Outdoor & Landscape · Calculator

Cubic Yard Calculator

Use this cubic yard calculator to convert length, width and depth in feet, inches, yards or meters to cubic yards, cubic feet and cubic meters. Add one row per area, each with its own depth, and get the total in one place.

Your dimensions

Length x width x depth
Depth in
  1. Row 1
    Length
    ft
    in
    Width
    ft
    in
    in

    Squares and rectangles.

    Row 1120 sq ft
  2. Row 2
    Length
    ft
    in
    Width
    ft
    in
    in

    Squares and rectangles.

    Row 260 sq ft
Row 1120 sq ft12' x 10'Row 260 sq ft20' x 3'
Top-down sketch, all areas drawn to the same scale.
Total volume
2.04cu yd
Cubic feet
55.0cu ft
Cubic meters
1.56cu m
Bulk order
2.5cu yd
Rounded up to the half yard
If it is mulch
1,222lb
About 400 to 800 lb per yard
If it is topsoil
2.4tons
At 1.2 tons per yard
If it is gravel
2.9tons
At 1.4 tons per yard
A full-size pickup bed holds about 2 cu yd of mulch heaped, but only half a yard to one yard of gravel or soil before it hits its payload limit.
The math
Row 1: 12' x 10' x 4 in = 40.00 cu ft
Row 2: 20' x 3' x 3 in = 15.00 cu ft
55.00 cu ft / 27 = 2.037 cu yd

How to calculate cubic yards

Bulk materials like soil, mulch, gravel and concrete are sold by the cubic yard. To find it, convert every measurement to feet, multiply length by width by depth, and divide by 27.

The trap is mixed units. Length is usually in feet and depth in inches. Forget to divide the inches by 12 and your answer is 12 times too big. The calculator lets you pick units for length and depth separately and converts for you.

For an area with different depths, enter each part as its own row. That is more accurate than averaging, and the math under the result shows every row so you can check it.

Formula
cu yd = L (ft) x W (ft) x D (ft) / 27
cu yd = L (ft) x W (ft) x D (in) / 324
cu m = cu yd x 0.7646
Example: a 12 x 10 ft bed at 4 in deep is 12 x 10 x 4 / 12 = 40 cu ft. Add a 20 x 3 ft strip at 3 in (15 cu ft) and the total is 55 cu ft / 27 = 2.04 cu yd.

What is a cubic yard?

A cubic yard is a box 3 feet long, 3 feet wide and 3 feet tall. That is 27 cubic feet, or about 4 to 5 loads in a standard 6 cubic foot wheelbarrow. It is not the same as a square yard, which is flat (9 square feet) and used for carpet and sod.

Landscape suppliers often shorten it to just a yard. When a quote says 3 yards of mulch, it means 3 cubic yards. Concrete trucks use the same unit, and ready-mix is priced per cubic yard.

In metric, one cubic meter is 1.308 cubic yards. If a supplier quotes in meters, the calculator shows both numbers side by side.

Cubic yard unit conversions
1 cubic yard equalsValue
Cubic feet27
Cubic inches46,656
Cubic meters0.7646
Liters764.6
US gallons202
2 cu ft bags13.5
3 cu ft bags9

How much does a cubic yard cover?

Coverage depends only on depth. Use this table to sanity-check an order or to see what a single yard will do.

Area covered by one cubic yard at common depths
DepthArea covered by 1 cu ydTypical use
1 in324 sq ftTop-dressing, mulch top-up
2 in162 sq ftGravel top-up, fine mulch
3 in108 sq ftMulch beds, gravel paths
4 in81 sq ftConcrete slab, new lawn soil
6 in54 sq ftPaver base, heavy slab
12 in27 sq ftRaised beds, deep fill

What fits in a pickup truck?

A full-size bed holds about 2 cubic yards of light material, which is perfect for mulch. Heavy materials are a different story: you will hit the payload limit long before the bed is full.

Approximate weight per cubic yard and pickup loads
MaterialWeight per cu ydHalf-ton pickup
Mulch, wood chips400 to 800 lbAbout 2 yd
Topsoil (moist)2,200 to 2,600 lbHalf to 3/4 yd
Gravel, crushed stone2,600 to 3,000 lbAbout half a yard
Sand (damp)2,600 to 3,000 lbAbout half a yard
Wet concreteAbout 4,000 lbUse a mixer trailer or truck

Volume is rarely the limit. Weight is.

Most half-ton pickups are rated for roughly 1,500 to 2,300 lb of payload, including passengers. Check the sticker in the driver door jamb before you let a loader drop a full bucket in your bed.

Tips for ordering by the yard

  • Round up to the supplier's step. Most yards sell in half-yard steps, and some have a 1 or 2 yard delivery minimum.
  • Add an allowance. Soil settles, gravel compacts, and concrete spills. The material-specific tools build that in: the gravel calculator adds compaction and converts to tons, the topsoil calculator adds settling, and the concrete calculator counts bags.
  • Use bags for small jobs. The mulch calculator shows 2 and 3 cubic foot bag counts, which is easier than buying a partial yard.
  • Flat jobs need square feet, not yards. For grass, use the sod calculator.

Measure each area, keep your units straight, and let the cubic yard calculator handle the conversion. It is the fastest way to check a quote before you pay for a delivery.

Frequently asked questions

How many cubic feet are in a cubic yard?

There are 27 cubic feet in a cubic yard, because a cubic yard is a box 3 feet long, 3 feet wide and 3 feet tall (3 x 3 x 3 = 27).

How do I convert square feet to cubic yards?

Multiply the square feet by the depth in inches and divide by 324. For example, 200 square feet at 3 inches deep is 200 x 3 / 324 = 1.85 cubic yards. If your depth is in feet, multiply by the depth and divide by 27.

How much area does a cubic yard cover?

A cubic yard covers 324 square feet at 1 inch deep, 162 at 2 inches, 108 at 3 inches, 81 at 4 inches and 54 at 6 inches. The formula is 324 divided by the depth in inches.

How many cubic yards fit in a pickup truck?

A full-size pickup bed holds about 2 cubic yards of light material like mulch. Heavy materials hit the payload limit first: most half-ton pickups can only carry about half a yard to one yard of gravel, soil or sand.

How do I convert cubic yards to cubic meters?

Multiply cubic yards by 0.7646 to get cubic meters. To go the other way, multiply cubic meters by 1.308. One cubic meter is about 35.3 cubic feet.

Gear for this job

Our research-backed picks
Tool reviewBest Wood ChippersTurn a brush pile into yards of free mulch instead of buying it.Read the guideTool reviewBest Leaf VacuumsMulching vacs shrink a mountain of leaves to a fraction of the volume.Read the guideTool reviewBest Shop VacsClean up soil, sand and concrete dust from the garage and truck bed.Read the guide

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Calculators give estimates. Check local building codes and manufacturer specs before you build or buy.