What is a cubic yard?
A cubic yard is a cube 3 feet on each side: 3 × 3 × 3 = 27 cubic feet. It is the standard unit for bulk landscaping materials in North America, so gravel, topsoil, mulch and ready-mix concrete are all priced by the yard. In metric, one cubic yard is 0.765 cubic metres.
Worked example
A 20 × 10 ft area 4 inches deep is 20 × 10 × 0.333 = 66.7 cubic feet. Divide by 27 and you get 2.47 cubic yards. In gravel at 1.35 tons per yard, that is about 3.3 tons. With 10% extra, plan on 2.7 yards.
For a circle, the area is 3.1416 × radius × radius. A round bed 10 ft across has a radius of 5 ft, so its area is 78.5 square feet.
How far does a cubic yard go?
| Depth | Metric | 1 yd³ covers | 1 m³ covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 in | 2.5 cm | 324 ft² | 39.4 m² |
| 2 in | 5.1 cm | 162 ft² | 19.7 m² |
| 3 in | 7.6 cm | 108 ft² | 13.1 m² |
| 4 in | 10.2 cm | 81 ft² | 9.8 m² |
| 6 in | 15.2 cm | 54 ft² | 6.6 m² |
| 12 in | 30.5 cm | 27 ft² | 3.3 m² |
How much does a cubic yard weigh?
Suppliers sell some materials by the yard and others by the ton, so it helps to convert. These are typical figures for fairly dry material.
| Material | Per cubic yard | Tons / yd³ | Metric |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gravel (crushed stone) | 2,700 lb | 1.35 tons | 1.60 t/m³ |
| Topsoil | 2,200 lb | 1.10 tons | 1.31 t/m³ |
| Sand | 2,700 lb | 1.35 tons | 1.60 t/m³ |
| Mulch | 600 lb | 0.30 tons | 0.36 t/m³ |
| Concrete | 4,000 lb | 2.00 tons | 2.37 t/m³ |
Moisture, stone type and compaction all change these numbers. Each material calculator uses figures for specific types and adds compaction or settling where it applies.
Common questions
How many cubic feet are in a cubic yard?
Twenty-seven. A cubic yard is a cube 3 feet long, 3 feet wide and 3 feet tall, and 3 × 3 × 3 = 27.
How do I calculate cubic yards?
Multiply length × width × depth, all in feet, then divide by 27. If the depth is in inches, divide it by 12 first. A 20 × 10 ft area 4 inches deep is 20 × 10 × 0.333 = 66.7 cubic feet, or 2.47 cubic yards.
How much area does a cubic yard cover?
It depends on depth: 324 square feet at 1 inch, 162 at 2 inches, 108 at 3 inches and 81 at 4 inches.
How do I convert cubic yards to tons?
Multiply by the material’s weight per cubic yard. Gravel and sand are about 1.35 tons per yard, topsoil about 1.1, and concrete about 2. Mulch is light, around 0.3 tons per yard.
How do I measure an odd-shaped area?
Split it into rectangles and circles, work out the square footage of each, and add them up. Then choose "I know the area" and enter the total.
More on how we calculate, including the density and compaction figures behind every calculator.