A cubic yard is 27 cubic feet: a cube 3 ft on each side. To get yards, multiply length × width × depth in feet and divide by 27. A 12 × 10 ft area filled 4 in deep is 12 × 10 × 4 ÷ 12 = 40 cu ft, and 40 ÷ 27 = 1.48 cubic yards. Suppliers sell by the whole or half yard, so that order is 1½ yards.
How cubic yards are calculated
Cubic yards = length (ft) × width (ft) × depth (in) ÷ 12 ÷ 27
Depth is almost always measured in inches, so it is divided by 12 to make feet. The calculator accepts any mix of feet, inches, yards, centimeters and meters and converts each dimension before multiplying. NIST Handbook 44 defines the cubic yard as exactly 27 cubic feet, or 0.7646 cubic meters.
Worked example
The calculator opens with 12 ft × 10 ft × 4 in:
- Depth in feet: 4 ÷ 12 = 0.333 ft
- Cubic feet: 12 × 10 × 0.333 = 40 cu ft
- Cubic yards: 40 ÷ 27 = 1.48 cu yd, rounded up to 1.5 in half-yard steps
- Cubic meters: 1.13 m³
Cubic yards from square feet
When you know the area, multiply it by the depth in inches and divide by 324 (that is 12 × 27). A 1,000 sq ft yard covered 3 in deep takes 1,000 × 3 ÷ 324 = 9.26 cubic yards. The square footage calculator measures odd-shaped areas first; choose "Area × depth" here to use its result.
Turned around, one cubic yard covers 324 sq ft at 1 inch deep:
| Depth | Area one cubic yard covers |
|---|---|
| 1 in | 324 sq ft |
| 2 in | 162 sq ft |
| 3 in | 108 sq ft |
| 4 in | 81 sq ft |
| 6 in | 54 sq ft |
| 12 in | 27 sq ft |
Cubic yards from inches
If every dimension is in inches, multiply the three and divide by 46,656 (1,728 cubic inches per cubic foot × 27). A trench 120 in long, 18 in wide and 24 in deep is 51,840 ÷ 46,656 = 1.11 cu yd. Or set each unit to "in" and let the calculator convert.
Cubic yards of dirt
A hole 10 × 10 ft and 3 ft deep is 300 cu ft, or 11.1 cubic yards of soil in the ground. Dug soil loosens and takes more room in a truck or a dumpster than it did in the hole, so haulers quote more for removal than the hole measures. Heavy fill is limited by weight as much as volume; the dumpster size calculator works that out.
Cubic yards of soil or topsoil
Topsoil for a new lawn is usually spread a few inches deep. At 4 in over 500 sq ft: 500 × 4 ÷ 324 = 6.17 cubic yards. Order the volume you calculate and rake it out before deciding on more; soil settles after watering.
Cubic yards of concrete
Concrete is ordered in cubic yards from the plant. A 12 × 10 ft slab at 4 in is the same 1.48 cu yd as the worked example. Ready-mix orders need a waste allowance and a minimum load, and small jobs are often cheaper in bags: the concrete yard calculator handles both.
Cubic yards of gravel, rock or sand
For a gravel pad 12 × 20 ft at 4 in: 240 × 4 ÷ 324 = 2.96 cubic yards. A 3 in layer of decorative rock over 300 sq ft is 2.78 cu yd, and 2 in of sand under 100 sq ft of pavers is 0.62 cu yd. Stone and sand are often sold by the ton rather than the yard; ask the yard what one cubic yard of that product weighs.
Cubic yards of mulch
For a mulch bed 3 in deep over 200 sq ft: 200 × 3 ÷ 324 = 1.85 cubic yards. Bagged mulch is sold in cubic feet: 1.85 yards is 50 cu ft, which is 25 bags of 2 cu ft.
Cubic yards of asphalt
Asphalt is priced by the ton, but the volume comes first: a 600 sq ft driveway at 3 in compacted thickness is 600 × 3 ÷ 324 = 5.56 cubic yards. The asphalt calculator converts that volume into tons at hot-mix density.
Common questions
How many cubic feet in a cubic yard? 27. The cubic feet calculator works in feet first if your product is labeled in cubic feet.
How many cubic yards in a dump truck? It depends on the truck and the material's weight, since trucks are limited by both. Ask the supplier what their truck carries of that material.
How much does a cubic yard weigh? It depends entirely on the material, which is why this calculator stays with volume. Dirt, gravel and concrete are heavy; mulch is light.
More measuring tools, from room areas to moving boxes, are in the measuring and planning calculators.