Cubic Yard Calculator: Yards, Coverage & Weight
Turn an area and a depth into cubic yards, then see what those yards weigh in gravel, sand, earth or wood chips.
By Marko VisicBSc Physics, University of Ljubljana
2.00yd³
cubic yards: 1.529 m³, 54 ft³
covers 108 sq ft per yd³
- Loose dry gravel
- 5,600 lb
- 2.80 short tons, 2.54 metric
- Loose dry sand
- 5,400 lb
- 2.70 short tons, 2.45 metric
- Loose dry earth
- 4,100 lb
- 2.05 short tons, 1.86 metric
- Dry wood chips
- 486 lb
- 0.24 short tons, 0.22 metric
What 2.00 yd³ weighs, at loose dry densities: dry gravel 2,800 lb/yd³, dry sand 2,700, dry earth 2,050, dry wood chips 243. Wet or compacted weighs more. Even one yard of loose dry gravel is past the 2,440 lb payload of a 2026 F-150.
About 9 wheelbarrow trips at six cubic feet a load (6 ft³ heaped). Ordering concrete instead? A mixer truck holds up to 10 cubic yards.
Quick picks: the 10% bulk-order margin, or the compaction gross-up of 1.43× (loose yards per finished yard).
You need 2.00 yd³
An 18 by 12 ft bed, 3 inches deep, is 2.00 cubic yards, about 1.529 cubic meters. That same volume weighs roughly 5,600 lb in loose dry gravel but only 486 lb in wood chips, because you order a yard by volume but haul it by weight.
You order bulk material by the cubic yard but haul it against a weight limit, so this tool shows both. For a single material with a cost estimate, the gravel calculator and topsoil calculator add price and settling, the cubic yards to tons calculator turns a volume into a weight, and the cubic yard guide explains what a yard is.
Estimate only: weights use dry, loose densities and vary with moisture and compaction. Confirm quantities with your supplier before ordering.
How to calculate cubic yards
Every estimate is the same three steps, whatever the shape: find the area, turn it into a volume with the depth, then divide by 27 to get cubic yards.
Rectangle
Circle
Triangle
Then divide by 27
There are 27 cubic feet in a cubic yard, so the last step is always the same.
Keep depth in the same system: inches divide by twelve to reach feet; a cubic yard is 0.765 cubic meters and 46,656 cubic inches.
Cubic feet to cubic yards
Cubic feet and cubic yards are both volumes at a fixed ratio (27 cubic feet to the yard), so converting is just dividing or multiplying. Cubic inches and cubic meters convert the same way. Switch the tool to “Convert units” to do any of these without the math.
| To convert | Do this | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Cubic feet → cubic yards | divide by 27 | 54 ft³ ÷ 27 = 2 yd³ |
| Cubic yards → cubic feet | multiply by 27 | 2 yd³ × 27 = 54 ft³ |
| Cubic inches → cubic yards | divide by 46,656 | 93,312 in³ ÷ 46,656 = 2 yd³ |
| Cubic meters → cubic yards | divide by 0.765 | 1 m³ ÷ 0.765 = 1.31 yd³ |
Square feet to cubic yards
Square feet is an area, not a volume, so it needs a depth before it becomes cubic yards: multiply the area by the depth in feet, then divide by 27. Square yards work the same way, with nine square feet to the square yard.
| To convert | Do this | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Square feet → cubic yards | area × depth(ft) ÷ 27 | 216 ft² × 0.25 ÷ 27 = 2 yd³ |
| Square yards → cubic yards | area(yd²) × depth(ft) ÷ 3 | 24 yd² × 0.25 ÷ 3 = 2 yd³ |
Yardage and coverage by depth
A fast lookup for sizing beds and base courses: how many cubic yards a 100-square-foot bed takes at each depth, and how far one cubic yard spreads.
| Depth (in) | yd³ per 100 sq ft | One yd³ covers (sq ft) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0.31 | 324 |
| 2 | 0.62 | 162 |
| 3 | 0.93 | 108 |
| 4 | 1.23 | 81 |
| 6 | 1.85 | 54 |
| 8 | 2.47 | 40.5 |
| 12 | 3.70 | 27 |
Worked example: two beds and a tree ring
Three areas at once, exactly how the tool adds them. Two rectangular beds and a round tree ring, all at a 3-inch depth.
