How the cubic yard calculator works
A cubic yard is a volume: a cube 3 feet on each side. Every bulk material sold by the “yard” (concrete, soil, mulch, gravel, sand) is sold by this cube. The calculator turns your measurements into that unit in three steps:
- Convert every measurement to feet. Inches ÷ 12, yards × 3, centimeters ÷ 30.48, meters × 3.2808.
- Find the volume in cubic feet. Area of the shape × depth × how many of them.
- Divide by 27. There are 27 cubic feet in one cubic yard.
cubic yards = length (ft) × width (ft) × depth (ft) ÷ 27
The area depends on the shape you pick:
| Shape | Area formula | What to measure |
|---|---|---|
| Rectangle or square | length × width | The two sides |
| Circle | 3.1416 × (diameter ÷ 2)² | Straight across the middle |
| Triangle | ½ × base × height | One side, then the distance straight out to the far corner |
If you add a percentage for waste, it is added to the total. Cubic meters are cubic feet × 0.028317. If you pick a material, tons are cubic yards × that material’s typical weight per yard ÷ 2,000.
Worked examples
A rectangle with the depth in inches. A bed 10 ft long, 10 ft wide and 4 in deep: 4 ÷ 12 = 0.333 ft. 10 × 10 × 0.333 = 33.3 cubic feet. 33.3 ÷ 27 = 1.23 cubic yards.
A circle. A round area 8 ft across, 3 in deep. The radius is 4 ft, so the area is 3.1416 × 4 × 4 = 50.3 square feet. 50.3 × 0.25 = 12.6 cubic feet. 12.6 ÷ 27 = 0.47 cubic yards.
A triangle. A corner bed with a 12 ft base and a height of 9 ft, filled 6 in deep: ½ × 12 × 9 = 54 square feet. 54 × 0.5 = 27 cubic feet = exactly 1 cubic yard.
Mixed units. A trench 24 ft long, 30 in wide and 18 in deep: 30 in = 2.5 ft and 18 in = 1.5 ft. 24 × 2.5 × 1.5 = 90 cubic feet = 3.33 cubic yards.
Metric. An area 3 m by 2 m, 10 cm deep: 3 × 2 × 0.1 = 0.6 cubic meters. One cubic yard is 0.7646 cubic meters, so 0.6 ÷ 0.7646 = 0.78 cubic yards.
The step-by-step version, with more shapes and the mistakes people make most, is in how to calculate cubic yards.
Cubic yards per 100 square feet
The shortcut for the most common case, a flat area with the depth in inches, is square feet × inches ÷ 324.
| Depth | Cubic yards per 100 sq ft | Square feet covered by 1 cubic yard |
|---|---|---|
| 1 inch | 0.31 | 324 |
| 2 inches | 0.62 | 162 |
| 3 inches | 0.93 | 108 |
| 4 inches | 1.23 | 81 |
| 5 inches | 1.54 | 64.8 |
| 6 inches | 1.85 | 54 |
| 8 inches | 2.47 | 40.5 |
| 12 inches | 3.70 | 27 |
The square feet to cubic yards converter does this in both directions.
Unit conversions in one table
| 1 cubic yard equals | Value |
|---|---|
| Cubic feet | 27 |
| Cubic inches | 46,656 |
| Cubic meters | 0.7646 |
| Liters | 764.6 |
| US gallons | about 202 |
Going the other way, 1 cubic foot is 0.037 cubic yards and 1 cubic meter is 1.308 cubic yards. See the cubic feet to cubic yards converter and cubic meters to cubic yards.
From cubic yards to tons
Suppliers sell some materials by the ton instead of the yard, so the calculator can show an approximate weight. These are the typical figures it uses:
| Material | Typical weight per cubic yard | Tons per cubic yard |
|---|---|---|
| Concrete | about 4,050 lb | about 2.0 |
| Asphalt (compacted) | about 3,900 lb | about 1.96 |
| Gravel | about 2,800 lb | about 1.4 |
| Sand (dry) | about 2,700 lb | about 1.35 |
| Topsoil | about 2,000 lb | about 1.0 |
| Mulch | about 400 to 800 lb | about 0.2 to 0.4 |
Moisture changes these numbers a lot, especially for sand and soil. The cubic yards to tons converter lets you type in your supplier’s own weight per yard.
Tips before you order
- Measure in a few places. Depth is rarely even. Take three or four depth readings and use the average.
- Add a little extra. 5 to 10 percent covers settling, uneven ground and spillage. Running short usually costs more than the extra.
- Round up to what the supplier sells. Many yards sell in whole or half cubic yards. Ask before you order.
- Pouring concrete? Use the concrete calculator, which adds 60 and 80 lb bag counts.
The calculator gives the geometric volume of the space you measured. Loose materials can compact after spreading, and weights per yard vary by supplier, so confirm the final quantity with whoever is delivering it.
Questions people ask
- How do I calculate cubic yards?
- Measure length, width and depth in feet, multiply them together to get cubic feet, then divide by 27. A 10 ft by 10 ft area 4 inches deep is 10 × 10 × 0.333 = 33.3 cubic feet, which is 1.23 cubic yards.
- How many cubic feet are in a cubic yard?
- 27. A cubic yard is a cube 3 feet long, 3 feet wide and 3 feet high, and 3 × 3 × 3 = 27.
- What is the quick formula when the depth is in inches?
- Square feet × depth in inches ÷ 324 = cubic yards. The 324 comes from 12 inches per foot × 27 cubic feet per cubic yard.
- How many square feet does a cubic yard cover?
- 324 square feet at 1 inch deep, 162 at 2 inches, 108 at 3 inches, 81 at 4 inches and 54 at 6 inches.
- Can I use meters or centimeters?
- Yes. Every box in the calculator has its own unit, so you can enter a length in meters and a depth in centimeters. The result is shown in cubic yards, cubic feet and cubic meters.
- How do I handle an odd-shaped area?
- Split it into rectangles, circles and triangles, enter each one as its own section with Add another section, and the calculator adds them up.