Cubic Yard Calculator - Volume for Feet, Meters, Inches

Cubic Yard Calculator

A cubic yard calculator finds the volume of a space in cubic yards from its length, width, and height. It is used to order the right amount of concrete, mulch, gravel, or soil for a construction or landscaping job.

What is a cubic yard?

A cubic yard is a unit of volume equal to a cube measuring one yard (3 feet) on every side. It is about the size of a large washing machine.

Suppliers of concrete, soil, mulch, and gravel sell these materials by the cubic yard because it produces manageable numbers for typical job sizes. Cubic feet would give very large figures, and cubic meters are less familiar to most U.S. contractors.

Key conversions:

• 1 cubic yard = 27 cubic feet (3 ft × 3 ft × 3 ft)
• 1 cubic yard = 0.7646 cubic meters
• 1 cubic yard = 46,656 cubic inches
• 1 cubic yard ≈ 202 U.S. gallons

Cubic yard formula

Volume in cubic yards equals length times width times height, converted from the input unit:

From feet: $\text{Cubic Yards} = \frac{\text{Length (ft)} \times \text{Width (ft)} \times \text{Height (ft)}}{27}$

From meters: $\text{Cubic Yards} = \text{Length (m)} \times \text{Width (m)} \times \text{Height (m)} \times 1.30795$

From inches: $\text{Cubic Yards} = \frac{\text{Length (in)} \times \text{Width (in)} \times \text{Height (in)}}{46{,}656}$

The calculator treats negative entries as zero, since a space cannot have negative length, width, or height. Results are rounded to two decimal places, which matches how most suppliers quote material.

How to calculate cubic yards: example

A space measures 10 feet long, 10 feet wide, and 3 feet deep.

Cubic yards = (10 × 10 × 3) ÷ 27 = 300 ÷ 27 = 11.11 cubic yards

To use the calculator, choose a unit (feet, meters, or inches), enter length, width, and height, and read the result. The 3D visualization shows the relative shape of the entered dimensions; it is not drawn to a fixed scale.

Common uses

Mulch. A garden bed 20 ft × 10 ft with 3 inches (0.25 ft) of mulch needs (20 × 10 × 0.25) ÷ 27 = 1.85 cubic yards.

Topsoil. A 1,000 sq ft lawn with 6 inches (0.5 ft) of new topsoil needs (1,000 × 0.5) ÷ 27 = 18.52 cubic yards.

Gravel. A driveway 50 ft × 12 ft with 4 inches (1/3 ft) of gravel needs (50 × 12 × 1/3) ÷ 27 = 7.41 cubic yards.

Concrete. A slab 30 ft × 40 ft × 6 inches (0.5 ft) needs (30 × 40 × 0.5) ÷ 27 = 22.22 cubic yards. Contractors commonly add about 10% for spillage and an uneven subgrade, bringing the order to roughly 24.44 cubic yards.

Excavation. A basement dug 40 ft × 30 ft × 8 ft removes (40 × 30 × 8) ÷ 27 = 355.56 cubic yards of soil.

Swimming pools. A pool 20 ft × 40 ft with an average depth of 5 ft holds (20 × 40 × 5) ÷ 27 = 148.15 cubic yards, or about 148.15 × 202 ≈ 29,926 gallons.

Converting to other units

• Cubic feet: 1 cubic yard = 27 cubic feet. Useful for small projects.
• Cubic meters: 1 cubic yard = 0.7646 cubic meters, the standard unit outside the United States.
• Gallons: 1 cubic yard ≈ 202 U.S. gallons, useful for pools and liquid volumes.
• Weight: Some materials are sold by weight, since a truck bed has both a volume limit and a weight limit. Typical weight per cubic yard:

A standard pickup truck safely carries roughly 1,500–2,000 pounds, which is close to 2 cubic yards of mulch but less than 1 cubic yard of gravel.

History

The yard as a length dates to medieval England, where it was used to measure cloth. Britain fixed the imperial yard by law in 1824. The cubic yard came into wide use during the 19th century, when construction and earth-moving equipment made bulk material measurement common. It remains the standard unit for construction and landscaping in the United States, even though most other countries use the metric system.

Frequently asked questions

How do I calculate cubic yards from feet? Multiply length × width × height in feet, then divide by 27. A 10 ft × 10 ft × 3 ft space equals (10 × 10 × 3) ÷ 27 = 11.11 cubic yards.

How many cubic feet are in a cubic yard? Exactly 27. Since 1 yard equals 3 feet, a cubic yard equals 3 ft × 3 ft × 3 ft = 27 cubic feet.

How do I convert cubic meters to cubic yards? Multiply cubic meters by 1.30795. For example, 10 cubic meters × 1.30795 = 13.08 cubic yards.

How many cubic yards of concrete do I need for a slab? Multiply length × width × thickness in feet, divide by 27, then add about 10% for waste. A 20 ft × 20 ft × 6 in (0.5 ft) slab needs (20 × 20 × 0.5) ÷ 27 = 7.41 cubic yards, or about 8.15 cubic yards with the 10% margin.

How many bags of mulch equal a cubic yard? About 13 to 14 bags, if each bag holds 2 cubic feet, since 27 ÷ 2 = 13.5.

Can this calculator handle irregular shapes? Not directly. Split the area into rectangular sections, calculate each one separately, then add the results together.

How much extra material should I order? Many contractors add 5–10% to cover compaction, spillage, and uneven ground. For excavation, dug soil can expand by 20–30% compared with its volume in the ground, so more trucks may be needed to haul it away than the calculated volume suggests.