How this cubic yard calculator works
Every bulk material on a jobsite — concrete, gravel, topsoil, mulch — is quoted in cubic yards, and the conversion never changes. Whether you call it a cubic yard calculator or a yardage calculator, it's the same three numbers:
1 yd³ = 27 ft³ = 0.76 m³ · weight = yards × lb/yd³ for the material
Worked example: cubic yards for a 12 × 10 pad
12 × 10 ft at 4 in deep is 120 ft² × ⅓ ft = 40 ft³ — divide by 27 and it's 1.48 yd³. Suppliers batch in quarter yards, so order 1.5 yd³; filled with concrete it weighs about 3 tons, with mulch barely 0.6.
How many cubic yards per square foot?
| Depth | Per 100 ft² | 1 yd³ covers |
|---|---|---|
| 2″ | 0.62 yd³ | 162 ft² |
| 3″ | 0.93 yd³ | 108 ft² |
| 4″ | 1.23 yd³ | 81 ft² |
| 6″ | 1.85 yd³ | 54 ft² |
| 12″ | 3.7 yd³ | 27 ft² |
| Material | lb/yd³ | Tons |
|---|---|---|
| Concrete | 4,050 | 2.03 |
| Gravel / crushed stone | 2,800 | 1.4 |
| Sand | 2,700 | 1.35 |
| Topsoil | 2,000 | 1 |
| Mulch | 800 | 0.4 |
Cubic yard FAQ
How many cubic feet are in a cubic yard?
27 — a cubic yard is a cube 3 ft on a side, so 3 × 3 × 3. Divide cubic feet by 27 for yards; the calculator also shows cubic meters (1 yd³ = 0.76 m³) for metric spec sheets.
How do I calculate cubic yards from square feet?
Multiply the area by the depth in feet (inches ÷ 12), then divide by 27. 100 ft² at 4 in deep is 100 × 0.333 = 33.3 ft³, which is 1.23 yd³ — type any footprint above and the yardage recomputes live.
How many cubic yards do I need for a 12 × 10 pad at 4 inches?
1.48 cubic yards — 40 ft³ ÷ 27. Order 1.5 yd³, because ready-mix and bulk suppliers batch in quarter-yard steps and short loads cost more than the rounding. In concrete that volume weighs about 3 tons.
How much does a cubic yard weigh?
Depends entirely on the material: concrete about 4,050 lb (2 tons), gravel 2,800, sand 2,700, topsoil 2,000, mulch only 800. The material picker applies these estimating averages so the same hole reads in tons for hauling.
How many cubic yards fit in a pickup truck?
A full-size bed holds about 2 yd³ level full, but payload runs out first: figure half a yard of gravel or sand (roughly 1,400 lb), one yard of topsoil, or two yards of mulch. Anything heavier than that rides in the supplier’s dump truck.
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