How to use the cubic yard calculator
- Pick the shape. Use length × width for beds, paths and pads, diameter for round beds and tree rings, or type the area in directly if you already know it (from a plat, a square footage calculation or an earlier project).
- Measure length and width in feet, depth in inches. That's how materials are specified on site — "3 inches of mulch", "4 inches of gravel". The calculator does the unit conversion so you don't mix feet and inches by accident, which is the most common mistake in volume math.
- Add extra if the ground is uneven or the material will settle. Fresh mulch and loose soil settle noticeably after rain; 5–10% is a sensible cushion.
- Pick a material if your supplier sells by the ton, or if you need to know whether your truck or trailer can carry the load.
The cubic yard formula
A cubic yard is a cube 3 ft on each side, so it holds 3 × 3 × 3 = 27 cubic feet. To get there, find the area in square feet, multiply by the depth in feet (inches ÷ 12), and divide by 27.
Cubic feet = area × depth (in) ÷ 12
Cubic yards = cubic feet ÷ 27
Tons = cubic yards × pounds per cubic yard ÷ 2,000
A handy shortcut: one cubic yard spread 1 inch deep covers 324 square feet (27 × 12). Divide 324 by your depth in inches and you know how many square feet each yard covers.
Worked example: a 20 × 12 ft gravel pad, 3 inches deep
The area is 20 × 12 = 240 sq ft. Three inches is 0.25 ft, so the volume is 240 × 0.25 = 60 cubic feet. Divided by 27, that's 2.22 cubic yards, which you'd order as 2½ yards.
Crushed stone weighs roughly 2,800 lb per cubic yard, so 2.22 × 2,800 = 6,222 lb, or about 3.11 tons. That's well beyond what a typical half-ton pickup is rated to carry, so this is a delivery job.
Coverage per cubic yard by depth
| Depth | Sq ft covered by 1 cu yd | m² covered by 1 m³ |
|---|---|---|
| 1 in (2.5 cm) | 324 | 40 |
| 2 in (5 cm) | 162 | 20 |
| 3 in (7.5 cm) | 108 | 13 |
| 4 in (10 cm) | 81 | 10 |
| 6 in (15 cm) | 54 | 6.7 |
| 12 in (30 cm) | 27 | 3.3 |
Yards vs. tons
A cubic yard measures volume; a ton measures weight. Landscape suppliers usually sell mulch, compost and topsoil by the yard, and quarries often sell stone and sand by the ton — so you may need to convert between the two. The link is density, and it varies a lot with the material and how wet it is. The figures below are widely published typical values for loose, fairly dry material and are what this calculator uses; your supplier's figure for their product is always better, so use the custom density option if they give you one.
| Material | Typical weight per cu yd | Tons per cu yd (used here) | Cu yd per ton |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mulch, shredded bark | 400–800 lb, heavier when wet | 0.30 | 3.3 |
| Topsoil | 2,000–2,700 lb depending on moisture | 1.10 | 0.91 |
| Crushed stone / gravel | 2,400–3,000 lb | 1.40 | 0.71 |
| Sand | 2,600–3,000 lb | 1.35 | 0.74 |
| Concrete (placed) | about 4,000 lb (≈150 lb/cu ft) | 2.03 | 0.49 |
"Ton" here is the US short ton of 2,000 lb. In metric mode the calculator reports metric tonnes (1,000 kg ≈ 2,205 lb).
What "a yard" means at a landscape supplier
When a garden center or landscape yard quotes a price "per yard", they mean one cubic yard — not a linear or square yard. They usually measure it with a front-end loader bucket, and bucket sizes vary, so a yard scooped into your truck is an approximation. Some suppliers sell in half- or quarter-yard increments, others only in whole yards; ask before you round your order.
A cubic yard of bagged product is a lot of bags: with common 2 cu ft mulch bags it takes 13½ bags to make one yard, and with 3 cu ft bags it takes 9. Bulk delivery is usually far cheaper once you need more than a yard or two, but check the delivery fee and any minimum order.
Tips for estimating bulk materials
- Split odd shapes. Break an L-shaped bed into two rectangles, run each one, and add the yards together.
- Measure depth after you dig. If you are replacing soil or excavating for a base, measure the actual hole — a little over-digging adds up quickly over a large area.
- Account for compaction. Gravel bases and fill are compacted after spreading, so the loose volume you order needs to be larger than the finished volume. The gravel calculator covers base layers in more detail.
- Use the dedicated pages for specific jobs. The mulch calculator converts yards into bag counts.
Frequently asked questions
How many square feet does a cubic yard cover?
At 1 inch deep, one cubic yard covers 324 sq ft. At 2 inches it covers 162 sq ft, at 3 inches 108 sq ft, and at 4 inches 81 sq ft. Divide 324 by the depth in inches.
How do I convert cubic feet to cubic yards?
Divide by 27. A cubic yard is 3 ft × 3 ft × 3 ft = 27 cubic feet, so 60 cubic feet is 60 ÷ 27 = 2.22 cubic yards.
How many tons is a cubic yard of gravel?
Typically about 1.4 tons (around 2,800 lb), but it ranges from roughly 1.2 to 1.5 tons depending on the stone, its size and how wet it is. Ask your quarry for their figure.
Is a yard of material the same as a square yard?
No. Bulk materials like mulch, soil and gravel are sold by the cubic yard, a volume of 27 cubic feet. A square yard is an area of 9 square feet and is used for things like carpet.
How do I calculate cubic yards for a circle?
Find the area with π × radius², multiply by the depth in feet, and divide by 27. A 10 ft circle 4 inches deep is 78.5 × (4 ÷ 12) ÷ 27 = 0.97 cubic yards.