Cubic Yards Calculator

About Cubic Yards Calculator

How Cubic Yards Are Calculated

A cubic yard is a volume of 3 feet x 3 feet x 3 feet, or 27 cubic feet. The calculator converts your measurements to feet, multiplies length x width x depth, then divides by 27:

Step	Formula	Example (10 ft x 12 ft x 4 in deep)
Convert depth to feet	Inches / 12	4 / 12 = 0.333 ft
Volume in cubic feet	L x W x D	10 x 12 x 0.333 = 40 cu ft
Volume in cubic yards	Cu ft / 27	40 / 27 = 1.48 cu yd

Volume Conversion Reference

Unit	Equals
1 cubic yard	27 cubic feet
1 cubic yard	46,656 cubic inches
1 cubic yard	0.7646 cubic metres
1 cubic metre	1.308 cubic yards
1 cubic yard	~202 US gallons

Material Depths and Coverage

Different materials require different depths depending on the application. One cubic yard covers the following area at various depths:

Depth	Coverage per Cubic Yard	Common Materials
1 inch	324 sq ft	Decorative stone top-dressing
2 inches	162 sq ft	Mulch (light coverage), sand levelling
3 inches	108 sq ft	Standard mulch, gravel pathways
4 inches	81 sq ft	Concrete sidewalks, thick mulch beds
6 inches	54 sq ft	Concrete driveways, raised bed fill
12 inches	27 sq ft	Raised garden bed (full depth), retaining wall backfill

Material Weight per Cubic Yard

Weight matters for delivery truck capacity and load limits. Most dump trucks can carry 10-14 cubic yards by volume but may hit their weight limit sooner with heavy materials:

Material	Weight per Cubic Yard (approx.)	Notes
Mulch (wood chips)	400-800 lbs	Varies by moisture content; wet mulch is much heavier
Topsoil	1,800-2,200 lbs	Dry topsoil is lighter; screened topsoil is denser
Sand	2,400-2,700 lbs	Wet sand weighs more than dry sand
Gravel (pea gravel)	2,500-2,800 lbs	Smaller stones pack more densely
Crushed stone	2,700-3,000 lbs	Angular pieces interlock and weigh more per yard
Concrete (mixed)	3,600-4,000 lbs	About 2 tons per cubic yard when mixed
Fill dirt	2,000-2,600 lbs	Depends on clay content and moisture

Dump Truck Capacity Reference

Truck Type	Volume Capacity	Typical Weight Limit
Pickup truck bed	1-2 cubic yards	~1,000-2,000 lbs
Single-axle dump truck	5-6 cubic yards	~13,000 lbs
Tandem-axle dump truck	10-14 cubic yards	~26,000 lbs
Tri-axle dump truck	14-18 cubic yards	~40,000 lbs

Multiple Areas

Add as many sections as you need - garden beds, pathways, driveways - and the calculator totals them. Each area shows its individual cubic yardage alongside the combined total. Name each area to keep your project breakdown clear.

What Does a Cubic Yard Cost in 2026?

Material pricing varies sharply by material, region, and whether you buy in bags or bulk. Delivered prices include a trip fee that usually runs $50-$150 regardless of load size, so ordering a larger volume almost always lowers the per-yard cost. The ranges below reflect 2026 HomeGuide and Angi data for typical US markets.

Material	Material Only (per cu yd)	Delivered (per cu yd)	Source
Topsoil (unscreened)	$15-$30	$30-$80	HomeGuide 2026
Topsoil (screened)	$25-$50	$40-$100	HomeGuide 2026
Fill dirt	$5-$25	$150-$450 for 10-15 cu yd load	Angi 2026
Mulch (bulk)	$30-$135	$77-$94 installed	Angi / LawnStarter 2026
Gravel / crushed stone	$15-$75	Add $10-$25 per ton delivery	HomeGuide 2026
Ready-mix concrete	$140-$180 (plus pour fees)	Typical full truck: $1,400-$1,800 for 10 cu yd	HomeAdvisor 2026

Ready-mix concrete is usually sold by the truck with a short-load fee below 6-8 yards. If a project calls for only 1-2 yards, mixing bags on site is often cheaper than paying the partial-load surcharge.

Worked Example: Driveway Project

Take a concrete driveway measuring 20 feet long, 12 feet wide, at 6 inches deep, plus an apron 10 feet long by 12 feet wide at 4 inches deep.

1. Main slab depth in feet: 6 / 12 = 0.5 ft
2. Main slab volume: 20 x 12 x 0.5 = 120 cu ft = 120 / 27 = 4.44 cu yd
3. Apron depth in feet: 4 / 12 = 0.333 ft
4. Apron volume: 10 x 12 x 0.333 = 40 cu ft = 1.48 cu yd
5. Combined total: 4.44 + 1.48 = 5.92 cu yd
6. Order 10% extra for spillage and form variance: 5.92 x 1.10 = 6.51 cu yd

At roughly 4,050 lbs per cubic yard, that is about 26,330 lbs of concrete - close to the axle limit of a single-axle dump truck and a job best delivered by a tandem ready-mix truck. Use the concrete calculator for bag-count estimates on smaller pours.

