Cubic Yards Calculator

How to calculate cubic yards

A cubic yard is a cube 3 feet on each side: 3 × 3 × 3 = 27 cubic feet. To find how many cubic yards fill an area:

1. Find the area in square feet — length × width for a rectangle, π × (diameter ÷ 2)² for a circle, ½ × base × height for a triangle.
2. Convert the depth to feet — divide inches by 12 (4 in = 0.33 ft).
3. Multiply area × depth to get cubic feet.
4. Divide by 27 to get cubic yards.

Worked example. A garden bed 12 ft × 10 ft, filled 4 in deep:

• Area: 12 × 10 = 120 sq ft
• Volume: 120 × 4 ÷ 12 = 40 cu ft
• Cubic yards: 40 ÷ 27 = 1.48 yd³
• With 10 % extra: 1.48 × 1.10 = 1.63 yd³ — a bulk supplier would deliver 2 yards; in bags it is 22 bags of 2 cu ft.

If the project has several parts — a bed, a path and a few holes — add each one as its own area with its own depth. The calculator adds them up, and How it’s calculated shows every step with your numbers. If you first need the area of an odd-shaped space, the square footage calculator handles L-shapes and cut-outs.

Square feet to cubic yards: how far a yard goes

The same cubic yard covers less ground the deeper you spread it. One cubic yard covers 324 ÷ depth in inches square feet:

To go from square feet to cubic yards, reverse it: square feet × depth in inches ÷ 324. A 500 sq ft area at 3 in needs 500 × 3 ÷ 324 = 4.6 yd³.

Common projects

All figures include 10 % extra. “Bulk order” is rounded up to the next half yard; bags are 2 cu ft.

For raised beds, the University of Maryland Extension recommends at least 8 inches of soil for leafy greens, beans and cucumbers, and 12–24 inches for peppers, tomatoes and squash.

How many bags make a cubic yard

For metric bags, one cubic meter is 1,000 liters: 40 bags of 25 L, 25 bags of 40 L, 20 bags of 50 L. Pick your bag size under the calculator and the count updates with the rest of the result.

How much extra to order

Loose material is never spread perfectly level, some is lost on the tarp and the ground, and soil and compost settle after watering. Order 5–10 % more than the calculated volume for mulch, compost and soil spread loose, and more for fill you will compact, because compaction squeezes the same material into less space. The calculator’s default is 10 %; change it under Extra for spreading & settling.

Bulk suppliers sell in whole or half yards, so the calculator also rounds your order up to the next ½ yd³. Rounding up is deliberate: running short means a second delivery fee.

Holes, posts and columns

Choose the Circle / hole shape for anything round: post holes, tree pits, sonotubes, a round planter. Enter the diameter (type 10" for inches), set the depth unit to inches or feet, and put the number of identical holes in How many holes. Eight holes 10 in wide and 36 in deep hold 13.1 cu ft — just under half a cubic yard.

If the holes will be filled with concrete, the concrete calculator converts the same volume into 40, 60 and 80 lb bags of mix.

Bulk or bags?

Bags are convenient for small jobs and places a truck cannot reach. Above roughly one cubic yard, bulk delivery is usually cheaper even with a delivery fee, and it saves carrying a dozen or more bags per yard. Compare quotes in the same unit: enter the price per cubic yard, per cubic foot or per bag, and the calculator shows the total for your order.

What a cubic yard weighs

Volume is the same for every material; weight is not. Shredded wood mulch is light, while topsoil, sand and gravel weigh well over a ton per cubic yard — and wet material weighs more than dry. Check what your vehicle can carry before collecting it yourself. For weight in tons with a visible density, use the material’s own calculator: the gravel calculator for stone, and the mulch and topsoil calculators as they publish.