Cubic Yard Calculator

US & Canada

Length, width and depth into cubic yards, with the metric equivalents, what it weighs as your material, and how many trips it takes to move.

Your volume

1.What shape is the area?

2.Measurements

ft
ft

Inches for a layer of gravel or soil, feet for a hole.

3.What is going in it?

Only changes the weight, not the volume.

%

Leave at zero for a plain volume.

Volume

0 cubic yards

0 m³ · 0 cu ft · 0 litres

How many loads is that?

Load Trips Note

How the calculation works

  • Cubic feet = length (ft) × width (ft) × depth (ft)
  • Cubic yards = cubic feet ÷ 27
  • Cubic metres = cubic yards × 0.7646
  • Depth in inches becomes feet by dividing by 12

A cubic yard is 27 cubic feet because it is a cube three feet on every side, not three cubic feet. That single misunderstanding is behind most wildly wrong material orders.

What a cubic yard weighs

Weight is the part suppliers quote and trucks are limited by. These are typical figures: moisture and compaction move them, sometimes a lot.

Typical weight of one cubic yard, by material
Material Lb per cu ft Lb per yd³ Tons per yd³ Tonnes per m³
Gravel or crushed stone 104 2,808 1.4 1.67
Sand 100 2,700 1.35 1.6
Topsoil 85 2,295 1.15 1.36
Compost 45 1,215 0.61 0.72
Bark or wood mulch 25 675 0.34 0.4
Concrete, wet 150 4,050 2.03 2.4

Concrete is the dependable one at about 150 lb per cubic foot. Soil and gravel vary most, so confirm with your supplier before ordering by weight.

What each load holds

Capacity of common loads, and trips per cubic yard
Load Cubic feet Trips per cubic yard Note
Wheelbarrow, 2 cu ft 2 13.5 Small builder's barrow
Wheelbarrow, 3 cu ft 3 9 The common garden size
Wheelbarrow, 6 cu ft 6 4.5 Contractor barrow
Pickup bed, level 54 under 1 About 2 cu yd of light material
Single axle dump truck 135 under 1 About 5 cu yd
Tandem dump truck 270 under 1 About 10 cu yd

Weight limits bite before volume does. A cubic yard of gravel is close to a ton and a half ton pickup is rated for about half that, however well it fits in the bed. Overloading wrecks suspension and stopping distances. For dense material, take less per trip or pay for delivery.

Volume conversions

Converting between volume units
From To Multiply by
1 cubic yard cubic feet 27
1 cubic yard cubic metres 0.7646
1 cubic metre cubic yards 1.308
1 cubic yard litres 764.6
1 cubic foot litres 28.32
1 cubic yard US gallons 201.97

Ordering in Canada? Bulk material is usually quoted in metric tonnes or cubic metres while the job is still measured in feet. The calculator shows both so you can match whichever is on the quote.

Common questions

How many cubic feet are in a cubic yard?
27. A cubic yard is a cube three feet on every side, so it is 3 × 3 × 3. The common mistake is dividing by 3 instead of 27, which leaves you ordering nine times what you need.
How many cubic yards are in a ton?
It depends entirely on the material, because a ton is a weight and a yard is a volume. A ton of gravel is roughly 0.71 cubic yards, a ton of topsoil nearer 0.87, and a ton of bark mulch far more again because mulch is so light. The table above gives each one. Ask your supplier for their own figure before ordering by weight.
How many cubic yards are in a cubic metre?
One cubic metre is 1.308 cubic yards, and one cubic yard is 0.765 cubic metres. A metre is the bigger unit, so if you are quoting in yards and buying in metres you need fewer of them, not more. This catches people ordering concrete in Canada.
How many wheelbarrows are in a cubic yard?
About 9 loads of a standard 3 cubic foot barrow, or 4.5 of a 6 cubic foot contractor barrow. Small builder's barrows at 2 cubic feet take 13.5. Those are level loads; heaping them carries more but is harder to push and spills on uneven ground.
How many cubic yards does a dump truck hold?
A single axle truck carries about 5 cubic yards and a tandem axle about 10, though both are often limited by weight rather than space. With dense material like crushed stone a truck reaches its weight limit well before the box is full, which is why a "full load" of gravel looks half empty.
How many cubic yards fit in a pickup truck?
A full size bed holds roughly 2 cubic yards level with the sides, but that is not the number that matters. A half ton pickup is rated for about half a ton, and a single cubic yard of gravel or wet soil weighs more than that. For dense material, plan on well under a yard per trip regardless of what fits.
How many cubic yards are in a concrete truck?
A full mixer carries about 10 cubic yards, with 8 to 11 being typical. Most suppliers sell in whole or half yards and charge a short load fee below a minimum, often around 3 yards, so a small pour can cost more per yard than a large one.
How do I work out cubic yards for a gravel layer?
Multiply the area by the depth, keeping both in feet, then divide by 27. For 100 square feet at 4 inches deep that is 100 × 0.333 = 33.3 cubic feet, or 1.23 cubic yards. Switch the depth selector above to inches and the calculator handles the conversion.