Cubic Yard Calculator

Q: How many cubic yards fit in a pickup truck?

A standard full-size pickup with an 8-foot bed holds about 2-3 cubic yards of mulch or soil, but only 1-1.5 cubic yards of heavier materials like gravel or sand. Mulch: 2-3 cubic yards. Topsoil: 1.5-2 cubic yards. Gravel: 1-1.5 cubic yards. Sand: 1 cubic yard. These limits are based on weight, not space. Gravel weighs about 2,800 pounds per cubic yard—overloading damages your suspension and makes the truck unsafe. Check your truck's payload capacity before loading.

Q: How much does a cubic yard of concrete cost?

Ready-mix concrete typically costs $125-$175 per cubic yard for standard residential mixes, depending on your location, the mix strength (PSI rating), and delivery distance. Additional costs to expect: Short load fee ($50-$100 if ordering less than the truck minimum of 3-4 yards), Saturday delivery ($50-$100 extra), Pump truck ($150-$300 if the truck can't pour directly into your forms), Extra time ($2-$5 per minute if the truck waits beyond the allotted pour time). For small projects under 1 cubic yard, bagged concrete from a hardware store often costs less despite the higher per-yard price, simply because you avoid delivery minimums.

Calculate exactly how many cubic yards of concrete, mulch, gravel, or soil you need for any project. Enter your dimensions in any unit and get instant results with cost estimates—so you order the right amount the first time.

Cubic Yard Calculator

Whether you're pouring a concrete patio, spreading mulch in your garden beds, or laying gravel for a new driveway, getting the right amount of material is the difference between finishing your project and making an extra trip to the supply yard. This cubic yards calculator takes your measurements and tells you exactly how many cubic yards to order—plus gives you an estimated cost so you can budget accurately.

Here's the thing about landscaping suppliers: they all sell by the cubic yard, but nobody measures their backyard that way. You're standing there with a tape measure thinking in feet and inches while the guy at the counter wants to know how many yards. Enter your dimensions in whatever units you have, and let the calculator handle the conversions.

How to Use This Calculator

Option 1: Length, Width & Depth

Use this when you're measuring a rectangular area like a patio, driveway, or garden bed.

Enter the length of your area
Enter the width
Enter the depth (how thick you want the material)
Select your units for each measurement (feet, inches, yards, or meters)
Optionally add the price per cubic yard to see your total cost

Option 2: Area & Depth

Use this if you already know your square footage—maybe from a previous measurement or your property survey.

Enter your total area
Select square feet, square yards, or square meters
Enter your desired depth
Add price per cubic yard if you want a cost estimate

The calculator displays your result in cubic yards, which is what you'll order from suppliers.

What Exactly Is a Cubic Yard?

A cubic yard is a volume measurement equal to a cube that's 3 feet long, 3 feet wide, and 3 feet tall. Picture a large appliance box—about the size of a washing machine and dryer stacked together. That's roughly one cubic yard.

Here's why this matters: one cubic yard contains 27 cubic feet (3 × 3 × 3 = 27). When you measure your project area in feet and inches, you need to convert to cubic yards since that's how suppliers sell materials.

Quick reference:

1 cubic yard = 27 cubic feet
1 cubic yard = 46,656 cubic inches
1 cubic yard = 0.76 cubic meters

The Formula Behind the Calculator

The formula isn't complicated—the tricky part is keeping your units straight:

Cubic Yards = (Length × Width × Depth) ÷ 27

All measurements need to be in feet for this formula to work. If your depth is in inches (which it usually is), divide by 12 first to convert to feet.

Example calculation:

Let's say you're pouring a concrete patio that's 12 feet long, 10 feet wide, and 4 inches deep.

Convert depth to feet: 4 inches ÷ 12 = 0.333 feet
Multiply dimensions: 12 × 10 × 0.333 = 40 cubic feet
Convert to cubic yards: 40 ÷ 27 = 1.48 cubic yards

You'd order 1.5 or 2 cubic yards to be safe. The calculator handles all these conversions automatically—you just enter your numbers in whatever units you measured.

