Landscaping & Construction Cubic Yards Calculator
Estimate bulk material volume instantly. Calculate cubic yards, cubic feet, raw material weight in tons, and bag counts with our 3D isometric zone projection model.
Excavation Dimensions
1.11yd³
Equivalent to 30.0 cu ft or 0.85 m³
3D Proportional Project Visualizer
0.44 Tons
(889 lbs total weight)
15 Bags
Based on 2 cu ft standard bag sizes
38.89 USD
Bulk Material & Volume Estimation Guide
How do I calculate Cubic Yards?
Cubic yards measure volume. To calculate them for a rectangular zone, multiply the Length in feet by the Width in feet to get the area in square feet. Multiply this area by the depth in feet (if depth is in inches, divide it by 12). This gives you total Cubic Feet. Finally, divide Cubic Feet by 27 to obtain Cubic Yards.
Why do material weights vary so drastically?
Different bulk materials have different physical densities. For example, a cubic yard of light organic wood Mulch weighs about 800 lbs, whereas a cubic yard of damp Topsoil weighs about 2,200 lbs, and dense gravel or mixed Concrete can weigh between 2,800 and 4,050 lbs! Knowing the weight is vital for ensuring your delivery vehicle or truck trailer isn't overloaded.
How do I convert bulk cubic yards into retail bags?
Hardware stores sell bagged materials in cubic feet. Since 1 cubic yard equals 27 cubic feet: if you buy Mulch sold in standard 2.0 cu ft bags, you'll need 13.5 bags per cubic yard. If you buy Soil sold in 1.5 cu ft bags, you'll need 18 bags per cubic yard. Our calculator handles this conversion dynamically!
A Worked Example
Picture a gravel patio 20 ft long by 10 ft wide at 4 inches deep. The area is 200 sq ft; 4 inches is 0.33 ft, so the volume is 200 × 0.33 = 66 cubic feet, or 66 ÷ 27 ≈ 2.5 cubic yards.
Add 10% for settling and uneven ground and you'd order about 2.7 yards. Since gravel runs roughly 1.4 tons per cubic yard, that's close to 3.5 tons — worth confirming your delivery truck can carry the load before you book it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many cubic yards are in a ton?
It depends on density — roughly one cubic yard of gravel weighs about 1.4 tons, topsoil about 1.1 tons, and mulch about 0.4 tons, so the yards-per-ton ratio differs by material.
How much extra material should I order?
Add roughly 5–10% for settling, uneven ground, and spillage. For irregular areas, round up — running short usually costs more in a second delivery than the small overage does.
How do I measure an irregular area?
Break the space into rectangles and circles, calculate each shape separately, then add them together. For sloped depths, average the shallow and deep measurements before calculating volume.
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