Cubic Yard Calculator
Calculate cubic yards from length, width, and depth for concrete, gravel, mulch, soil, and more. Each dimension takes its own units (feet, inches, or yards) — get cubic feet, cubic yards, material weight in tons, and cost, with a depth reference and a downloadable PDF.
| Depth | Cubic feet | Cubic yards | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enter dimensions to see depths | |||
| Material | Density | Weight | Tons/yd³ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enter a volume to compare materials | |||
Cubic Yard Calculator — Complete Guide for 2026
The cubic yard is the unit that bulk materials are sold in across the US. Ready-mix concrete, gravel, crushed stone, sand, topsoil, fill dirt, and mulch are all priced and delivered by the yard — but projects are measured with a tape in feet and inches. A cubic yard calculation bridges the two: measure the length, width, and depth of the space, convert them to a single unit, multiply, and divide by 27.
Our free Cubic Yard Calculator does that for you with a separate unit for each dimension (feet, inches, or yards), so you can enter a 20 ft × 12 ft patio at 4 inches deep exactly as you measured it. It returns cubic feet, cubic yards, footprint in square feet, the amount to order with waste, weight in tons, and an estimated cost, with a number-of-areas multiplier for repeated pads, footings, or beds. By-depth and weight-by-material tables, a cubic-yards-by-depth chart, and a downloadable PDF round it out.
How to Use the Cubic Yard Calculator in 4 Steps
A complete estimate takes under a minute. Enter your three dimensions in whatever units you measured them, pick a material, add waste and price, and download a PDF for your supplier, crew, or client.
Enter Length, Width & Depth
Type each dimension and choose its unit from the dropdown — feet, inches, or yards. Mix and match freely: length and width in feet with depth in inches is the most common setup. If the job has several identical areas, such as four footing pads or three matching beds, set the Number of areas. Results update live on every keystroke.
Choose Your Material
Select gravel, concrete, sand, topsoil, fill dirt, or mulch. The material only changes the weight estimate — cubic yards are the same for any material. Weight matters for hauling it yourself, checking payload limits, and suppliers that price by the ton.
Add Waste & Price
Enter a waste / overage percentage to cover spillage, compaction, and uneven ground — 10% is the default. Add your supplier’s delivered price per cubic yard to get an estimated cost, which is based on the order quantity including waste. Leave the price at 0 to skip cost.
Review & Download the Report
The hero result shows cubic yards needed. Cards add cubic feet, order quantity with waste, and weight; the summary adds footprint and estimated cost. The by-depth table and chart show volume for the same footprint from 1 to 12 inches, and the weight-by-material table compares six materials. Click Download report for a branded PDF.
What a Cubic Yard Is — and Why Units Must Match
A cubic yard is the volume of a cube that measures 1 yard (3 feet) on every edge: 3 × 3 × 3 = 27 cubic feet. In inches it is 36 × 36 × 36 = 46,656 cubic inches, and in metric about 0.7646 cubic meters (from the exact definition 1 yd = 0.9144 m), which the PDF report also lists. Picture a box roughly the size of a washing machine and dryer side by side — that is about one cubic yard.
Volume is length × width × depth, but only when all three are in the same unit. The most common mistake is multiplying feet × feet × inches: a 20 ft × 12 ft patio at “4” deep gives 960 — a meaningless number that overstates the volume twelvefold. The fix is to convert depth to feet first (4 ÷ 12 = 0.333 ft), giving 80 cubic feet, then divide by 27 for 2.96 cubic yards.
Three ways to get to cubic yards
- All in feet: L × W × D (ft) ÷ 27. The standard method, and what the calculator does internally.
- All in yards: L × W × D (yd) = cubic yards directly — no division needed. A 5 yd × 4 yd × ⅓ yd area is 6.67 yd³.
- All in inches: L × W × D (in) ÷ 46,656. Handy for small forms, post pads, and planters measured in inches.
Because each field in the calculator has its own unit selector, you never have to pick one of these by hand — each dimension is converted to feet (inches × 1/12, yards × 3) before multiplying, so the result is the same whichever units you entered.
What the Cubic Yard Calculator Calculates
Every output comes from the same three dimensions and area count, so volume, footprint, order quantity, weight, and cost always agree with each other and with the tables and chart.
Cubic Yards (Hero Result)
Total volume = length × width × depth (all in feet) × number of areas ÷ 27, shown to two decimals. This is the number concrete plants, quarries, and landscape yards price by. At the default inputs — 20 ft × 12 ft × 4 in — the result is 2.96 yd³.
Cubic Feet & Footprint
Cubic feet (length × width × depth in feet × areas) is the unit printed on bagged concrete, soil, and mulch. Footprint (length × width × areas, in square feet) is the surface area covered and drives the by-depth table. Defaults: 80 ft³ over a 240 sq ft footprint.
Order Quantity with Waste
Cubic yards × (1 + waste %) — the amount to actually order, covering spillage, settling, compaction, and uneven subgrade. With the default 10%, 2.96 yd³ becomes 3.26 yd³. Round up to your supplier’s order increment, often a quarter or half yard.
Weight in Tons
Cubic yards × density ÷ 2,000, in US short tons. Default densities: gravel 2,800 lb/yd³ (1.4 t), concrete 4,050 lb/yd³ (~2.0 t), sand 2,700 lb/yd³ (1.35 t), fill dirt 2,400 lb/yd³ (1.2 t), topsoil 2,200 lb/yd³ (1.1 t), mulch 800 lb/yd³ (0.4 t). At the defaults, 2.96 yd³ of gravel weighs about 4.1 tons.
Depth & Material Tables + Chart
The by-depth table shows cubic feet, cubic yards, and weight for your footprint at 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, and 12 inches, highlighting your depth when it matches one of those values. The weight-by-material table shows what your volume weighs in all six materials, and the bar chart plots cubic yards by depth.
Estimated Cost & PDF Report
Cost = order quantity × price per cubic yard, so waste is priced in — the defaults give about $130 at $40/yd³. The PDF includes a branded header, the cubic-yard result, a dimensions-and-results table (with footprint and cubic meters), the by-depth table, the weight-by-material table, and an estimate note.
Cubic Yard Chart — Common Dimensions
Volumes below are length × width × depth converted to feet and divided by 27, before any waste allowance. Highlighted rows mark the most common project sizes.
| Length × Width × Depth | Footprint | Cubic Feet | Cubic Yards | Common Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 ft × 3 ft × 3 ft | 9 sq ft | 27.00 ft³ | 1.00 yd³ | Exactly one cubic yard (1 × 1 × 1 yd) |
| 2 ft × 2 ft × 12 in (× 4) | 16 sq ft | 16.00 ft³ | 0.59 yd³ | Four 2 × 2 ft footing pads, 12 in deep |
| 10 ft × 10 ft × 4 in | 100 sq ft | 33.33 ft³ | 1.23 yd³ | 10 × 10 concrete patio slab |
| 4 ft × 8 ft × 12 in | 32 sq ft | 32.00 ft³ | 1.19 yd³ | Raised garden bed fill |
| 5 yd × 12 ft × 3 in | 180 sq ft | 45.00 ft³ | 1.67 yd³ | Mixed units — gravel side path |
| 12 ft × 12 ft × 4 in | 144 sq ft | 48.00 ft³ | 1.78 yd³ | Shed gravel base |
| 10 ft × 10 ft × 6 in | 100 sq ft | 50.00 ft³ | 1.85 yd³ | Heavier-duty slab or hot tub pad |
| 40 ft × 16 in × 8 in | 53.3 sq ft | 35.56 ft³ | 1.32 yd³ | Continuous wall footing run |
| 20 ft × 12 ft × 4 in | 240 sq ft | 80.00 ft³ | 2.96 yd³ | Calculator default — patio or pad |
| 20 ft × 20 ft × 4 in | 400 sq ft | 133.33 ft³ | 4.94 yd³ | Parking pad or large patio |
| 24 ft × 24 ft × 4 in | 576 sq ft | 192.00 ft³ | 7.11 yd³ | Two-car garage floor |
| 50 ft × 12 ft × 4 in | 600 sq ft | 200.00 ft³ | 7.41 yd³ | Single-lane gravel driveway |
| 40 ft × 30 ft × 12 in | 1,200 sq ft | 1,200.00 ft³ | 44.44 yd³ | Fill or excavation for a building pad |
Volumes exclude waste. Add your overage percentage (commonly 5–10% for concrete and around 10% for loose materials) before ordering.
Cubic Yards — Depth Conversions and Coverage
Depth is almost always measured in inches, while length and width are in feet — so the conversion you’ll use most is inches to feet for depth. The table on the left gives the decimal-feet value for common depths and how much area one cubic yard covers at each. The table on the right shows how a single measurement converts across units.
