Cubic Yard Calculator
0 yd³
Cubic yards = length × width × depth in feet ÷ 27. A 20' × 10' area filled 3" deep is 20 × 10 × 0.25 = 50 ft³, or 1.85 yd³. Type the depth in inches into the cubic yard calculator, and pick a material if you also want the weight in tons.
The tool above is a cubic yards calculator for anything sold by the yard. Pick Rectangle or Circle, enter the sizes and press Calculate. The big number is in yd³, with ft³ and m³ on the line below, so it doubles as a cubic yard conversion calculator. The math shows up in one line, 20' × 10' × 3" = 50 ft³ ÷ 27, and you can check that the 3 was read as inches before you order a truckload. Filling several beds of the same size? Enter one and set Quantity.
How to calculate cubic yards
Multiply length by width by depth, all in feet, then divide by 27. That's all a yardage calculator for soil, sand or gravel does:
length (ft) × width (ft) × depth (in) ÷ 12 ÷ 27 = cubic yards
Dividing by 12 turns inches of depth into feet. Dividing by 27 turns cubic feet into cubic yards, because a cubic yard is 3 ft × 3 ft × 3 ft, which is 27 ft³ (0.7646 m³).
For the 20' × 10' area at 3": 3 ÷ 12 = 0.25 ft, 20 × 10 × 0.25 = 50 ft³, and 50 ÷ 27 = 1.85 yd³. Switch the site to metric and the same cubic yard volume calculator shows 1.42 m³.
For yards of concrete, use the concrete calculator: it counts bags and ready-mix for slabs, footings and posts.
Why depth is in inches
Nobody spreads soil 3 feet deep, so depth here is read in inches. Many online calculators read the same field in feet. Type 3 there and 20' × 10' × 3 becomes 600 ft³, or 22.22 yd³, instead of 1.85. That's the kind of mistake you find out about when the truck shows up.
If you do mean feet, type the foot mark: 3'. Feet and inches together work too, like 1' 6", down to 1/16.
Square feet to cubic yards
How to calculate cubic yards from square feet: multiply the area by the depth in feet, then divide by 27.
square feet × depth (in) ÷ 12 ÷ 27 = cubic yards
Take 200 ft² at 3": 200 × 0.25 = 50 ft³, or 1.85 yd³. Any square feet to cubic yard calculator runs the same two steps. The tool above asks for length and width instead of the area, so as a square footage to cubic yards calculator it fits rectangles and circles. For an L-shape or a yard with a cutout, get the area first with the square footage calculator, then use the formula.
Measured in square yards? Multiply by the depth in inches and divide by 36. 22.22 yd² at 3" is 22.22 × 3 ÷ 36 = 1.85 yd³. No separate square yard to cubic yard calculator needed.
Round areas
Switch to Circle for a round bed, a tree ring or a hole. Enter the diameter and the depth; the math is π × radius² × depth, then ÷ 27. A 10' circle at 3" deep is π × 5² × 0.25 = 19.63 ft³, or 0.73 yd³.
For a round hole, the same Circle tab works as a cylinder cubic yard calculator: enter the depth of the hole instead of the depth of the fill. Fill or hole, it's the same circle cubic yard calculator.
Cubic yards to tons
To convert cubic yards to tons, multiply the yards by the weight of one cubic yard in pounds and divide by 2,000, the US ton:
cubic yards × lb per yd³ ÷ 2,000 = US tons
Pick a Material and the tool works as a cubic yard to ton calculator: a line ≈ … US tons appears under the yards. With Gravel at about 2,835 lb per yd³, the 20' × 10' × 3" area is 5,250 lb, or ≈ 2.63 US tons. Need pounds, the way a cubic yard to pounds calculator shows them? Stop before the ÷ 2,000.
Going the other way, as a ton to cubic yard calculator: divide 2,000 by the weight of a yard. One US ton of gravel is 2,000 ÷ 2,835 = 0.71 yd³.
