Cubic Yard Calculator: Find Out Exactly How Much Material You Need

Cubic Yard Calculator: Ordering too little gravel means a second delivery fee. Ordering too much means a pile of leftover soil blocking your driveway. Our cubic yard calculator helps you avoid both. Enter your depth, length and width, and you get the volume in cubic yards, cubic feet and cubic meters, plus an optional cost estimate, in a few seconds.

Whether you’re pouring a slab, filling a raised bed or laying a gravel path, this page explains how the numbers work so you can trust the result.

What Is a Cubic Yard?

A cubic yard is a unit of volume. Picture a box that is 3 feet long, 3 feet wide and 3 feet tall. The space inside is one cubic yard.

• 1 cubic yard = 27 cubic feet
• 1 cubic yard = 0.7646 cubic meters
• 1 cubic meter = 1.308 cubic yards

Suppliers of concrete, sand, gravel, topsoil and mulch usually sell by the cubic yard, which is why this unit matters when you’re planning a project.

How to Use Our Cubic Yards Calculator

1. Choose a shape. Rectangle is the default. You can also pick square, circle, triangle, annulus, trapezoid or a known area.
2. Enter the depth. This is usually the smallest measurement, so inches are the default unit.
3. Enter the length and width. Feet are the default, but you can switch to inches, yards, millimeters, centimeters or meters.
4. Set the quantity if you’re filling more than one identical space, such as four planter boxes.
5. Add a price (optional). Enter the cost per cubic yard or cubic meter and pick your currency to see a total.
6. Press Calculate.

You can type decimals. For example, 7 feet 3 inches is 7.25 feet, and 245 cm is 2.45 m.

The Cubic Yard Calculation Formula

If you want to calculate cubic yards by hand, the cubic yard calculation formula is simple.

Cubic yards = Length (ft) × Width (ft) × Depth (ft) ÷ 27

The ÷ 27 converts cubic feet into cubic yards. Always convert every measurement to feet before multiplying. Depth is the usual trouble spot, because it’s normally measured in inches. Divide inches by 12 to get feet.

If you work in metric, multiply length × width × depth in meters to get cubic meters, then multiply by 1.308 to get cubic yards.

How to Calculate a Cubic Yard: A Worked Example

Say you’re building a patio base that is 10 feet wide, 12 feet long and 4 inches deep.

1. Convert depth: 4 ÷ 12 = 0.333 ft
2. Multiply: 10 × 12 × 0.333 = 40 cubic feet
3. Divide by 27: 40 ÷ 27 = 1.48 cubic yards

Most suppliers deliver in half-yard or quarter-yard steps, so you’d order about 1.5 cubic yards. Add a small buffer, covered later in this guide, and 1.6 to 1.7 is safer.

How to Calculate Cubic Yards From Square Feet

If you only know the area, you’re one step away. You need the depth too, because square feet describe a flat surface and cubic yards describe volume.

Cubic yards = Area (sq ft) × Depth (ft) ÷ 27

For a 200 sq ft garden bed filled 3 inches deep:

200 × 0.25 ÷ 27 = 1.85 cubic yards

This is also the honest answer to the question people search for as cubic yards to square feet. The two units don’t convert directly, but one cubic yard covers a predictable area at each depth:

Depth	Coverage per cubic yard
1 inch	324 sq ft
2 inches	162 sq ft
3 inches	108 sq ft
4 inches	81 sq ft
6 inches	54 sq ft

Keep this table handy when you’re comparing quotes.

Cubic Yards to Cubic Feet (and Back)

For a quick cubic yards to cubic feet calculator in your head, multiply cubic yards by 27. Going the other way, divide cubic feet by 27. Two cubic yards is 54 cubic feet, and 81 cubic feet is 3 cubic yards. Our tool shows both results at once, so you never have to convert manually.

Cubic Yards to Yards: Clearing Up the Confusion

Many people search for a cubic yards to yards calculator, but the two aren’t the same kind of measurement. A yard is a length, 3 feet. A cubic yard is a volume. You can’t convert one to the other without extra dimensions. If you know the length and width in yards and the depth too, enter all three into the calculator and it will give you the volume directly.

Cubic Yards Calculator for Concrete

Concrete is one of the most common reasons people look for a cubic yards calculator for concrete, and it’s the material where mistakes cost the most. If you’re wondering how to calculate cubic yards of concrete, use the same formula, then plan a little extra.

