Cubic Yards / Volume Calculator
This is the universal volume calculator: enter length, width and depth for any bed, slab, footing or fill area and it returns the volume in cubic yards, cubic feet and cubic metres at once — plus how many bags or truckloads to order, an estimated weight and the cost. Everything runs in your browser.
It is built as a hub. If you know exactly what you are ordering, a specialist tool gives you material-specific defaults and outputs: use the Concrete calculator for a slab, footing or column pour; the Gravel & aggregate calculator to order stone or sand by the tonne; the Excavation calculator to work out dig-out and haul-off; and the Paver, Water tank and Board foot calculators for their own trades. This page is for the moment you just need cubic yards from measurements, whatever the material.
Add one section per area and the results update live. Switch between metric and imperial at any time and every value converts in place; switch to Coverage mode to work backwards from a quantity you already have.
How to use the cubic yards calculator
The calculator works from a footprint area and a depth. You can mix units — length and width in feet, depth in inches — and it handles the conversion, which is the step most people get wrong by hand.
Pick a material only if you want sensible defaults; every number stays editable.
How to calculate cubic yards in 5 steps
- Choose unitsPick metric (m, mm, m³) or imperial (ft, in, yd³) at the top. You can switch later and every entry converts in place.
- Pick a materialChoose mulch, topsoil, gravel, sand, compost or concrete to pre-fill a typical depth, density and bag size — or leave it and enter your own. Every value stays editable.
- Add your sectionsAdd a section per area, choose its shape (rectangle, circle, triangle or direct area), and enter length, width and depth. Totals sum across all sections.
- Set waste, bags and trucksAdjust the waste percentage and choose a bag size and delivery truck so the panel can count bags and truckloads. Add a price to estimate cost.
- Read the resultsThe panel shows the order volume in cubic yards, cubic feet and cubic metres at once, plus bags, truckloads, estimated weight and cost. Export CSV or print a plan.
Worked example: a 10 × 10 ft bed, 4 in deep
The classic question is "how many cubic yards for a 10 by 10 area at 4 inches?". The trick is to convert the depth to feet before multiplying, then divide by 27 — there are 27 cubic feet in a cubic yard.
10 ft × 10 ft × 4 in = 1.23 yd³ (33.3 ft³ · 0.94 m³)
- Depth in feet: 4 in ÷ 12 = 0.33 ft
- Cubic feet: 10 ft × 10 ft × 0.33 ft = 33.3 ft³
- Cubic yards: 33.3 ft³ ÷ 27 = 1.23 yd³
How much does a cubic yard cover?
Coverage is pure geometry: one cubic yard is 27 cubic feet, so spread at a given depth it covers 324 ÷ depth-in-inches square feet — the same whether it is mulch, soil, sand or gravel. Use this table to sanity-check an order, or to estimate the depth you will get from a fixed area.
| Depth | Covers (ft²) | Covers (m²) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 in | 324 | 30.1 |
| 2 in | 162 | 15.1 |
| 3 in | 108 | 10.0 |
| 4 in | 81 | 7.5 |
| 6 in | 54 | 5.0 |
| 12 in | 27 | 2.5 |
How many bags are in a cubic yard?
Bagged material is sold by the cubic foot, so the number of bags in a cubic yard is 27 divided by the bag size, rounded up. A standard 2 cu ft mulch bag gives about 14 bags per yard; smaller 0.5 cu ft soil and sand bags take 54.
Frequently asked questions
How many cubic yards do I need?
Enter the length, width and depth of each area — you can put length and width in feet and the depth in inches. The calculator multiplies them, adds your waste allowance and totals every section into one order figure in cubic yards, cubic feet and cubic metres. Add a section for each separate bed, slab or patch.
How do I convert inches to cubic yards?
Depth is usually in inches while length and width are in feet, so convert the depth first: divide inches by 12 to get feet. Multiply length × width × depth (all in feet) for cubic feet, then divide by 27 for cubic yards. The calculator does this automatically when you enter a depth in inches.
How many cubic feet are in a cubic yard?
Exactly 27. A cubic yard is 3 ft × 3 ft × 3 ft = 27 cubic feet, and about 0.765 cubic metres. To convert cubic feet to cubic yards divide by 27; to go the other way multiply by 27. The results panel always shows all three units together.
How many bags are in a cubic yard?
Divide 27 cubic feet by the bag size and round up: a 2 cu ft bag gives 14 per yard, a 1 cu ft bag 27, a 0.75 cu ft bag 36 and a 0.5 cu ft bag 54. For 40, 60 and 80 lb concrete bags the tool counts by each bag's cubic-foot yield instead. Choose your bag type in Material & assumptions.
How much area does a cubic yard cover?
It depends only on depth: one cubic yard covers 324 ÷ depth-in-inches square feet. That is 324 ft² at 1 in, 108 ft² at 3 in, 81 ft² at 4 in and 54 ft² at 6 in. Switch to Coverage mode to enter a volume or a number of bags and read the area covered directly.
How many cubic yards are in a truckload?
It varies by vehicle. A pickup bed holds roughly 2.5 yd³ level, a small dump truck about 10 yd³, a standard dump truck around 12 yd³ and a tri-axle up to 16 yd³. The calculator divides your order by the truck size you pick, rounds up, and suggests bulk delivery once you pass one full load. Weight can cap a load below its volume for dense materials, so confirm with your supplier.
Should I use this or a material-specific calculator?
Use this one when you just need cubic yards from measurements. For a concrete pour with bag or ready-mix yields, use the Concrete calculator; for stone, sand or aggregate ordered by weight, the Gravel & aggregate calculator; for dig-out and spoil haul-off, the Excavation calculator. They share the same volume math but add defaults and outputs specific to their material.
Does it work in metric and imperial?
Both. Switch units at the top and every dimension, volume, weight and price converts in place — depths in inches or millimetres, volume in cubic yards or cubic metres. The three-unit result always shows cubic yards, cubic feet and cubic metres regardless of the units you type in.
Is the calculator private?
Yes. Every calculation runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you enter is sent to any server, and your project is saved only in your own browser's local storage.