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Cubic yard calculator

A cubic yard is 27 cubic feet. Multiply length by width in feet, multiply by the depth in inches and divide by 324: a 200 square foot area 3 inches deep is 1.85 cubic yards.

Example measurements are filled in. Replace them with yours.

Area shape
The area you are measuring, drawn from your measurements in feet.20 ft10 ftCross-section: 3 in of new layer, on the existing ground.Existing ground3 innew layer

Measure the ground you will cover.

Leave out an area
Moving it: wheelbarrow and vehicle

Example quantities

1.85cubic yards
50cubic feet
1.42cubic meters

9 wheelbarrow loads

Your order details
  • 200 sq ft to cover
  • 0% extra
  • 3 in deep
  • 50 ft³ before extra
  • 50 ft³ to order (1.852 yd³)
  • 25 whole bags at 2 ft³ each
  • 9 wheelbarrow loads of 6 ft³
How it is calculated
  1. Part 1: 20 × 10 = 200 sq ft.
  2. Add the parts, then subtract 0 sq ft = 200 sq ft.
  3. Fill: 200 × (3 ÷ 12) = 50 ft³.
  4. With extra: 50 × (1 + 0 ÷ 100) = 50 ft³.
  5. Cubic yards: 50 ÷ 27 = 1.852 yd³.
  6. Bags: round up 50 ÷ 2 = 25.
  7. Wheelbarrow loads: round up 50 ÷ 6 = 9.

Shown in feet and inches. Results are rounded for reading; whole bags and pieces use the full calculation.

How much ground one cubic yard covers

One cubic yard spread 1 inch deep covers 324 square feet, the figure the University of Florida IFAS Extension gives for mulch; at 3 inches it covers 108. Divide 324 by any depth in inches to get the area.

DepthArea one cubic yard coversCubic yards per 100 sq ft
1 in324 sq ft0.31
2 in162 sq ft0.62
3 in108 sq ft0.93
4 in81 sq ft1.23
6 in54 sq ft1.85
8 in40.5 sq ft2.47
10 in32.4 sq ft3.09
12 in27 sq ft3.7
1 in324 sq ft2 in162 sq ft3 in108 sq ft4 in81 sq ft6 in54 sq ft8 in40.5 sq ft10 in32.4 sq ft12 in27 sq ft
One cubic yard, spread at each depth. Halve the depth and the same yard spreads twice as far.

Cubic yards, bags and tons

One cubic yard fills 18 bags of 1.5 cubic feet, 13.5 bags of 2 cubic feet or 9 bags of 3 cubic feet. Its weight depends on the material: for the named products on this site, mulch weighs 571 to 600 lb a yard, topsoil 2,200 to 2,600 lb and gravel 2,440 to 2,700 lb. The cubic yards to tons calculator converts a volume into weight and trips.

Measure the area first

For a lawn, a border or a bed with curves, measure it in parts in the square footage calculator, then bring the area here. For soil inside raised beds, measure between the inner walls in the raised bed soil calculator.