What Is the Cubic Yard Calculator?
The Cubic Yard Calculator converts the length, width and depth of a space into a volume. The main result is in cubic yards, the unit used by landscape suppliers, concrete plants and waste haulers across North America. It also shows cubic feet, cubic meters and liters.
It is a general-purpose tool. Use it for topsoil in a raised bed, mulch around trees, fill for a low spot, compost, sand for a play area, or the capacity needed in a dumpster. Any time a material is sold by the yard, this calculation is the first step.
How the Calculator Works
Volume is three lengths multiplied together. The calculator converts the length and width to feet and the depth to inches, whichever units you select. It then multiplies length by width by depth, divides by 12 to account for the depth being in inches, and arrives at cubic feet.
There are 27 cubic feet in a cubic yard, so dividing by 27 gives the result in yards. If you have several identical areas, such as four raised beds of the same size, the quantity field multiplies the result.
The calculator does not add waste automatically, because it is also used for exact volumes such as container capacity. When you are ordering loose material, add your own margin.
The Cubic Yard Formula
Cubic feet = Length (ft) × Width (ft) × Depth (in) ÷ 12
Cubic yards = Cubic feet ÷ 27
Cubic meters = Cubic feet × 0.0283
A shortcut for depth in inches
Cubic yards = Area (sq ft) × Depth (in) ÷ 324
The number 324 is 27 multiplied by 12. It combines both conversions into one step and is handy for mental checks.
Step-by-Step Explanation
- Measure the length and width of the space in feet.
- Measure or decide the depth in inches.
- Multiply length by width to get the area in square feet.
- Multiply the area by the depth in inches and divide by 12 for cubic feet.
- Divide cubic feet by 27 for cubic yards.
- Multiply by the number of identical areas if there are several.
Worked Example
A raised garden bed is 12 feet long, 8 feet wide and needs 6 inches of soil.
- Area: 12 × 8 = 96 square feet.
- Cubic feet: 96 × 6 ÷ 12 = 48.
- Cubic yards: 48 ÷ 27 = 1.78.
With 10 percent added for settling, you would order 2 cubic yards. In bags, 48 cubic feet is 24 bags of the 2 cubic foot size.
Now a mulch example. Beds totalling 450 square feet are to be covered 3 inches deep. Using the shortcut: 450 × 3 ÷ 324 = 4.17 cubic yards.
How to Use the Calculator
- Enter the length and choose its unit.
- Enter the width.
- Enter the depth. Inches is the default, and feet, centimeters and millimeters are available.
- Change the quantity if you have several identical areas.
- Press Calculate.
- Read cubic yards, and add a margin if the material settles.
When the material is sold by weight, use a calculator that includes density. The Gravel Calculator converts volume to tons for stone and sand. For slabs and footings, the Concrete Calculator adds bag counts. If you need the area of an irregular bed first, the Square Footage Calculator handles circles and triangles. Patio projects combine several layers, and the Paver Calculator estimates base and sand together. For water volume, the Pool Calculator converts to gallons.
Practical Tips
- Measure depth in several places and use the average. Ground is seldom level.
- Loose materials settle. Topsoil can settle 10 to 20 percent after watering, and mulch compresses over a season.
- Suppliers usually deliver in half yard or full yard increments. Round up.
- A full-size pickup bed holds roughly 2 cubic yards of light material such as mulch by volume, but only about 1 cubic yard of soil by weight.
- Check delivery access. A dump truck needs width, overhead clearance and firm ground.
- Lay a tarp where the load will be dumped. It makes clean-up much easier.
- For circular beds, calculate the area as 3.1416 times the radius squared, then apply depth.
Common Mistakes
Mixing feet and inches. Entering a depth of 6 where feet are expected gives a result twelve times too large.
Dividing by 9 instead of 27. Nine is the conversion for square yards. Volume needs 27.
Forgetting settling. Ordering the exact geometric volume of soil leaves a bed that is low after the first rain.
Assuming a yard is a yard by weight. A cubic yard of mulch may weigh 500 pounds. A cubic yard of wet topsoil can exceed 2,500 pounds.
Estimating depth by eye. A layer that looks like 3 inches is often closer to 2. Use a ruler.
Overloading a vehicle. Volume capacity and weight capacity are different limits. Check the payload rating.
Recommended Depths for Common Materials
- Mulch: 2 to 4 inches. Deeper layers can suffocate roots.
- Topsoil for a new lawn: 4 to 6 inches.
- Raised bed soil: 6 to 12 inches depending on the crop.
- Compost as a top dressing: half an inch to 1 inch.
- Play sand: 6 to 12 inches.
- Fill dirt: as needed, placed and compacted in layers.
Coverage of One Cubic Yard
One cubic yard covers 324 square feet at 1 inch deep, 162 square feet at 2 inches, 108 square feet at 3 inches, 81 square feet at 4 inches and 54 square feet at 6 inches. These figures are useful when a supplier asks how many yards you want and you know only the area.
Bags Versus Bulk
Bagged soil and mulch usually come in 1, 1.5, 2 or 3 cubic foot bags. A cubic yard is 13.5 bags of the 2 cubic foot size. Bags are convenient for small jobs and easy to carry through a house or gate. Bulk delivery is cheaper per yard for larger jobs, generally anything above 1 to 2 cubic yards.
Other Shapes
The calculator assumes a rectangular area, but any shape works if you know its area. For a circular bed, multiply 3.1416 by the radius squared. For a triangle, multiply base by height and halve it. Then enter that area as a length with a width of 1 foot. A round bed 10 feet across has an area of 78.5 square feet, so entering 78.5 feet by 1 foot at 3 inches deep gives 0.73 cubic yards.
For a cylinder such as a post hole or a round planter, use the same approach with the hole’s cross-section as the area and its depth as the depth. For a sloping trench or a wedge of fill that tapers to nothing, use half the maximum depth as the average.
Dumpster and Excavation Volumes
The same arithmetic works in reverse when you are removing material. A 10 by 12 foot patio dug out 8 inches deep produces 80 cubic feet, or about 3 cubic yards, in the ground. Excavated soil loosens and expands by 20 to 30 percent once dug, so plan for close to 4 cubic yards of dumpster or trailer space. Demolition debris is harder to predict, and haulers generally advise choosing one size up.
Estimating Cost and Delivery
Bulk materials are priced per cubic yard, and delivery is usually a flat fee per load within a set distance. Multiply the yards from the calculator by the price per yard and add the delivery fee. If you need two materials, such as topsoil and mulch, ask whether the supplier can deliver both in a divided truck for one fee. Check the minimum order. Many suppliers will not deliver less than one or two yards, and for smaller amounts it can be cheaper to collect the material yourself or buy bags. Have the delivery placed as close to the work as the truck can safely reach, because moving a yard of soil by wheelbarrow takes around 9 to 14 loads.