Your Result Explained: What These Numbers Mean
Bulk landscape supply yards, ready-mix concrete plants, and excavation contractors price and load materials by the cubic yard—a three-dimensional cube measuring 3 feet long by 3 feet wide by 3 feet high (27 cubic feet). Because homeowners measure garden beds, driveways, and slabs in feet of length/width and inches of depth, converting mixed units is the single most common source of ordering errors. This universal cubic yards calculator handles the unit conversion automatically and cross-calculates weight in tons and retail bag equivalents across every major landscape material.
The primary Cubic Yards figure (including your selected waste percentage) is the exact number to give your bulk supplier when ordering by loader bucket or mixer truck. Check Net Cubic Feet vs. Gross Cubic Feet to see how much volume your overage buffer adds. If your quarry sells stone or sand by scale weight rather than volume, use the Tons output (and Tons Range for damp stockpiles), or compare the 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 cu ft bag counts to decide whether bagged pickup is practical.
Converting a 20 ft × 10 ft Garden Bed at 3 Inches Deep to Cubic Yards
A homeowner is topdressing a 20-foot by 10-foot (200 sq ft) perennial bed with 3 inches of screened loam topsoil, including a 5% allowance for settling after watering.
- Calculate surface area in square feet: 20 ft × 10 ft = 200.00 sq ft (18.58 sq m).
- Convert 3-inch depth to feet by dividing by 12: 3 in ÷ 12 = 0.25 ft.
- Multiply area by depth in feet to get net cubic feet: 200 sq ft × 0.25 ft = 50.00 cu ft (1.85 cu yd net).
- Apply the 5% settling allowance: 50.00 cu ft × 1.05 = 52.50 gross cubic feet.
- Divide gross cubic feet by 27 to convert to cubic yards: 52.50 ÷ 27 = 1.94 cubic yards (1.49 cu m).
- Estimate weight using screened topsoil density (2,200 lbs/yd³ or 1.10 tons/yd³): 1.944 yd³ × 2,200 lbs/yd³ = 4,278 lbs (2.14 US tons).
- Calculate retail bags across standard sizes: 70 bags at 0.75 cu ft, 53 bags at 1.0 cu ft, or 27 bags at 2.0 cu ft.
Result Summary: Order 2.0 cubic yards of bulk screened topsoil (approx. 2.14 tons). At $38 per cubic yard, bulk soil costs about $76 before delivery.
How This Is Calculated (Formulas & Measurement Guide)
To calculate cubic yards from feet and inches, multiply your area in square feet by the depth in inches, then divide by 324 (since 12 inches per foot × 27 cubic feet per cubic yard = 324). The calculator then multiplies by your chosen waste factor and converts the resulting cubic yardage into pounds, US short tons, metric tonnes, and standard bag counts using verified USDA, ASTM, and FHWA bulk densities.
Net Cubic Yards = [ Area (sq ft) × Depth (inches) ] ÷ 324 Because 1 cubic yard covers exactly 324 square feet at 1 inch deep (27 ft³ × 12 in/ft), dividing square-foot-inches by 324 gives cubic yards in a single step.
Cubic Yards = [ Length (ft) × Width (ft) × (Depth (in) ÷ 12) × (1 + Waste%) ] ÷ 27 A cube measuring 3 ft × 3 ft × 3 ft contains 27 cubic feet (3 × 3 × 3 = 27), not 9.
Cubic Yards = [ π × (Diameter (ft) ÷ 2)² × (Depth (in) ÷ 12) ] ÷ 27 Uses exact pi (3.14159) times radius squared for round patios, fire pits, and pool bases.
How to Measure Irregular Areas & Curved Borders
Always enter length, width, or diameter in feet (convert leftover inches to decimals: 3 inches = 0.25 ft, 6 inches = 0.5 ft, 9 inches = 0.75 ft) and enter depth in inches. For irregular kidney-shaped beds, measure the longest axis and average width in three spots, and select a 10% waste factor.
Practical Tips & Common Mistakes to Avoid
Field-Tested Planning Tips
Remember the "Rule of 324" for Quick Field Estimates
One cubic yard of any material covers 324 sq ft at 1 inch deep, 162 sq ft at 2 inches deep, 108 sq ft at 3 inches deep, 81 sq ft at 4 inches deep, and 54 sq ft at 6 inches deep. Memorizing "108 sq ft per yard at 3 inches" lets you sanity-check any quote in seconds.
Round Up to the Nearest Half Cubic Yard
Most landscape supply yards load bulk material using front-end loader buckets calibrated to 0.5 or 1.0 cubic yard. If your calculation returns 1.82 or 2.15 cubic yards, ask whether the yard sells in half-yard increments (2.0 or 2.5 yards) so you are not caught short.
Check Payload Weight Before Hauling 1 Cubic Yard
Volume looks deceptive in a truck bed. While 1 cubic yard of dry hardwood mulch weighs only ~600 lbs (safe for any pickup), 1 cubic yard of topsoil weighs ~2,200 lbs and 1 cubic yard of gravel weighs ~2,700 lbs—enough to overload a standard half-ton pickup truck.