| Depth | In feet | Sq ft per yd³ |
|---|---|---|
| 1 in | 0.0833 ft | 324 sq ft |
| 2 in | 0.1667 ft | 162 sq ft |
| 3 in | 0.25 ft | 108 sq ft |
| 4 in | 0.3333 ft | 81 sq ft |
| 5 in | 0.4167 ft | 64.8 sq ft |
| 6 in | 0.5 ft | 54 sq ft |
| 8 in | 0.6667 ft | 40.5 sq ft |
| 12 in | 1 ft | 27 sq ft |
| 18 in | 1.5 ft | 18 sq ft |
| 24 in | 2 ft | 13.5 sq ft |
| Measurement | Equals | In feet or ft³ |
|---|---|---|
| 1 in | 1/12 ft | 0.0833 ft |
| 1 ft | 12 in | 1 ft |
| 1 yd | 3 ft = 36 in | 3 ft |
| 1 sq yd | 3 × 3 ft | 9 sq ft |
| 1 yd³ | 3 × 3 × 3 ft | 27 ft³ |
| 1 yd³ | 36 × 36 × 36 in | 46,656 in³ |
| 1 ft³ | 12 × 12 × 12 in | 1,728 in³ |
| 1 yd³ | metric | 0.7646 m³ |
| 1 m³ | metric | 1.308 yd³ |
Cubic Yards — Key Numbers
The Cubic Yard Calculator Is Built For You If…
Whether you’re a homeowner filling raised beds, a contractor pricing slabs and footings, or a landscaper ordering gravel for several properties, this calculator turns tape-measure dimensions into an order-ready quantity, weight, and cost in seconds.
Homeowners & DIY Builders
Patios, paths, raised beds & shedsYou measured the space with a tape — feet one way, inches the other — and the supplier wants a number in yards. A homeowner building three 4 × 8 ft raised beds, 12 inches deep, can enter one bed and set the area count to 3 to get about 3.56 yd³ of soil. Someone pouring a 10 × 10 ft pad needs to know it’s 1.23 yd³ before calling the ready-mix plant.
- Enter dimensions exactly as measured — feet, inches, or yards per field
- Use Number of areas for matching beds, pads, or planters
- Check the weight result before hauling material in a pickup or trailer
- Use cubic feet to compare bagged vs bulk pricing
Contractors & Concrete Estimators
Slabs, footings, piers & basesConcrete is ordered by the yard, and a short load mid-pour costs time and money. An estimator pricing a run of footings — 40 ft long, 16 in wide, 8 in deep — needs 1.32 yd³ before overage. A crew pouring a dozen identical pier pads can calculate one and multiply. The by-depth table makes it easy to show a client the difference between a 4-inch and a 6-inch slab.
- Mix units freely: footing width and depth in inches, run length in feet
- Calculate one pad or pier and set the area count for the rest
- Set 5–10% waste for formed concrete; more for compacted base
- Attach the PDF to estimates, change orders, and supplier orders
Landscapers & Property Managers
Bulk orders, budgets & site workLandscape crews and property managers order gravel, soil, and mulch across many beds and lots. Getting each order right avoids paying for leftovers or a second delivery charge. The weight-by-material table helps plan truck loads when a job mixes stone, soil, and mulch, and the cost estimate turns each area into a budget line.
- Measure long, narrow beds and paths as length × width in feet
- Compare materials by weight to plan delivery trips and truck capacity
- Enter your delivered price per yard to budget each property
- Keep PDFs for recurring seasonal mulch and gravel orders
7 Tips for Accurate Cubic Yard Estimates
The formula is simple, but mismatched units and small depth errors are behind most short loads and oversized orders. These tips help you get the quantity right the first time.
Never Multiply Mixed Units Directly
Feet × feet × inches does not give cubic anything. Convert every dimension to feet first — inches ÷ 12, yards × 3 — then multiply and divide by 27. The calculator’s per-field unit selectors do this automatically, so enter each measurement exactly as you took it.
Depth Is the Most Sensitive Measurement
Volume scales directly with depth: 3 inches to 4 inches adds 33% more material, and a half-inch error on a 4-inch slab changes the volume by 12.5%. Measure depth at several points and average them, and check the actual form height or excavation rather than assuming a nominal thickness.
Use Number of Areas for Repeats — and Split Odd Shapes
For identical pads, piers, or beds, calculate one and set the area count. For irregular shapes, split them into rectangles and run each one separately, then add the cubic yards. For a triangle, use half the base as the width; for a circle, use a square with the same area (side ≈ 0.886 × diameter).
Allow Extra for Compaction and Settling
Loose gravel, fill, and soil compact after spreading and tamping, so the loose volume you order ends up thinner than the finished depth. Use the waste field to cover it — 10% is a common starting point, and more is reasonable for base material compacted with a plate tamper or roller. Ask your supplier what they recommend.
Round Up to the Supplier’s Increment
Ready-mix plants and bulk yards sell in set increments (often a quarter, half, or whole yard) and may add short-load or delivery fees for small orders. After adding waste, round up. Running short on concrete mid-pour is far more expensive than a little leftover.
Check Weight Before Hauling It Yourself
One cubic yard of gravel is about 2,800 lb (1.4 tons) and sand about 2,700 lb — more than many light pickups can safely carry. Mulch is far lighter at about 800 lb per yard. Compare the weight result and weight-by-material table against your vehicle’s rated payload before loading.
Convert to Bags Using Cubic Feet
Bagged products are labeled in cubic feet. One cubic yard = 27 cubic feet: about 13.5 two-cu-ft bags of mulch or soil, or 9 three-cu-ft bags. An 80-lb bag of concrete mix yields roughly 0.6 cu ft, so one cubic yard takes about 45 bags — at that point, ready-mix delivery is usually the better option.
Cubic Yard Calculator — Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about calculating cubic yards, handling mixed units and repeated areas, how much common materials weigh, and how much extra to order.
Convert length, width, and depth to feet, multiply them together to get cubic feet, then divide by 27. The formula is: cubic yards = length (ft) × width (ft) × depth (ft) ÷ 27. Depth in inches is divided by 12 to get feet.
For example, a 20 ft × 12 ft area 4 inches deep is 20 × 12 × 0.333 = 80 cubic feet, and 80 ÷ 27 = 2.96 cubic yards.
A 10 ft × 10 ft slab 4 inches thick is about 1.23 cubic yards: 10 × 10 × (4 ÷ 12) = 33.33 cubic feet, and 33.33 ÷ 27 = 1.23.
With a 10 percent waste allowance, order about 1.36 cubic yards, rounded up to your supplier’s order increment.
Convert every dimension to the same unit before multiplying. In feet: divide inches by 12 and multiply yards by 3. For example, 5 yd × 12 ft × 3 in becomes 15 ft × 12 ft × 0.25 ft = 45 cubic feet = 1.67 cubic yards.
The calculator lets you pick feet, inches, or yards separately for each dimension and converts them for you. If all three dimensions are already in yards, simply multiply them to get cubic yards directly.
One cubic yard is exactly 27 cubic feet, because a cubic yard is a cube 3 feet on each side (3 × 3 × 3 = 27). It is also 46,656 cubic inches (36 × 36 × 36) and about 0.7646 cubic meters.
Calculate one area and multiply by the number of areas. The calculator has a Number of areas field that does this for you. For example, four footing pads each 2 ft × 2 ft × 12 in are 4 cubic feet each, 16 cubic feet total, or about 0.59 cubic yards.
Volume, weight, and cost are all multiplied by the number of areas.
The calculator uses typical densities per cubic yard: gravel 2,800 lb (1.4 tons), concrete about 4,050 lb (roughly 2.0 tons), sand 2,700 lb (1.35 tons), fill dirt 2,400 lb (1.2 tons), topsoil 2,200 lb (1.1 tons), and mulch 800 lb (0.4 tons).
Actual weight varies with moisture, particle size, and compaction, so confirm tonnage with your supplier.
A 5 to 10 percent overage is common for concrete poured into forms, and around 10 percent is a common starting point for gravel, soil, and mulch. Increase it for uneven subgrade, loose material that will be compacted, or irregular shapes.
The calculator applies your waste percentage to show the amount to order and bases the cost estimate on that order quantity.
The volume math is exact: every dimension is converted to feet (1 in = 1/12 ft, 1 yd = 3 ft), multiplied, and divided by 27, using double-precision arithmetic. Your result is only as accurate as your measurements, especially depth, since a half-inch error on a 4-inch slab changes the volume by 12.5 percent.
Weights use typical densities and are estimates only; tons are US short tons of 2,000 lb.
Accuracy note: The HomeExpertly Cubic Yard Calculator converts each dimension to feet using the exact relationships 1 in = 1/12 ft and 1 yd = 3 ft, multiplies length × width × depth × number of areas, and divides by 27 ft³ per yd³. Cubic meters in the PDF use 1 yd³ ≈ 0.764555 m³. Material weights use typical densities (gravel 2,800, concrete 4,050, sand 2,700, fill dirt 2,400, topsoil 2,200, and mulch 800 lb per cubic yard) and are reported in US short tons of 2,000 lb; actual weights vary with moisture content, particle size, and compaction. Cost estimates depend entirely on the price you enter and exclude delivery fees, taxes, short-load charges, and labor. Results are for informational and planning purposes only. Before ordering, always verify quantities, tonnage, and coverage with your supplier, and consult a licensed contractor or engineer for structural concrete, footings, load-bearing bases, drainage, or other work where specifications are critical. HomeExpertly is not responsible for any consequences arising from the use of these estimates.