Once a material is picked, three more fields show up:
Extra %. We add 10% by default when you pick a material, because running short on site costs more than a little left over. With 10%, the gravel example is 2.04 yd³ and 2.89 US tons. Set anything from 0 to 50; 0 means no extra.Buy as: yd³ or tons, whichever unit your supplier quotes. In metric, m³ or t.Price: your price per yd³ or per ton. The tool keeps a separate price for each unit, and the result shows the cost as quantity × your price.
Your material isn't on the list? Pick Custom and enter its weight in tons per yd³. Ask your supplier; most quote 1.3 to 1.7.
How much soil, sand or gravel in a cubic yard
The weights below are what the Material list uses, all for dry, loose material. They're typical figures, so check with your supplier; wet sand and soil weigh more.
| Material | lb per yd³ | lb per ft³ | US tons per yd³ | Where the number comes from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gravel | about 2,835 | 105 | 1.42 | Engineering ToolBox lists dry gravel at 105 lb/ft³ |
| Sand (dry) | about 2,700 | 100 | 1.35 | Quikrete sells 50 lb of All-Purpose Sand as 0.5 ft³ |
| Topsoil (dry) | about 2,025 | 75 | 1.01 | The City of Seattle's volume-to-weight table for hauled material lists one cubic yard of dry soil at 2,025 lb |
| Mulch | about 500 | 18.5 | 0.25 | The same City of Seattle table lists one cubic yard of wood chips at 500 lb; bark and chips vary a lot |
On the 20' × 10' × 3" example, 1.85 yd³ comes to about 2.63 US tons of gravel, 2.50 of sand, 1.88 of topsoil and 0.46 of mulch (926 lb).
Use it as a cubic yard calculator for soil or a cubic yard dirt calculator: pick Topsoil and you get yards plus tons of dry dirt. Pick Sand and it's a cubic yard sand calculator; the yards are the same, only the weight changes. Topsoil yardage calculator, sand yardage calculator: one tool, one formula. For pea gravel, crushed stone or river rock, and for driveway layers, use the gravel calculator.
How far one yard goes depends only on the depth. This is the cubic yard coverage calculator in table form, 27 × 12 ÷ depth (in):
| Depth | 1 cubic yard covers |
|---|---|
| 2" | 162 ft² |
| 3" | 108 ft² |
| 4" | 81 ft² |
| 6" | 54 ft² |
What to do with the result
Press Add to project under the result. The volume goes to My project as a line, with the tons too if you picked a material. The line is named after the material and the size, like Gravel 20' × 10'; without a material it's Area 20' × 10', and a circle is Ø10'. Tap the name to rename it.
Lines from different calculators sit in one list with a total per material at the bottom, and you can print it. The numbers you enter stay in your browser; no account needed.
Laying a base under pavers? Work out the stone with the gravel calculator. Odd-shaped yard: get the area first with the square footage calculator. Pouring a slab next to the bed: the concrete calculator adds its line to the same list.
FAQ
How much area will 1 cubic yard cover?
108 ft² at 3" deep, 81 ft² at 4" and 162 ft² at 2". As a cubic yard to square feet calculator, the math is 27 × 12 ÷ depth in inches.
How many cubic feet are in a cubic yard?
- A cubic yard is 3 ft × 3 ft × 3 ft. To convert cubic feet to cubic yards, divide by 27.
Is 1 yard the same as 1 cubic yard?
When a supplier sells "a yard" of soil, sand or gravel, it means a cubic yard: 3 ft × 3 ft × 3 ft, or 27 ft³. A plain yard is a length of 3 ft.
How do I convert cubic yards to tons?
Multiply the yards by the weight of one yard in pounds and divide by 2,000. One cubic yard is about 1.42 US tons of gravel, 1.35 of sand, 1.01 of dry topsoil and 0.25 of mulch, using the figures and sources in the weight table above. Pick a Material and the cubic yard to ton calculator does it for you.
How much does a cubic yard of dirt weigh?
About 2,025 lb dry, or 1.01 US tons, per the City of Seattle's volume-to-weight table for hauled material. Wet dirt weighs more.
Results are estimates for ordering material. Check the quantity with your supplier before you order.