Landscaping & construction
Cubic Yard Calculator
Calculate volume for mulch, gravel, soil and concrete. Enter your measurements, choose your units and get a clear material estimate.
- Free to use
- No sign-up
- Imperial & metric
Material specifics
What material are you working with?
Use a dedicated calculator for material-specific options such as top-ups, compaction factors, product yields and buying choices.
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Mulch Mulch Calculator
New layers or top-ups, tree rings and whole-bag counts for beds and borders.
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Gravel & stone Gravel Calculator
Loose or finished depth, your supplier’s factor, and weight from their density.
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Soil Topsoil Calculator
Fill empty space or top up an area, with bags in cubic feet or liters.
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Concrete Concrete Calculator
Slab and cylinder volume, whole bags from the product’s stated yield, and ready-mix.
Buying
Work out what to buy — not just the volume.
Compare bag prices with bulk quantities, delivery charges and supplier minimums.
Worked example: the 55.00 ft³ (2.04 yd³) from a 20 × 10 ft bed at 3 in plus a 10% allowance. The prices are illustrative, not current market prices.
Bagged material
Total$112.00
Bulk delivery
Total$160.00
Bags cost $48.00 less in this example. Bulk rounded up to a 0.5 yd³ increment. Tax excluded; bags collected at no charge. Different prices can reverse the result.
Compare bags and bulkPicture it
How big is a cubic yard?
A cubic yard is the space inside a cube 3 feet on each side. It equals 27 cubic feet, or about 0.765 cubic meters.
Area one cubic yard covers
Geometry only — no allowance or settling- At 2 in deep 162 sq ft 324 ÷ 2 = 162
- At 3 in deep 108 sq ft 324 ÷ 3 = 108
- At 4 in deep 81 sq ft 324 ÷ 4 = 81
These depths are examples for the arithmetic, not recommendations. Use the depth your project or product calls for.
Read the cubic yard guideMethod
How to calculate cubic yards
Three steps from tape measure to order.
- 1
Measure your area
Measure length and width. For curved or irregular beds, split the space into rectangles, circles and triangles and add each as its own area.
- 2
Set the depth
Enter the thickness of material you are adding — from your plan, the product instructions or your contractor. For a top-up, use the mulch or topsoil calculator’s target-minus-existing mode.
- 3
Review your estimate
Check the measured volume, any allowance you chose, and the whole bags or bulk quantity you would actually buy.
The standard formula
Cubic yards = Length (ft) × Width (ft) × Depth (in) ÷ 324
Calculators & guides
Related tools and measurement guides
Converters & comparisons
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Formulas, bag counts, weight and allowances.
How do I calculate cubic yards?
Multiply length × width × depth with all three in feet, then divide by 27 (there are 27 cubic feet in a cubic yard). If the depth is in inches, multiply length (ft) × width (ft) × depth (in) and divide by 324 instead — 324 is 27 × 12.
Example: 20 ft × 10 ft × 3 in ÷ 324 = 1.85 cubic yards.
How many cubic feet are in a cubic yard?
27. A cubic yard is a cube 3 feet on each side, and 3 × 3 × 3 = 27 cubic feet. To convert cubic feet to cubic yards, divide by 27: for example, 55 ft³ ÷ 27 = 2.04 yd³. One cubic yard is also about 0.765 cubic meters.
How much area does one cubic yard cover?
Divide 324 by the depth in inches to get square feet: one cubic yard covers 324 ft² at 1 inch, 162 ft² at 2 inches, 108 ft² at 3 inches and 81 ft² at 4 inches. Uneven ground and settling change what you see on site.
Can I enter depth in inches and length in meters?
Yes. Every measurement has its own unit selector. The calculator converts each value to feet internally before multiplying, so you can mix feet, inches, yards, meters and centimeters. Switching a unit converts the number you typed so the physical length stays the same.
Can I convert square feet to cubic yards?
Yes, if you also know the depth. Choose Area + depth for an area, or use the square feet to cubic yards calculator. An area on its own has no volume.
How many bags make one cubic yard?
Divide 27 cubic feet by the volume printed on the bag: 13.5 bags of 2 ft³ (buy 14), 9 bags of 3 ft³, 27 bags of 1 ft³. For concrete, use the product’s stated yield rather than its weight — for example QUIKRETE lists about 0.60 ft³ for its 80 lb Concrete Mix, which is 45 bags per cubic yard.
How do I convert cubic yards to tons?
You need the material’s bulk density: tons = cubic yards × density (lb/yd³) ÷ 2,000. Density differs by product, moisture and compaction, so ask your supplier for the figure they use. The cubic yards to tons calculator converts in both directions.
Should I add an extra material allowance?
It is your choice, and it is off by default. Some people add a small percentage for uneven ground, measuring uncertainty or spillage. If you do, the calculator applies it once, shows it separately, and does not add it again when you move the quantity to the bulk vs bags comparison. Ask your supplier whether their figures already include any allowance.