Measurement calculator
Cubic yard calculator
The unit every bulk supplier quotes in. Enter your dimensions in any units and get cubic yards, plus the conversions and truckload count that go with an order.
Your project
Only affects the weight line. Volume is unchanged.
Volume
1.481
cubic yards
- Cubic feet
- 40 cu ft
- Cubic metres
- 1.133 m³
- Weight
- 4,000 lb
- Weight in US tons
- 2 tons
- 10 cu yd truckloads
- 1 loads
- Wheelbarrow loads (3 cu ft)
- 14
- Footprint area
- 80 sq ft
Yards are always ordered up, never down. Suppliers sell in half or whole yards, and the last quarter yard of a job is the one you always need.
The shareable link reopens this calculator with your exact inputs.
How to calculate cubic yards
Multiply length, width and depth in feet, then divide by 27. A patio base 20 ft by 12 ft at 4 inches deep is 20 x 12 x 0.333 = 80 cubic feet, which is 2.96 cubic yards — order three.
The fastest shortcut for landscape work is square feet times depth in inches, divided by 324. It skips the conversion step entirely: 240 sq ft at 4 inches is 240 x 4 / 324 = 2.96 yards, the same answer.
Cubic yards measure volume, not weight, and suppliers of stone and sand often quote tons instead. Converting between the two needs the density of that specific product, which is why the weight line above changes when you change the material.
What a cubic yard actually looks like
A cubic yard is a 3 ft cube — 27 cubic feet. Spread out, it covers 324 square feet an inch deep, 162 at two inches, 108 at three and 81 at four.
In handling terms it is nine wheelbarrow loads at three cubic feet each, or about fourteen bags of mulch. A standard pickup bed holds one to two yards of light material but is usually weight-limited to half a yard of wet soil or gravel.
Truck capacities: single-axle dump 5-7 yards, tandem 10-14, tri-axle 16-18. Delivery is charged per load, so rounding an order up to fill a truck often costs less per yard than two small deliveries.
Cubic yard coverage by depth
Square feet covered by one cubic yard of material.
| Depth | Sq ft per cu yd | Cu yd per 1,000 sq ft |
|---|---|---|
| 1" | 324 | 3.09 |
| 2" | 162 | 6.17 |
| 3" | 108 | 9.26 |
| 4" | 81 | 12.35 |
| 6" | 54 | 18.52 |
| 12" | 27 | 37.04 |
Weight of one cubic yard by material
Typical delivered weights used to convert yards to tons.
| Material | lb per cu yd | US tons per cu yd |
|---|---|---|
| Bark mulch | 600 | 0.30 |
| Compost | 1,200 | 0.60 |
| Screened topsoil | 2,200 | 1.10 |
| Fill dirt | 2,600 | 1.30 |
| Crushed stone | 2,700 | 1.35 |
| Sand | 3,000 | 1.50 |
| Concrete | 4,050 | 2.03 |
Frequently asked questions
+How do I calculate cubic yards?
Length x width x depth in feet, divided by 27. Or, for area work: square feet x depth in inches, divided by 324.
+How many cubic feet in a cubic yard?
Twenty-seven. A cubic yard is a cube three feet on each side.
+How much does a cubic yard weigh?
It depends entirely on the material: about 600 lb for bark mulch, 2,200 lb for topsoil, 2,700 lb for crushed stone and 4,050 lb for concrete. Volume is fixed, weight is not.
+How many square feet does a cubic yard cover?
324 sq ft at 1 inch deep, 162 at 2 inches, 108 at 3 inches, 81 at 4 inches and 27 at 12 inches.
+How many cubic yards fit in a pickup truck?
A full-size pickup bed holds about 2 cubic yards of mulch, 1 yard of topsoil or half a yard of gravel before you exceed the payload rating. Volume runs out long after weight does on heavy material.
+How do I convert cubic yards to tons?
Multiply cubic yards by the material's weight per cubic yard, then divide by 2,000. Crushed stone at 2,700 lb per yard is 1.35 tons per yard, so 5 yards is 6.75 tons.