft x 4 ft x 3 in | 1.11 |
FAQ
Multiply length by width by depth in feet, then divide the total cubic feet by 27. If depth is in inches, divide the inches by 12 before using the formula.
A cubic yard is a volume that measures 3 feet long, 3 feet wide, and 3 feet deep. It equals 27 cubic feet.
There are 27 cubic feet in 1 cubic yard. Multiply cubic yards by 27 to convert to cubic feet.
Multiply square feet by depth in feet, then divide by 27. For example, 300 square feet at 3 inches deep is 300 x 0.25 / 27, or 2.78 cubic yards.
A 10x10 slab at 4 inches thick needs about 1.23 cubic yards before overage. Ordering 10 percent extra brings the recommendation to about 1.36 cubic yards.
Weight depends on the material. Concrete is about 4,050 lbs per cubic yard, gravel is about 2,800 lbs, and mulch can be about 800 lbs.
The answer depends on density. One ton of gravel is about 0.71 cubic yards, while one ton of concrete is about 0.49 cubic yards.
A cubic yard of concrete takes about 45 bags of 80 lb mix, 60 bags of 60 lb mix, or 90 bags of 40 lb mix. Always round up and add 10 percent overage.
The formula is length x width x depth in feet divided by 27. The result is cubic yards.
Yes, most projects should include about 10 percent extra. This covers compaction, uneven ground, spillage, and small measuring differences.
Divide inches by 12. A 4 inch depth is 0.333 feet, and a 3 inch depth is 0.25 feet.
Minimum delivery varies by supplier and material. Many landscape yards set minimums from 1 to 3 cubic yards, so confirm before ordering.
A standard 6 cubic foot wheelbarrow holds about 0.22 cubic yards, so one cubic yard is roughly 4 to 5 heaped wheelbarrow loads.
A single-axle dump truck carries about 5 to 6 cubic yards. Larger tri-axle trucks carry 10 to 20 cubic yards, but weight limits often cap the load before volume does.
No. A yard is a length of 3 feet. A cubic yard is a volume: 3 feet long, 3 feet wide, and 3 feet deep, equal to 27 cubic feet.
One cubic yard of concrete covers about 81 square feet at 4 inches thick, 54 square feet at 6 inches, or 40.5 square feet at 8 inches.
Picture a cube 3 feet on every side, or about fourteen 2-cubic-foot bags. A full-size pickup bed holds roughly 2 to 3 cubic yards of mulch.
About 40. One cubic yard equals 202 gallons, and 202 divided by 5 is roughly 40 buckets.
A 12x12 area at 4 inches of gravel needs about 1.78 cubic yards before overage. At 6 inches deep it needs about 2.67 cubic yards.