Bed B: 12 × 3 = 36 ft² × 0.25 = 9 ft³
Tree ring: π × 3² = 28.3 ft² × 0.25 = 7.1 ft³
Total: 26.1 ft³ ÷ 27 = 0.97 yd³
+10% order margin → about 1.1 yd³
Each area keeps its own depth, so a 2-inch mulch bed and a 4-inch gravel ring add up correctly in one total.
Reading your result
The headline is your volume in cubic yards, how bulk material is sold. Underneath, the same volume is shown in cubic meters and cubic feet, and, once you add an allowance, as the quantity to actually order. The weight panel converts that volume into pounds and tons for four common materials, because the load, not the volume, is what a trailer or pickup has to carry.
From yards to loads and trucks
One cubic yard is 27 cubic feet, so at six cubic feet a heaped load it is about 4½ wheelbarrow runs. A half-ton pickup tops out near 2,440 lb, which a single yard of gravel, sand or wet soil already exceeds. A ready-mix truck, by contrast, carries up to 10 cubic yards of concrete in one delivery.
Covering an irregular area
Break an odd footprint into rectangles, circles and triangles, add one area per piece, and the tool sums the subtotals. An L-shape is two rectangles; a kidney bed is a rectangle plus two half-circles entered as circles; a triangular corner uses base and height. Measure generously: it is cheaper to round an area up than to reorder half a yard.
Cubic yard calculator FAQ
How do I calculate cubic yards?
Multiply length by width to get square feet, multiply by the depth in feet (depth in inches ÷ 12) for cubic feet, then divide by 27. A cubic yard is a cube 3 feet on each side.
How many cubic feet are in a cubic yard?
Exactly 27 cubic feet, and 46,656 cubic inches. In metric a cubic yard is 0.765 cubic meters.
How do I convert square feet to cubic yards?
Pick your depth. One cubic yard covers 324 ÷ depth in inches square feet, so a 100-square-foot bed at 3 inches needs 0.93 cubic yards. The tool does every shape for you.
How many cubic yards do I need?
Enter each area and its depth above and read the cubic yards off the result. Add the 10% order margin for bulk material, or the 1.43× compaction gross-up for a base that gets tamped down.
How much does a cubic yard weigh?
It depends on the material. One loose dry cubic yard runs from 243 lb for wood chips up to about 2,800 lb for gravel or 2,700 lb for sand, already past a half-ton pickup’s 2,440 lb payload.
How many 5-cubic-foot bags are in a yard?
A cubic yard is 27 cubic feet, so it takes 5.4 five-cubic-foot bags, so round up to six. Bulk delivery is far cheaper once you need more than a few bags.
Sources
- National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). NIST Handbook 44 (2026), Appendix C. General Tables of Units of Measurement. 2026 edition
- Headquarters, Department of the Army. TM 3-34.62/MCRP 3-40D.9 Earthmoving Operations, Table 1-2 (Material weight, swell percentages, and load factors), pp. 3–4. 30 May 2025, incl. Change 1 (29 July 2026)
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery. Volume-to-Weight Conversion Factors (April 2016). Apr 2016
- Truper S.A. de C.V.. Ficha técnica — Carretilla 6 ft3 imponchable, bastidores madera (código 10910, clave T-6FF). current spec sheet
- Terex Corporation (Terex Advance). Advance Charger Series FDC300 front discharge mixer — product description and Truck Stats. current product page
- Ford Motor Company. 2026 Ford F-150 Pickup Technical Specifications (03/31/26, V1.1), Available Maximum Payload. 2026 model year (spec sheet dated 03/31/26)
- National Ready Mixed Concrete Association. CIP 8 – Discrepancies in Yield. 2016 (1979, 1991, 2000, 2016)
- Federal Highway Administration (with South Dakota LTAP). Gravel Roads Construction and Maintenance Guide, §3.19 Calculating Quantity, p. 71. August 2015
- Gravel Calculator: Cubic Yards, Tons & CostArea and depth to cubic yards, tons and bags of gravel, stone or base.
- Topsoil Calculator: Yards, Bags & SettlingBed area and depth to cubic yards and bags of topsoil, with settling built in.
- Concrete Calculator: Yards, Bags & CostSlab or footing dimensions to cubic yards, pre-mix bags and ready-mix cost.