Recommended Depths by Material

Not sure how deep to go? Here's what works for most residential projects:

Material	Recommended Depth	Why This Depth
Mulch (flower beds)	2-3 inches	Retains moisture, suppresses weeds without suffocating plants
Mulch (pathways)	3-4 inches	Compacts underfoot; extra depth maintains coverage
Gravel (driveway)	4-6 inches	2-3" compacted base + 2-3" top layer handles vehicle weight
Gravel (walkway)	2-3 inches	Adequate for foot traffic over landscape fabric
Pea gravel (patio)	2-4 inches	Allows drainage while staying stable
Concrete (patio/sidewalk)	4 inches	Standard residential thickness; sufficient for foot traffic
Concrete (driveway)	5-6 inches	Supports vehicle weight without cracking
Topsoil (new lawn)	4-6 inches	Gives grass roots room to establish
Garden soil (raised beds)	8-12 inches	Most vegetables need at least 8" for healthy root development
Sand (paver base)	1 inch	Leveling layer only; too much causes pavers to shift

Pro tip: If you're laying mulch over bare soil for weed control, go with 4 inches. At 2 inches, sunlight still gets through and weeds push up within weeks.

How Much Extra Should You Order?

This mistake ruins weekends: you calculate exactly 3.2 cubic yards, order 3.5, and run out with 10% of the project left. Now you're calling suppliers, paying delivery fees again, and your concrete is curing unevenly.

I learned this the hard way on a patio project—calculated 2.1 cubic yards, ordered 2.5, and watched the truck drive away with my forms still 8 inches short in one corner. The second delivery minimum cost more than the extra quarter yard would have.

Always order extra. How much depends on the material:

Material	Extra to Order	Why
Concrete	10%	Running short mid-pour is a disaster—no way to pause and restart cleanly
Gravel/crushed stone	5-10%	Some gets displaced during spreading and compacting
Mulch	5%	Settles 10-20% over the first few months anyway
Topsoil	10%	Compacts significantly when watered and settled
Sand	5%	Minimal waste if you're careful

The math is simple: If the calculator shows 4.5 cubic yards of gravel, multiply by 1.1 to get 4.95—round up to 5 cubic yards. For concrete showing 2.8 cubic yards, multiply by 1.1 to get 3.08—order 3.25 or 3.5 to be safe.

Most suppliers would rather you return a small amount than watch you scramble. Some won't take returns at all for concrete, so err on the side of more.

Common Project Examples

Here's what typical residential projects require:

Concrete Patio (12 ft × 14 ft × 4 in)

Calculation: (12 × 14 × 0.333) ÷ 27 = 2.07 cubic yards
With 10% buffer: 2.3 cubic yards
At $150/cubic yard: approximately $345

Garden Bed Mulch (20 ft × 8 ft × 3 in)

Calculation: (20 × 8 × 0.25) ÷ 27 = 1.48 cubic yards
With 5% buffer: 1.55 cubic yards
At $45/cubic yard: approximately $70

Gravel Driveway (30 ft × 10 ft × 4 in)

Calculation: (30 × 10 × 0.333) ÷ 27 = 3.70 cubic yards
With 10% buffer: 4.07 cubic yards
At $65/cubic yard: approximately $265

Raised Garden Bed Soil (4 ft × 8 ft × 12 in)

Calculation: (4 × 8 × 1) ÷ 27 = 1.19 cubic yards
With 10% buffer: 1.31 cubic yards
At $55/cubic yard: approximately $72

Walkway with Pea Gravel (25 ft × 3 ft × 2 in)

Calculation: (25 × 3 × 0.167) ÷ 27 = 0.46 cubic yards
With 5% buffer: 0.48 cubic yards
At $70/cubic yard: approximately $34

Tips for Accurate Measurements

Your calculation is only as good as your measurements. A few minutes of careful measuring saves hours of frustration.

Measure in multiple spots. Ground isn't perfectly level. Take depth measurements at 3-4 points across your area and use the average—or use the deepest point if you need consistent coverage.

Account for slopes. If one end of your driveway is 2 inches lower than the other, your gravel depth varies. Measure the shallow end and deep end separately, average them, then calculate.

Break irregular shapes into rectangles. Have an L-shaped patio? Calculate each rectangular section separately and add them together. The calculator doesn't care if you run it five times for five sections.

Use string lines for large areas. For anything over 20 feet, stretch a string between stakes to get a straight measurement. Walking a tape measure across a lawn introduces errors.

Write everything down. Measure once, write it down, measure again to confirm. It's not paranoia—it's the difference between one delivery and two.

And measure the actual space, not the plans. I've seen plenty of "ten-foot" patios that turned out to be nine-foot-eight when someone finally put a tape on them.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many cubic yards do I need for a 10×10 area?

It depends entirely on depth. For a 10 ft × 10 ft space: at 2 inches deep you need 0.62 cubic yards, at 3 inches deep you need 0.93 cubic yards, at 4 inches deep you need 1.23 cubic yards, at 6 inches deep you need 1.85 cubic yards, and at 12 inches deep you need 3.70 cubic yards. For mulch at 3 inches deep, you'd need just under 1 cubic yard. For a concrete pad at 4 inches, about 1.25 cubic yards (order 1.5 to be safe).

