Free cubic yard calculator — cubic yards, weight and cost
Convert any area and depth into cubic yards. Add as many shapes as you need — rectangles, circles, triangles — and switch the material to get weight and bag counts as well.
How to calculate cubic yards
The formula is straightforward: length × width × depth, all in feet, divided by 27. The 27 is there because a cubic yard is three feet cubed — 3 × 3 × 3.
The step people get wrong is the depth. Depth is almost always quoted in inches while length and width are in feet, so it has to be converted before you multiply. Divide inches by 12 first. Four inches is 0.333 feet, not 4.
A useful shortcut worth memorising: one cubic yard covers 324 square feet at one inch deep. Divide that by your depth in inches for coverage at any other depth — so 108 square feet at 3 inches, 81 at 4 inches, 54 at 6 inches.
Coverage at a glance
How far one cubic yard goes, and what 1,000 square feet takes, at each common depth:
| Depth | One cubic yard covers | 1,000 sq ft needs |
|---|---|---|
| 1" | 324 sq ft | 3.1 cu yd |
| 2" | 162 sq ft | 6.2 cu yd |
| 3" | 108 sq ft | 9.3 cu yd |
| 4" | 81 sq ft | 12.3 cu yd |
| 6" | 54 sq ft | 18.5 cu yd |
| 12" | 27 sq ft | 37.0 cu yd |
Weight and delivery
Weight depends entirely on the material. Mulch is around 0.35 tons per cubic yard; topsoil about 1.2; gravel and stone about 1.4; concrete about 2. Switch the material selector to get the right figure.
Before you order, check access. Bulk material is tipped, not carried — the truck needs room to back in and raise its bed, and most suppliers will not tip on a surface they might damage. Ask about the delivery fee and the minimum order separately, because both change the maths on small jobs.
Turn it into a quote
Hit Copy order and the whole breakdown goes to your clipboard, ready to paste into an estimate. Add your labour, price it with the profit margin calculator, and send it with the estimate generator.
Related: cubic yard calculator, gravel, topsoil, mulch and concrete calculators, plus state-by-state rate data for what landscapers and contractors earn.
FAQ
How do you calculate cubic yards?
Multiply length by width by depth in feet, then divide by 27. If your depth is in inches, divide it by 12 first to convert to feet. For example, 10 × 10 × (4 ÷ 12) ÷ 27 = 1.23 cubic yards.
How many cubic feet are in a cubic yard?
Twenty-seven. A cubic yard is 3 feet by 3 feet by 3 feet, and 3 × 3 × 3 = 27 cubic feet.
How many square feet does a cubic yard cover?
324 square feet at 1 inch deep. Divide by your depth in inches for other depths: 108 square feet at 3 inches, 81 at 4 inches, 54 at 6 inches, and 27 at a full 12 inches.
How do I convert cubic yards to tons?
Multiply by the material's density in tons per cubic yard. Common figures: mulch about 0.35, topsoil about 1.2, sand about 1.35, gravel and crushed stone about 1.4, and concrete about 2. Moisture pushes all of these up.
How many cubic yards fit in a pickup truck?
A half-ton pickup holds roughly two cubic yards of light material like mulch, but only about one yard of gravel or soil — because weight, not volume, is the real limit. Check the payload rating on your door sticker rather than judging by how full the bed looks.