How to calculate cubic yards
A cubic yard is a cube 3 ft long, 3 ft wide and 3 ft high, or 27 cubic feet. Landscape yards, quarries and concrete plants sell bulk material by the cubic yard, so this is the number you need before you call a supplier.
- Measure the area in feet. Split odd shapes into rectangles, circles and triangles and add them together.
- Measure the depth in inches. This is the thickness of the layer you are filling, not the depth of the hole below grade.
- Multiply and convert: square feet × depth in inches ÷ 12 gives cubic feet. Divide by 27 for cubic yards.
- Add an allowance for settling, compaction or spillage if the material needs it.
Cubic yard formula
The 324 comes from 12 (inches per foot) × 27 (cubic feet per cubic yard), so you can skip the intermediate step. For a circle, the area is π × radius²; for a triangle, it is base × height ÷ 2.
Worked example: a garden bed
A bed 24 ft long and 8 ft wide covered 3 in deep is 24 × 8 × 3 ÷ 324 = 1.78 cubic yards. Round up to 2 yards when ordering.
Worked example: a round patio base
A circular patio 14 ft across has an area of 3.1416 × 7² = 153.94 sq ft. At 4 in deep that is 153.94 × 4 ÷ 324 = 1.90 cubic yards.
Cubic yard coverage chart
How much area one cubic yard covers at common depths (324 ÷ depth in inches):
| Depth | Area covered by 1 cubic yard | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| 1 in | 324 sq ft | Top-dressing a lawn, bedding sand |
| 2 in | 162 sq ft | Decorative stone, mulch refresh |
| 3 in | 108 sq ft | New mulch beds, gravel paths |
| 4 in | 81 sq ft | Concrete patio slab, topsoil for sod, path base |
| 6 in | 54 sq ft | Driveway slab, compacted base, new lawn soil |
| 12 in | 27 sq ft | Raised beds, deep fill |
Cubic yard conversions
| From | To | Multiply by |
|---|---|---|
| Cubic feet | Cubic yards | ÷ 27 |
| Cubic yards | Cubic feet | × 27 |
| Cubic yards | Cubic meters | × 0.7646 |
| Cubic meters | Cubic yards | × 1.308 |
| Cubic inches | Cubic yards | ÷ 46,656 |
| Cubic yards | US gallons | × 201.97 |
Bagged products are labeled in cubic feet. A 2 cu ft bag of mulch is 2 ÷ 27 = 0.074 cubic yards, so it takes about 13.5 bags to make one yard.
How much does a cubic yard weigh?
Volume is the same for every material, but weight is not. Quarries often sell by the ton, and trucks and trailers have weight limits, so it helps to know roughly what a yard weighs:
| Material | Approx. weight per cubic yard |
|---|---|
| Bark mulch | 400–800 lb |
| Topsoil (dry to moist) | 2,000–2,400 lb |
| Fill dirt | 2,000–2,700 lb |
| Sand (dry) | about 2,700 lb |
| Gravel and crushed stone | 2,600–3,000 lb |
| Concrete (wet) | about 4,000 lb |
Moisture can add several hundred pounds a yard. A half-ton pickup can usually carry only about half a yard of gravel or soil safely — check your vehicle's payload rating.
Ordering tips
- Round up to the supplier's increment (often ½ or 1 yard). Running short costs a second delivery fee.
- Loose soil and mulch settle; add about 10–20% if you need a finished depth after settling.
- For material sold by the ton, use the gravel calculator, sand calculator or dirt calculator, which convert yards to tons.
- For concrete, use the concrete calculator — it also counts bags and handles footings and steps.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate cubic yards?
Multiply length × width in feet by depth in inches, then divide by 324. For example, 20 ft × 10 ft × 4 in ÷ 324 = 2.47 cubic yards.
How many cubic feet are in a cubic yard?
There are 27 cubic feet in a cubic yard, because a yard is 3 ft × 3 ft × 3 ft.
How many square feet does a cubic yard cover?
One cubic yard covers 324 sq ft at 1 in deep, 162 sq ft at 2 in, 108 sq ft at 3 in, 81 sq ft at 4 in and 54 sq ft at 6 in.
How do I convert cubic yards to tons?
Multiply cubic yards by the material’s weight per yard. Gravel is about 1.4 tons per yard, sand about 1.35 and topsoil about 1.1, but check with your supplier.
How many bags make a cubic yard?
Divide 27 by the bag size in cubic feet: about 13.5 bags of 2 cu ft, 9 bags of 3 cu ft, or 36 bags of 0.75 cu ft.
Sources & standards
This calculator's formulas and default values are based on the following codes, standards and published data. Codes are adopted and amended locally, so check with your building department for permitted work. See how we build and check our calculators.
- NIST Handbook 44 and SP 811: US customary units — 1 yd³ = 27 ft³ = 0.764555 m³.
- Standard geometric area formulas for rectangles, circles and triangles.
- Suppliers’ published bulk weights for mulch, soil, sand, gravel and concrete (typical ranges; vary with moisture).