Cubic Yard Calculator
Find how many cubic yards fill your space, and what that weighs.
Measure the space
Your answer
66.7 cubic feet · 1.89 cubic meters
What it weighs
- Gravel3.46 tons
- Pea gravel3.33 tons
- Crusher run3.46 tons
- River rock3.09 tons
- Sand (dry)2.96 tons
- Fill dirt2.47 tons
- Topsoil1.98 tons
- Wood mulch0.74 tons
Loose, before packing down. Packed crusher run weighs about a third more. Wet material weighs more. Mulch is fresh wood chips.
Quick answers
- The quick way
- Square feet × depth in inches ÷ 324 = cubic yards.
- How much does a cubic yard cover?
- 81 sq ft at 4 in deep. 108 sq ft at 3 in. 162 sq ft at 2 in.
- How much does a yard weigh?
- Gravel about 1.4 tons. Topsoil about 0.8 tons. Mulch about 0.3 tons.
- How many pounds in a ton?
- 2,000 lb in a US ton. So 1.4 tons of gravel is 2,800 lb.
How to work it out
- Measure the length and width in feet.
- Measure the depth. If it is in inches, divide by 12 to get feet.
- Multiply length × width × depth. This gives cubic feet.
- Divide by 27 to get cubic yards.
20 × 10 × 0.333 = 66.7 cubic feet
66.7 ÷ 27 = 2.47 cubic yards
Cubic yards for common areas
Find your area in the first column. Then read across to your depth.
| Area | 2 in deep | 3 in deep | 4 in deep | 6 in deep |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 sq ft | 0.62 | 0.93 | 1.23 | 1.85 |
| 200 sq ft | 1.23 | 1.85 | 2.47 | 3.70 |
| 300 sq ft | 1.85 | 2.78 | 3.70 | 5.56 |
| 500 sq ft | 3.09 | 4.63 | 6.17 | 9.26 |
| 1,000 sq ft | 6.17 | 9.26 | 12.35 | 18.52 |
No extra added. Round up when you order.
Not sure of the area? Multiply the length by the width, in feet. A 10 × 20 ft bed is 200 sq ft.
What one cubic yard weighs
A cubic yard is always the same size. But the weight changes a lot from one material to the next.
| Material | Tons | Pounds | Cubic yards in 1 ton |
|---|---|---|---|
| Concrete (Quikrete mix) | 1.89 | 3,780 | 0.53 |
| Sand (wet) | 1.55 | 3,100 | 0.65 |
| Gravel | 1.4 | 2,800 | 0.71 |
| Crusher run | 1.4 | 2,800 | 0.71 |
| Pea gravel | 1.35 | 2,700 | 0.74 |
| Crushed stone | 1.35 | 2,700 | 0.74 |
| Decomposed granite | 1.3 | 2,600 | 0.77 |
| River rock | 1.25 | 2,500 | 0.8 |
| Sand (dry) | 1.2 | 2,400 | 0.83 |
| Fill dirt | 1 | 2,000 | 1 |
| Topsoil | 0.8 | 1,600 | 1.25 |
| Compost | 0.55 | 1,100 | 1.82 |
| Wood mulch | 0.3 | 600 | 3.33 |
Stone, soil and mulch are loose, as delivered. Wet material weighs more.
Mulch is fresh wood chips. Concrete is from Quikrete's data sheet for its bagged mix.
Tons or cubic yards?
Some yards sell by the ton. Others sell by the cubic yard. The weight table lets you change one to the other.
- Cubic yards to tons: multiply by the tons in one cubic yard.
- Tons to cubic yards: divide by the tons in one cubic yard.
3 cubic yards of gravel × 1.4 = 4.2 tons. And 5 tons of gravel ÷ 1.4 = 3.57 cubic yards.
Weights are not fixed. Our sources put gravel at 1.25 to 1.43 tons per cubic yard. Dry sand is about 1.2 tons, but wet sand is about 1.55.
So ask your yard what weight they use. Then check it with the calculator above.
Square yards or cubic yards?
A yard is 3 feet. But you can measure in yards two ways.
- A square yard is flat. It is 3 × 3 ft, or 9 sq ft. It measures area, like a floor.
- A cubic yard has depth too. It is 3 × 3 × 3 ft, or 27 cubic feet. Gravel, soil, mulch and concrete are sold this way.
To get square yards, divide square feet by 9. To get cubic yards, you also need the depth.
A 9 × 12 ft area is 108 sq ft. That is 12 square yards. At 4 in deep, it holds 108 × 4 ÷ 324 = 1.33 cubic yards.
Why 324? There are 12 inches in a foot and 27 cubic feet in a cubic yard. And 12 × 27 = 324.
Trucks and bags
Big orders come by truck. Truck sizes vary, so ask the seller what theirs holds.
- A full ready-mix concrete truck holds about 10 cubic yards, say cost guides.
- One Toronto excavation company's cost guide lists 12–14 cubic yards for a tandem dump truck. It lists 16–20 for a tri-axle truck.
Some materials also come in bags. One cubic yard of mulch fills 13.5 bags of 2 cubic feet. For other bag sizes, see our bags chart.
Before you order, ask three things. Is the price per ton or per cubic yard? What does delivery cost? Can the truck reach the spot?
Questions people ask
How many feet are in a yard?
3 feet in a yard, and 9 sq ft in a square yard. A cubic yard holds 27 cubic feet.
How do you calculate cubic yards?
Multiply length × width × depth, all in feet. Then divide by 27.
How do you calculate square yards?
Multiply length × width in feet. Then divide by 9. For example, 12 × 15 ft = 180 sq ft, and 180 ÷ 9 = 20 square yards.
How do I get cubic yards from square feet?
You also need the depth. Multiply the square feet by the depth in inches. Then divide by 324. For 200 sq ft at 3 in, that is 1.85 cubic yards.
How much does a cubic yard of soil weigh?
Loose topsoil weighs about 0.8 tons, or 1,600 lb. Some sources go up to 1.05 tons. Fill dirt is about 1 ton. Wet soil weighs more.
How much does a cubic yard of concrete weigh?
About 3,780 lb, or 1.89 tons. Quikrete's data sheet puts its concrete at about 140 lb per cubic foot.
How many bags of mulch are in a cubic yard?
It depends on the bag size. You need 18 bags of 1.5 cubic feet, or 9 bags of 3 cubic feet. For 2 cubic foot bags it is 13.5, so buy 14.
How many square feet does a cubic yard cover at 2 inches deep?
162 sq ft. At 3 in it covers 108 sq ft.
Where our numbers come from
- Pea gravel bag: KolorScape 0.5 cubic foot, about 50 lb
- Unit sizes: NIST Handbook 44, Appendix C (1 ft = 0.3048 m; 1 US gallon = 231 cubic inches)
- Material weights: Caterpillar earthwork tables
- Crusher run weight: the middle of 9 suppliers and road agencies
- Rock weight: Southwest Boulder & Stone rule of thumb (1.25 tons a cubic yard, not lava rock)
- Weights of sand, gravel, soil and stone: Tapco weight chart for bulk materials
- Mulch weight: US EPA and University of Washington conversion tables
- Decomposed granite weight: Sutherland Landscape product page
- Coverage and weights: Front Range Material conversion sheet
- Bag sizes and weight: Quikrete Concrete Mix data sheet
- Bag sizes: Scotts mulch bags (checked Oct 2026)
- 3 cu ft mulch bags: Lowe's product page (archived)
- Small-order fee: the middle of 4 US cost guides (2026)
- Dump truck sizes: one Toronto excavation company's cost guide (2026)
Made by BuildersCount. Last checked 3 Oct 2026.
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