Wednesday, October 28, 2026
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Enter the size and depth of your bed, slab, driveway or footing and get the cubic yards to order, plus weight in tons, bags needed and cost. Built for mulch, topsoil, gravel, sand, crushed stone and concrete.
Quick answer: Cubic yards = length (ft) × width (ft) × depth (ft) ÷ 27. Convert depth from inches to feet first by dividing by 12. One cubic yard covers 81 square feet at 4 inches deep, or 108 square feet at 3 inches deep.
There are 27 cubic feet in a cubic yard because a cubic yard is 3 ft × 3 ft × 3 ft. In metric, one cubic yard is 0.7646 cubic meters, so cubic meters ÷ 0.7646 gives cubic yards.
Depth = 4 ÷ 12 = 0.3333 ft. Volume = 20 × 10 × 0.3333 = 66.67 cubic feet. 66.67 ÷ 27 = 2.47 cubic yards, or 2.72 with 10% extra.
12 × 12 × 0.3333 = 48 cubic feet = 1.78 cubic yards. With 80 lb bags that yield 0.60 cubic feet each, you need 48 ÷ 0.6 = 80 bags (no extra).
500 × 0.25 = 125 cubic feet = 4.63 cubic yards. In 2 cubic foot bags that is 63 bags.
π × 5² × 0.5 = 39.27 cubic feet = 1.45 cubic yards.
6 × 4 × 0.1 = 2.4 cubic meters. 2.4 ÷ 0.7646 = 3.14 cubic yards.
This is the most-searched question about bulk material. A cubic yard holds 27 cubic feet, so coverage in square feet is 324 ÷ depth in inches.
| Depth | Square feet covered by 1 cubic yard | Cubic yards per 100 sq ft |
|---|---|---|
| 1 in | 324 | 0.31 |
| 2 in | 162 | 0.62 |
| 3 in | 108 | 0.93 |
| 4 in | 81 | 1.23 |
| 6 in | 54 | 1.85 |
| 12 in | 27 | 3.70 |
Quick lookup with no extra added. Add 5–10% on top for waste.
| Area | 2 in deep | 3 in deep | 4 in deep | 6 in deep |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 sq ft | 0.62 yd³ | 0.93 yd³ | 1.23 yd³ | 1.85 yd³ |
| 250 sq ft | 1.54 yd³ | 2.31 yd³ | 3.09 yd³ | 4.63 yd³ |
| 500 sq ft | 3.09 yd³ | 4.63 yd³ | 6.17 yd³ | 9.26 yd³ |
| 1,000 sq ft | 6.17 yd³ | 9.26 yd³ | 12.35 yd³ | 18.52 yd³ |
| 2,000 sq ft | 12.35 yd³ | 18.52 yd³ | 24.69 yd³ | 37.04 yd³ |
Suppliers sell by volume but deliver by weight, so truck capacity and cost per ton depend on density. These are typical figures, and the tool lets you change the weight to match your supplier.
| Material | Typical weight per cubic yard | Approx. tons |
|---|---|---|
| Topsoil | 2,000–2,700 lb | 1.0–1.35 |
| Wood mulch | 500–900 lb | 0.25–0.45 |
| Compost | 800–1,200 lb | 0.4–0.6 |
| Sand | 2,600–3,000 lb (dry) | 1.3–1.5 |
| Gravel or pea gravel | 2,400–2,900 lb | 1.2–1.45 |
| Crushed stone (road base) | 2,500–3,000 lb | 1.25–1.5 |
| Concrete | about 4,000 lb | about 2.0 |
Wet material is heavier. Rain-soaked sand or topsoil can weigh 20–30% more than the dry figure, so ask your supplier how they weigh it.
Bagged concrete is sold by weight, but what matters is the yield after mixing.
| Bag size | Yield (cubic feet) | Bags per cubic yard |
|---|---|---|
| 40 lb | 0.30 | 90 |
| 60 lb | 0.45 | 60 |
| 80 lb | 0.60 | 45 |
For more than about 1 cubic yard, ordering ready-mix concrete from a truck is usually faster and cheaper than mixing dozens of bags. Many ready-mix plants charge a short-load fee on small orders, so ask about the minimum.
Multiply length by width by depth, all in feet, then divide by 27. If the depth is in inches, divide it by 12 first. For example, 20 ft × 10 ft × 4 in is 20 × 10 × 0.3333 = 66.67 cubic feet, which is 2.47 cubic yards.
It depends on depth: 6.17 cubic yards at 2 inches, 9.26 at 3 inches, 12.35 at 4 inches and 18.52 at 6 inches (no extra added).
A cubic yard covers 324 square feet at 1 inch deep, 162 at 2 inches, 108 at 3 inches, 81 at 4 inches and 54 at 6 inches.
There are 27 cubic feet in one cubic yard (3 × 3 × 3). One cubic yard is also 0.7646 cubic meters and 201.97 US gallons.
It depends on the material. A ton of gravel or sand is about 0.7 cubic yards, a ton of topsoil about 0.9, and a ton of mulch about 3 cubic yards, using the typical weights above.
Multiply length × width × thickness in feet and divide by 27. A 10 × 10 ft slab 4 inches thick needs 100 × 0.3333 ÷ 27 = 1.23 cubic yards. Order 5–10% extra.
A cubic yard holds 27 cubic feet, which is 13.5 bags of 2 cubic foot mulch or 9 bags of 3 cubic foot mulch.
About 45 bags. Each 80 lb bag yields roughly 0.60 cubic feet, and a cubic yard is 27 cubic feet.
Divide cubic meters by 0.7646 (or multiply by 1.3079). For example, 2.4 cubic meters is 3.14 cubic yards.
Order 5% extra for mulch and topsoil, 10% for gravel, road base and concrete in forms, and more for uneven ground or loose soil that will compact.
One cubic yard is exactly 27 cubic feet, or 0.764554857984 cubic meters (international yard and foot, per NIST Special Publication 811). Material weights and bag yields are typical manufacturer and supplier figures and vary with moisture, grade and brand, so confirm with your supplier before ordering. Every worked example and table value on this page was recalculated against the formulas shown. See our editorial policy for how we build and review tools.