Buying Tips

Quantity	Best Source	Why
Under 1 cubic yard	Bags from a garden centre	Convenient; no delivery fee
1-3 cubic yards	Pickup truck load from a landscape supplier	Cheaper per yard than bags; one trip
3+ cubic yards	Bulk delivery	Significantly cheaper per yard; delivered directly
6+ cubic yards concrete	Ready-mix truck	Avoids the short-load surcharge that applies below ~6 yd

Always order 5-10% extra for uneven ground, compaction, and spreading losses. For deep footings or trenches where the subgrade is irregular, 15% extra is safer.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Mixing units. The most common error is entering length in feet but depth in inches without converting. Every measurement must be in the same unit before multiplying. The calculator handles this automatically when you set the depth unit separately.
• Forgetting compaction. Gravel and crushed stone lose 10-20% of their loose volume once compacted. If you need 4 inches of compacted depth, order enough loose material to achieve that after tamping.
• Confusing tons and yards. Stone quarries often sell by the ton, landscape suppliers by the yard. A ton of crushed stone is roughly 0.7 cubic yards - always confirm which unit the quote uses.
• Ignoring weight limits. A single-axle dump truck is physically large enough for 6 cubic yards of mulch but will exceed its 20,000 lb axle rating with just 4-5 cubic yards of wet gravel. Check the weight per yard table above before booking delivery.
• Measuring irregular shapes as rectangles. A crescent-shaped garden bed or a tapered driveway should be broken into multiple rectangles or triangles. Add each as a separate area and combine the totals, or use the square footage calculator first to get the true surface area.

How Much Material for Common Projects?

Most DIY and small-contractor projects fall into a predictable range of volumes. Use the estimates below as a sanity-check on the calculator output before ordering:

Project	Typical Dimensions	Approximate Cubic Yards
Standard 2-car concrete driveway	20 ft x 20 ft x 4 in	~4.9 cu yd
Concrete patio	12 ft x 15 ft x 4 in	~2.2 cu yd
Sidewalk	40 ft x 4 ft x 4 in	~1.6 cu yd
Mulch for 500 sq ft bed at 3 in	500 sq ft x 3 in	~4.6 cu yd
Gravel driveway base	30 ft x 12 ft x 6 in	~6.7 cu yd
Raised garden bed soil	8 ft x 4 ft x 12 in	~1.2 cu yd
Fire pit base (gravel)	6 ft diameter x 4 in	~0.35 cu yd
French drain trench	50 ft x 1 ft x 2 ft	~3.7 cu yd

A useful mental shortcut: for anything 4 inches deep, one cubic yard covers about 81 square feet. Double the depth to 8 inches and one yard covers about 40 square feet. Halve it to 2 inches and one yard stretches to 162 square feet.

Imperial vs Metric Reference

The US construction industry still defaults to cubic yards, while the UK, EU, Canada (increasingly), Australia, and most other markets use cubic metres. Converting between the two is straightforward but easy to slip up on:

Imperial	Metric Equivalent
1 cubic yard	0.7646 cubic metres (764.6 litres)
1 cubic foot	0.02832 cubic metres (28.32 litres)
1 cubic inch	16.39 cubic centimetres
1 cubic metre	1.308 cubic yards
1 litre	0.001 cubic metres

A builder in the UK reading a US spec sheet for 10 cubic yards of concrete is looking at roughly 7.65 cubic metres. The calculator shows all three output units at once so spec sheets from either side of the Atlantic can be cross-checked without a separate converter.

Compaction and Waste Factors

Loose material compresses under its own weight and under traffic, so the volume you order is almost never the volume you end up with. Typical compaction ratios for common materials are below. Multiply the final finished volume by the factor to get the loose volume to order:

Material	Compaction Factor	Order Extra
Crushed stone / road base	1.20-1.30x	Order 20-30% extra
Pea gravel	1.10-1.15x	Order 10-15% extra
Topsoil (loose)	1.20-1.25x	Order 20-25% extra for settling
Mulch (shredded)	1.05-1.10x	Order 5-10% extra
Sand	1.10-1.15x	Order 10-15% extra
Concrete (ready-mix)	1.05-1.10x	Order 5-10% for form spillage and waste

Contractors often order by the "fluff factor" rather than the finished dimensions, particularly on highway and foundation work where a few inches of settled material can fail an inspection. For a residential patio or garden bed, 10% extra is almost always enough.

For concrete-specific quantities with bag counts, the concrete calculator estimates ready-mix or bags needed. For garden bed materials, the mulch calculator includes material-specific depth recommendations. All calculations run in your browser with no data stored.

Sources

• HomeGuide - 2026 Topsoil, Sand and Fill Dirt Delivery Costs
• Angi - Mulch Delivery and Installation Cost 2026
• HomeAdvisor - Landscape Material Delivery Cost Guide
• ACI / ASTM C138 - Density and Unit Weight of Concrete
• The Upfit Insider - Dump Truck Capacity Chart