Cubic Yard Calculator
Figure out how many cubic yards of material you need for a project by entering the length, width, and depth of the area.
What this calculator does
The cubic yard calculator finds the volume of material — concrete, mulch, topsoil, gravel, sand, or similar — needed to fill a rectangular area of a given length, width, and depth.
The formula
Volume in cubic feet equals length times width times depth (all converted to feet). Since depth is usually measured in inches for landscaping and construction jobs, the calculator divides your depth by 12 before multiplying. Cubic feet is then divided by 27 to convert to cubic yards, since one cubic yard equals 27 cubic feet (3 ft x 3 ft x 3 ft).
For general planning purposes, most suppliers recommend ordering 5-10% extra material to account for uneven ground and compaction.