What's the difference between cubic yards and cubic feet?

Cubic yards and cubic feet both measure volume, but at different scales. One cubic yard equals 27 cubic feet—picture 27 boxes that are each 1 foot × 1 foot × 1 foot stacked into a larger cube that's 3 feet on each side. Suppliers sell bulk materials in cubic yards because it's a more practical unit for large quantities. Bagged products at hardware stores are typically measured in cubic feet. One cubic yard of mulch equals about 13-14 standard 2-cubic-foot bags.

How deep should mulch be?

For most flower beds and landscaping, 2-3 inches works well. This depth retains soil moisture, moderates temperature, and suppresses most weeds without suffocating plant roots. Go thicker (3-4 inches) for pathways where foot traffic compresses the material, or for areas where weed suppression is your main goal. Avoid piling mulch against tree trunks or plant stems—keep it a few inches away to prevent rot.

How many bags of concrete make one cubic yard?

A standard 80-pound bag of concrete mix yields about 0.6 cubic feet when mixed. Since one cubic yard equals 27 cubic feet: 27 ÷ 0.6 = 45 bags of 80-lb concrete per cubic yard. For 60-pound bags (yielding about 0.45 cubic feet each), you'd need approximately 60 bags per cubic yard. This is why anything larger than a fence post or small repair job makes more sense as ready-mix delivery. Mixing 45 bags by hand is brutal work, and the concrete truck delivers better consistency.

Should I round up when ordering materials?

Yes, always. Round your calculated amount up to the nearest half or quarter yard, then add 5-10% for waste, spillage, and settling. Suppliers typically sell in increments of 0.25 or 0.5 cubic yards. If your calculation shows 2.3 cubic yards, order 2.5 or 2.75. The extra cost is minimal compared to running short and paying another delivery fee—or worse, having mismatched concrete.

How do I measure an irregularly shaped area?

Break the space into rectangles and triangles, calculate each section separately, then add the results together. For an L-shaped patio: Divide it into two rectangles, calculate cubic yards for each, then sum them. For a curved garden bed: Approximate it as a rectangle using the average width—measure the width at the widest point, narrowest point, and middle, then average those three numbers. For a circular area: Use the formula: Cubic Yards = (π × radius² × depth) ÷ 27.

How many cubic yards fit in a pickup truck?

A standard full-size pickup with an 8-foot bed holds about 2-3 cubic yards of mulch or soil, but only 1-1.5 cubic yards of heavier materials like gravel or sand. Mulch: 2-3 cubic yards. Topsoil: 1.5-2 cubic yards. Gravel: 1-1.5 cubic yards. Sand: 1 cubic yard. These limits are based on weight, not space. Gravel weighs about 2,800 pounds per cubic yard—overloading damages your suspension and makes the truck unsafe. Check your truck's payload capacity before loading.

How do I convert cubic yards to tons?

Divide the weight per cubic yard by 2,000 (pounds per ton). Common conversions: Mulch weighs 400-800 lbs per cubic yard (0.2-0.4 tons). Topsoil weighs 1,800-2,200 lbs (0.9-1.1 tons). Sand weighs 2,400-2,800 lbs (1.2-1.4 tons). Gravel weighs 2,800-3,000 lbs (1.4-1.5 tons). Some suppliers price by weight (tons) rather than volume (cubic yards). If gravel costs $35 per ton and weighs 1.4 tons per cubic yard, that's $49 per cubic yard—useful for comparing quotes.

Why do suppliers sell materials by the cubic yard?

It's the standard unit for bulk materials in the U.S. construction and landscaping industries. A cubic yard is large enough to be practical for trucks and loaders but small enough for reasonable pricing increments. The cubic yard works out conveniently for delivery trucks—a standard dump truck holds 10-14 cubic yards, and a typical residential delivery of 3-5 cubic yards is easy to measure and price.

How much does a cubic yard of concrete cost?

Ready-mix concrete typically costs $125-$175 per cubic yard for standard residential mixes, depending on your location, the mix strength (PSI rating), and delivery distance. Additional costs to expect: Short load fee ($50-$100 if ordering less than the truck minimum of 3-4 yards), Saturday delivery ($50-$100 extra), Pump truck ($150-$300 if the truck can't pour directly into your forms), Extra time ($2-$5 per minute if the truck waits beyond the allotted pour time). For small projects under 1 cubic yard, bagged concrete from a hardware store often costs less despite the higher per-yard price, simply because you avoid delivery minimums.