Take a garage slab that is 20 ft × 20 ft and 4 inches thick:

20 × 20 × 0.333 ÷ 27 = 4.94 cubic yards

Order about 5.5 cubic yards to cover uneven ground, spillage and slight over-excavation. A good rule of thumb is to add 5 to 10 percent.

If you’re mixing yourself, a cubic yard needs roughly 45 bags of 80 lb premixed concrete or around 60 bags of 60 lb. Check the yield printed on your bag, since brands differ.

Cubic Yards of Gravel Calculator

For a cubic yards of gravel calculator result, measure the area and the depth you want. Walkways usually need 2 to 3 inches, and driveways often need 4 to 6 inches of compacted base.

Gravel Driveway Example

For a cubic yard calculator for gravel driveway jobs, take a driveway 30 ft long, 10 ft wide and 4 inches deep:

30 × 10 × 0.333 ÷ 27 = 3.7 cubic yards

Gravel compacts, so many installers add 10 to 15 percent. That brings the order to roughly 4.2 cubic yards. Sloped driveways and soft ground may need even more.

Cubic Yards of Dirt and Soil Calculator

Whether you’re filling a hole or building up a lawn, a cubic yards of dirt calculator works the same way. For gardening, a cubic yard calculator for soil is especially useful for raised beds.

A raised bed that is 4 ft × 8 ft and 12 inches deep needs:

4 × 8 × 1 ÷ 27 = 1.19 cubic yards

If you’re filling several identical beds, use the quantity field. Four beds would be 4.74 cubic yards, so you’d order about 5.

Loose soil settles after watering, so overfill slightly or order about 10 percent extra.

Cubic Yards of Mulch Calculator

Mulch is applied in thin layers over large areas, so the volume adds up quickly. Using a cubic yards of mulch calculator saves you from underestimating. Most beds need 2 to 3 inches.

For a 400 sq ft landscape area at 3 inches:

400 × 0.25 ÷ 27 = 3.7 cubic yards

A standard 2 cubic foot bag holds a fraction of that, which is why bulk delivery is usually cheaper once you pass about 2 cubic yards.

Cubic Yards of Sand Calculator

Sand is used under pavers, in play areas, in volleyball courts and as a base for pools. A cubic yards of sand calculator helps here, because sand is heavy and delivery charges are by load. A paver base is typically 1 inch of bedding sand over 4 to 6 inches of compacted aggregate. For a 150 sq ft patio, 1 inch of sand means:

150 × 0.0833 ÷ 27 = 0.46 cubic yards

Cubic Yard Calculator for Landscaping

A cubic yard calculator for landscaping projects is really several calculations in one. A typical yard might include a mulched bed, a gravel path, a soil-filled planter and a sand base under a seating area. Work out each area separately, add the results and round up. Doing it this way also helps you compare suppliers material by material.

For round features such as fire pits or tree rings, switch to the circle option. The formula is π × radius² × depth. For ring-shaped areas like a mulch border around a tree, the annulus option subtracts the inner circle for you.

Cubic Yards to Tons Calculator

Some suppliers sell by weight, not volume. To convert, multiply cubic yards by the material’s density. These are typical ranges, and actual figures vary with moisture and grain size:

Material	Approx. tons per cubic yard
Gravel	1.3 to 1.7
Sand	1.2 to 1.5
Topsoil	1.0 to 1.4
Mulch	0.3 to 0.5
Concrete	about 2

For the gravel driveway above, 3.7 cubic yards × 1.4 = about 5.2 tons. Ask your supplier for their exact conversion, because a cubic yards to tons calculator is only as accurate as the density you feed it.

How Many Cubic Yards Do I Need? Quick Tips

If you keep asking yourself how many cubic yards do I need, a few habits help:

• Measure twice. Use a tape and note the narrowest and widest points of irregular areas.
• Average uneven depth. Measure at several points and use the average.
• Add a buffer. 5 to 10 percent for most materials, up to 15 percent for gravel and loose fill.
• Split odd shapes. Divide an L-shaped bed into two rectangles and add them.
• Check delivery minimums. Many suppliers have a minimum load, so a small job may be cheaper by the bag.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Mixing units. Entering length in feet and depth in inches without choosing the right units is the number one error. Our calculator lets you pick a unit for each field.

Forgetting depth. Area alone cannot give you volume.

Ignoring compaction and settling. Gravel, soil and sand all lose volume once compacted.

Rounding down. A shortfall means a second delivery, and a slightly different batch of material that may not match the first.

Frequently Asked Questions