A cubic yard in every unit
| Unit | 1 cubic yard equals |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 3 ft × 3 ft × 3 ft (36 in on each side) |
| Cubic feet | 27 |
| Cubic inches | 46,656 |
| Cubic meters | 0.7646 |
| Liters | 764.6 |
| US gallons | 201.97 |
| 5-gallon buckets | about 40 |
The shape does not have to be a cube. Anything that adds up to 27 cubic feet is one cubic yard: a strip 9 ft long, 3 ft wide and 1 ft deep, or a flat layer 81 sq ft in area and 4 in deep.
How to picture it
- Kitchen counter test. Standard kitchen counters are about 36 inches high. Picture a box as tall as the counter and just as wide and deep in each direction. That is a cubic yard.
- Wheelbarrow loads. A common contractor wheelbarrow holds about 6 cubic feet when filled level, so a cubic yard is about 4½ level loads. With heavy material most people carry less than a level load, so plan on more trips.
- Buckets. About 40 five-gallon buckets filled to the top.
- Bags. Bagged soil and mulch often come in 2 cubic foot bags; 13½ of them make a cubic yard. Concrete mix is different because the bag lists its yield after mixing: about 45 bags of 80 lb make a cubic yard.
How much area a cubic yard covers
The same cubic yard spreads thinner or thicker depending on depth.
| Depth | Area covered | About the size of |
|---|---|---|
| 1 inch | 324 sq ft | 18 × 18 ft |
| 2 inches | 162 sq ft | 12.7 × 12.7 ft |
| 3 inches | 108 sq ft | 10.4 × 10.4 ft |
| 4 inches | 81 sq ft | 9 × 9 ft |
| 6 inches | 54 sq ft | 7.3 × 7.3 ft |
| 12 inches | 27 sq ft | 5.2 × 5.2 ft |
The math: square feet covered = 324 ÷ depth in inches. Turn it around with the square feet to cubic yards converter.
How much a cubic yard weighs
Size is fixed, weight is not. A cubic yard of mulch is light enough to move by hand in a few trips; a cubic yard of concrete weighs about two tons.
| Material | About this much per cubic yard |
|---|---|
| Water (for reference) | 1,685 lb |
| Mulch | 400 to 800 lb |
| Topsoil | about 2,000 lb, more when wet |
| Sand (dry) | about 2,700 lb |
| Gravel | about 2,800 lb |
| Asphalt (compacted) | about 3,900 lb |
| Concrete | about 3,900 to 4,050 lb |
These are typical figures; moisture and particle size move them up or down. The cubic yards to tons converter shows the tonnage, and one yard of concrete covers concrete in detail.
Will it fit in my truck?
Volume and weight give different answers. A full-size pickup with a 6½ ft bed is about 6½ ft long and about 5 ft wide inside, and the sides are well over a foot tall, so by volume it holds roughly 2 cubic yards level with the sides. But a cubic yard of gravel or sand weighs around 1.35 to 1.4 tons, and concrete about 2 tons. Many half-ton pickups are rated to carry less than a ton of payload. Look at the payload figure on the driver’s door sticker before you load, and let the yard know your truck’s limit; they deal with this every day.
Square yard, cubic yard, yard
| Term | What it measures | Size |
|---|---|---|
| Yard | Length | 3 ft |
| Square yard | Area | 3 ft × 3 ft = 9 sq ft |
| Cubic yard | Volume | 3 ft × 3 ft × 3 ft = 27 cu ft |
When a landscape yard or concrete plant quotes “per yard”, they mean per cubic yard. Work out how many you need with the cubic yard calculator.
Bulk suppliers measure a cubic yard loose, in the bucket. Once spread and compacted, some materials take up less room, so a yard of loose material can finish slightly thinner than the table shows.
Questions people ask
- What are the dimensions of a cubic yard?
- 3 ft × 3 ft × 3 ft, or 36 in × 36 in × 36 in, or about 0.91 m × 0.91 m × 0.91 m. Any space that works out to 27 cubic feet is one cubic yard, so 9 ft × 3 ft × 1 ft is also a cubic yard.
- How many square feet is 1 cubic yard?
- It depends on the depth. One cubic yard covers 324 sq ft at 1 inch, 162 sq ft at 2 inches, 108 sq ft at 3 inches, 81 sq ft at 4 inches and 54 sq ft at 6 inches.
- How many 5-gallon buckets are in a cubic yard?
- About 40. A cubic yard is about 202 US gallons, and 202 ÷ 5 = 40.4 buckets filled to the brim.
- Will a cubic yard fit in a pickup truck?
- By volume, a full-size pickup bed usually holds a cubic yard or more. By weight it often will not: a yard of gravel, sand or concrete weighs well over a ton, more than many half-ton pickups are rated to carry. Check the payload on the door sticker.
- What is the difference between a yard and a cubic yard?
- When people buy soil, mulch or concrete, a yard means a cubic yard. As a length, a yard is 3 feet; as an area, a square yard is 9 square feet.