Cubic Yard Calculator
Any length, width and depth — in feet, inches or metres — turned into the cubic yards, metres and tons a supplier will quote you.
From measurements to cubic yards
yd³ = L (ft) × W (ft) × D (ft) ÷ 27
Every dimension has to be in the same unit before multiplying. The usual slip is typing a depth in inches next to a length in feet — 12 × 10 × 4 “looks” like 480 cubic feet, but 4 inches is 0.333 ft, so the real answer is 40 cu ft. This calculator converts each field separately, so you can mix feet, inches and metres freely.
Coverage of one cubic yard
| Depth | Sq ft per yd³ | m² per m³ |
|---|---|---|
| 1 in | 324 | 39.4 |
| 2 in | 162 | 19.7 |
| 3 in | 108 | 13.1 |
| 4 in | 81 | 9.8 |
| 6 in | 54 | 6.6 |
| 8 in | 41 | 4.9 |
| 12 in | 27 | 3.3 |
Questions people ask
How do I calculate cubic yards?
Multiply length × width × depth, all in feet, to get cubic feet, then divide by 27. If depth is in inches, divide it by 12 first. Example: 12 ft × 10 ft × 4 in = 12 × 10 × 0.333 = 40 cu ft ÷ 27 = 1.48 cubic yards.
How many square feet does a cubic yard cover?
One cubic yard covers 324 sq ft at 1 inch deep, 162 sq ft at 2 inches, 108 sq ft at 3 inches, 81 sq ft at 4 inches and 54 sq ft at 6 inches.
How many tons is a cubic yard?
It depends on the material: about 1.1 tons for topsoil, 1.3–1.4 tons for most gravel and sand, 2 tons for compacted asphalt, and roughly 2 tons for concrete (4,000 lb). Wet material weighs more.
How big is a cubic yard?
A cube 3 ft × 3 ft × 3 ft — 27 cubic feet, or about 0.76 cubic metres. A standard full-size pickup bed holds about 2 cubic yards level, but most half-ton trucks can only safely carry around 1 yard of stone by weight.