Cubic yard calculator
Enter length, width and depth—or a known area and depth—to get cubic yards and cubic feet. Optional waste percent and price per cubic yard estimate material cost. Defaults are a 10 × 10 ft bed, 3 inches deep.
How the calculator works
- Volume in cubic feet: length × width × (depth in inches ÷ 12), or area × depth in feet.
- Cubic yards: cubic feet ÷ 27. Shortcut: square feet × depth in inches ÷ 324.
- Waste: multiply by (1 + waste%). Round up when you order bags; bulk yards are usually ordered to one or two decimals.
- Cost: cubic yards × your price per yard (or cubic meters × price per meter in metric).
How many bags equal a cubic yard?
A cubic yard is exactly 27 cubic feet. Divide 27 by the cubic feet printed on the bag, then round up when you buy. Weight on the bag (for example “40 lb”) is not a volume—moisture changes weight a lot.
| Product (typical bag) | Bag size | Exact bags / yd³ | Buy (round up) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mulch (common 2 cu ft bag) | 2 cu ft | 13.5 | 14 |
| Mulch (3 cu ft bag) | 3 cu ft | 9 | 9 |
| Topsoil / garden soil (0.75 cu ft, often ~40 lb) | 0.75 cu ft | 36 | 36 |
| Topsoil / garden soil (1 cu ft) | 1 cu ft | 27 | 27 |
| Topsoil / garden soil (1.5 cu ft) | 1.5 cu ft | 18 | 18 |
| Gravel / sand (0.5 cu ft, often ~50 lb) | 0.5 cu ft | 54 | 54 |
For project-specific bag and ton math, use the dedicated calculators: mulch, topsoil, gravel, concrete and asphalt.
Worked example
A 10 × 10 ft bed, 3 inches deep, with 5% extra:
- Volume: 10 × 10 × 3 ÷ 12 = 25 ft³ → 25 ÷ 27 ≈ 0.93 yd³
- Plus 5%: 26.25 ft³ ≈ 0.97 yd³
- As 2 cu ft mulch bags: 26.25 ÷ 2 = 13.125 → buy 14 bags
Related: gravel calculator, topsoil calculator, mulch calculator, concrete calculator, asphalt calculator, square footage calculator.
Past a couple of cubic yards of mulch—or about one yard of soil or stone—bulk delivery is usually cheaper than bags and cuts plastic waste. Confirm whether your quote is loose or compacted, and leave room for the truck to tip without blocking drains or thin pavement. Call 811 before you dig.
Sources
- NIST / common US customary definition: 1 yd = 3 ft, so 1 yd³ = 27 ft³ (exact).
- Bag counts: 27 ÷ labeled bag cubic feet. Common mulch 2 cu ft bags → 13.5 per yard (buy 14); 0.75 cu ft topsoil bags → 36; 0.5 cu ft gravel bags → 54. Always read the wrapper.
- Same volume math as the site’s gravel, topsoil and mulch calculators (layer volume → yd³).
- Common Ground Alliance, Call 811.