Add 10%–15% for Excavated Spoils ("Soil Swell")
If you are using this calculator to size a roll-off dumpster for digging out dirt or clay, remember that undisturbed earth expands ("swells") by 20% to 25% once broken up by a shovel or mini-excavator bucket.
Common Ordering & Installation Mistakes
Mistake Dividing cubic feet by 3 or 9 instead of 27
Recommended Fix: Because there are 3 feet in a linear yard, many DIYers divide cubic feet by 3 (or square feet by 9) and forget the third dimension. Always divide cubic feet by 27 (3 × 3 × 3) to get cubic yards.
Mistake Multiplying feet by inches without converting inches to feet first
Recommended Fix: Multiplying 20 ft × 10 ft × 3 inches equals 600—which is neither cubic feet nor cubic yards. You must divide depth in inches by 12 first (20 × 10 × 0.25 ft = 50 cubic feet).
Mistake Using diameter instead of radius when calculating round beds
Recommended Fix: Squaring the full diameter instead of the radius (half the diameter) makes your calculated cubic yardage exactly 4 times too large. Our Circle mode automatically divides your diameter by 2 before squaring.
Mistake Ignoring settling on deep loose soil installations
Recommended Fix: Loose screened topsoil and raised-bed compost blends settle by 10% to 15% after the first few soaking rains. Include a 10% waste factor when filling new trenches or beds deeper than 4 inches.
Cubic Yards Calculator Coverage & Depth Reference Table
Standard coverage rates for Screened Loam Topsoil (Dry to Field Moist) (typical bulk density 2200 lbs/yd³, range 2000–2400 lbs/yd³).
| Application Depth | 1 Cubic Yard Covers | 1 Ton Covers | Yards per 100 sq ft | Tons per 100 sq ft | Bags (0.75 ft³) / 100 sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 in | 324 sq ft | 294.5 sq ft | 0.31 yd³ | 0.34 tons | 12 bags |
| 2 in | 162 sq ft | 147.3 sq ft | 0.62 yd³ | 0.68 tons | 23 bags |
| 3 in Std | 108 sq ft | 98.2 sq ft | 0.93 yd³ | 1.02 tons | 34 bags |
| 4 in | 81 sq ft | 73.6 sq ft | 1.23 yd³ | 1.35 tons | 45 bags |
| 6 in | 54 sq ft | 49.1 sq ft | 1.85 yd³ | 2.04 tons | 67 bags |
| 12 in | 27 sq ft | 24.5 sq ft | 3.7 yd³ | 4.07 tons | 134 bags |
Reference Source: USDA NRCS Soil Quality Indicators (Bulk Density) & University of Minnesota Extension. Loose screened topsoil averages ~1.1 tons/yd³; add 10–15% volume for settling after watering.
Frequently Asked Questions (Cubic Yards Calculator)
How many cubic feet are in a cubic yard?
There are exactly 27 cubic feet in 1 cubic yard. Picture a Rubik’s Cube measuring 3 feet wide, 3 feet long, and 3 feet tall: 3 ft × 3 ft × 3 ft = 27 cubic feet.
How many square feet does 1 cubic yard cover at 2, 3, and 4 inches deep?
At 1 inch deep, 1 cubic yard covers 324 sq ft. At 2 inches deep, it covers 162 sq ft. At 3 inches deep (the standard depth for mulch and walkways), 1 cubic yard covers 108 sq ft. At 4 inches deep (standard driveway and concrete slab thickness), 1 cubic yard covers 81 sq ft. At 6 inches deep, it covers 54 sq ft.
How many bags of mulch, soil, or gravel equal 1 cubic yard?
Divide 27 cubic feet by the bag volume printed on the front of the package: it takes 54 bags of 0.5 cu ft gravel or sand, 36 bags of 0.75 cu ft topsoil, 27 bags of 1.0 cu ft compost, 18 bags of 1.5 cu ft garden soil, or 13.5 bags (14 bags rounded up) of standard 2.0 cu ft mulch to equal 1 cubic yard.
How much does 1 cubic yard of material weigh?
Weight per cubic yard depends entirely on material density: dry shredded mulch weighs 500–600 lbs (0.25–0.30 tons); raised bed potting mix weighs ~900 lbs (0.45 tons); screened topsoil weighs ~2,200 lbs (1.10 tons); pea gravel and masonry sand weigh ~2,600 lbs (1.30 tons); #57 crushed stone weighs ~2,700 lbs (1.35 tons); and ready-mix concrete weighs ~4,000 lbs (2.00 tons).
How many wheelbarrow loads are in 1 cubic yard?
Although a standard homeowner wheelbarrow tub is rated at "6 cubic feet" heaped, its practical level-fill capacity without spilling while pushing is about 3 to 4 cubic feet for light mulch (7 to 9 trips per cubic yard) and 2.5 to 3 cubic feet for heavy topsoil or gravel (9 to 11 trips per cubic yard).
Worked Example Project Scenarios (Cubic Yards Calculator)
Explore pre-computed material takeoffs for popular residential project dimensions: