Is a "yard" of material a cubic yard?

Yes, a "yard" of gravel, soil, mulch or concrete is one cubic yard. Suppliers drop the word "cubic" when they quote bulk material.

How do you measure an odd-shaped area?

Add it as an irregular area: its length and the widths measured along it (4, 5.5, 3, 6). Know the square feet already? Use known area. Or split it into rectangles, triangles and round beds; the areas add up.

How much extra should you order?

For concrete, NRMCA advises ordering 4–10% over plan volume. For bulk gravel, soil and mulch, round up to your supplier's step: some yards sell by the ¼ yard, others only by the ½ or whole yard.

Cubic Yard Calculator

One cubic yard equals 27 cubic feet. Enter your area's length, width, and depth below to get cubic yards, tons, bags, and an estimated cost for any bulk material.

Material

Area

Length ft

Width ft

Count

Depth in

Order options No waste · ¼ yd steps · reference price

Extra for waste

Supplier sells by

Your price $ per yd³, optional

Know the tons? Supplier quote in tons → yards

Tons

Tape readings work: 10' 6", 10 1/2, 10½ or 10.5. Depth takes inches or feet (1 ft). Areas add up.

Order

1.25 cubic yards to order

rounded up to the nearest ¼ yd³

Each cube is 1 yd³ (3 × 3 × 3 ft). Solid: exact 1.11 yd³. Order: 1 full cubic yard + ¼ of a yard.

Exact 1.11 yd³ · 30 ft³ · 0.85 m³

At 3 in deep, 1 yd³ covers 108 ft².

Weight: 1.59–1.78 tons (dry, loose)
Bags: 60 × 0.5 cu ft (50 lb)
Trucks: 2–3 pickup loads (half-ton class)
Cost: $19–$94

Compare with bags

Price per 0.5 cu ft (50 lb) bag, $

You need 1.25 cubic yards of gravel ≈ 1.59–1.78 tons (dry, loose) ≈ 60 bags of 0.5 cu ft (50 lb).

Suppliers sell by the ¼, ½ or whole yard, often with a minimum order — round up to your supplier's step.

Order sheet for your supplier

Gravel weight: dry, loose (Caterpillar, Vulcan Materials). Cost: reference range, delivered within about 10 miles (HomeGuide, Dec 2025); local prices vary.

How to calculate cubic yards

To calculate cubic yards, multiply length by width in feet, multiply by depth in inches, then divide by 12 and by 27.

L × W × D_in ÷ 12 ÷ 27 = yd³

Area20 ft × 4 ft80 ft²
Depth3 in ÷ 120.25 ft
Volume80 ft² × 0.25 ft20 ft³
Cubic yards20 ft³ ÷ 270.74 yd³
Ordernext ¼ yard up0.75 yd³

Dividing by 12 turns inches into feet. Dividing by 27 turns cubic feet into cubic yards — see how many cubic feet in a cubic yard. A cubic yard is a cube 3 feet on each side: what is a cubic yard.

Coverage per cubic yard for common jobs

One cubic yard covers 324 ft² at 1 inch deep, and half as much each time the depth doubles: ft² = 324 ÷ depth in inches.

Depth	ft² per yd³	Typical jobs at this depth
1 in	324	mulch around seedlings (UF/IFAS)
2 in	162	mulch beds, low end (2–3 in); garden soil spread 2–3 in (Miracle-Gro)
3 in	108	mulch beds (2–3 in); top-dressing a lawn, up to 3 in (Clemson); gravel road surface, 3 in minimum (FHWA)
4 in	81	concrete slabs and walks (Sakrete); topsoil for a new lawn, 4–6 in (Penn State)
6 in	54	concrete where a walk crosses a driveway, 6 in (NYSDOT); one-layer gravel pad, 6 in (NRCS)
12 in	27	vegetable raised beds, 12–18 in (Texas A&M)

Cubic yards to tons

Tons equal cubic yards × the material's pounds per cubic yard ÷ 2000. One cubic yard weighs from 0.23 tons (mulch) to 2.03 tons (concrete).

yd³ × lb per yd³ ÷ 2000 = tons

Example: 3 yd³ of gravel × 2,550–2,850 lb ÷ 2000 = 3.83–4.28 tons. For tons to yards, divide instead. Suppliers sell loose yards, so the table uses loose weight; wet material sits at the high end.

Weight and price per cubic yard by material
Material	lb per yd³	tons per yd³	Bags	$ per yd³
Gravel	2,550–2,850	1.28–1.43	0.5 cu ft (50 lb)	$15–$75
Pea gravel^*	2,600–2,700	1.3–1.35	0.5 cu ft (50 lb)	$29–$86
Crushed stone	2,600–2,700	1.3–1.35	Bulk only	$35–$54
Crushed stone base (compacted)^*	3,375–3,645	1.69–1.82	Bulk only	—
#57 stone	2,322–2,600	1.16–1.3	Bulk only	—
Crusher run (21A, ABC)^*	2,400–2,776	1.2–1.39	Bulk only	—
River rock^*	2,376–2,700	1.19–1.35	0.5 cu ft	$54–$80
Lava rock^*	1,026	0.51	0.5 cu ft	$96–$140
Decomposed granite^*	2,400–2,700	1.2–1.35	0.5 cu ft	$75–$140
Sand	2,700–3,000	1.35–1.5	0.5 cu ft (50 lb)	$26–$60
Fill dirt	1,900–2,550	0.95–1.28	Bulk only	$5–$18
Topsoil	1,600–2,200	0.8–1.1	0.75 cu ft, 1 cu ft, 1.5 cu ft	$20–$45
Garden soil^*	1,600–1,800	0.8–0.9	1 cu ft, 1.5 cu ft, 2 cu ft	$30–$70
Raised bed soil^*	1,600–1,800	0.8–0.9	1.5 cu ft, 2 cu ft	$40–$70
Mulch	450–620	0.23–0.31	2 cu ft, 3 cu ft, 1.5 cu ft	$25–$50
Concrete	3,780–4,050	1.89–2.03	80 lb, 60 lb, 50 lb, 40 lb	$119–$162
Asphalt	3,900–3,960	1.95–1.98	Bulk only	—

Weight basis: gravel dry, loose; pea gravel loose, typical; crushed stone loose, as delivered; crushed stone base (compacted) compacted in place; #57 stone loose, 1/2–1 in clean stone; crusher run (21a, abc) loose, as delivered; river rock loose, varies with stone size; lava rock from one 0.5 cu ft bag weight; decomposed granite loose, as sold; sand damp, as delivered; fill dirt dry, loose; topsoil dry, loose; garden soil bulk blend; raised bed soil bulk blend; mulch shredded wood, as sold; concrete fresh, normal-weight; asphalt hot mix, compacted. * Estimate: supplier data or one source only. Prices are reference ranges from dated cost guides and supplier lists (updated September 2026); local prices vary. Sources: Caterpillar; Vulcan Materials; Quikrete; HomeGuide; Smoky Mountain Sand & Gravel; Lowe's; USDA-NRCS; Penn State Center for Dirt & Gravel Road Studies; Rohrer's Quarry (PA); Cummin Landscape Supply (Atlanta, GA); Mr. Mulch (Columbus, OH); FHWA; Yard Works Landscape Supply (Fort Mill, SC); Virginia DOT; MRM Landscape Supply (WA); Tri-State Landscape Supply (OH); Sutherland Landscape (Chico, CA); Outdoor Warehouse Supply (TX); Western Materials (Valencia, CA); Earth Stone Rock (CA/AZ); Southwest Boulder & Stone; AreA Landscape Supply (Mokena, IL); Sequoia Landscape Materials (Santa Rosa, CA); Kafka Granite; U.S. Army; Lawn Love; Do it Best; Shell Lumber; Graf's Garden Shop; Penn State Extension; Topsoil.com; Bags and Bulk Landscape Supply (WI); Yard Works Landscape Supply; Cummin Landscape Supply; Miracle-Gro; Kellogg Garden Organics; University of Maryland Extension; Texas A&M AgriLife Extension; NRAES-54 (Cornell); Mississippi State University Extension; UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions; ZonedGarden; NRMCA; ACI; Sakrete; GSI Concrete (PA); Townsend Concrete (CA); TxDOT.

Wheelbarrow loads per cubic yard

A cubic yard takes 5 loads of a 6 cu ft wheelbarrow: 27 ÷ 6, rounded up.

Wheelbarrow	Loads per yd³
4 cu ft	7
5 cu ft	6
6 cu ft	5
8 cu ft	4

Heavy material fills the weight rating first: a full 6 cu ft load of fresh concrete weighs 840–900 lb, while Gorilla rates its 8 cu ft cart at 600 lb. Load concrete, gravel and sand partway. Ratings: Gorilla GCR-4, GCY-80.

All material calculators

Converters

Cubic yard calculator FAQ

Is a "yard" of material a cubic yard?: Yes, a "yard" of gravel, soil, mulch or concrete is one cubic yard. Suppliers drop the word "cubic" when they quote bulk material.
How do you measure an odd-shaped area?: Add it as an irregular area: its length and the widths measured along it (4, 5.5, 3, 6). Know the square feet already? Use known area. Or split it into rectangles, triangles and round beds; the areas add up.
How much extra should you order?: For concrete, NRMCA advises ordering 4–10% over plan volume. For bulk gravel, soil and mulch, round up to your supplier's step: some yards sell by the ¼ yard, others only by the ½ or whole yard.