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Cubic yard calculator

Add your areas and the depth. You get cubic yards, the unit soil, mulch, gravel and concrete are sold in, along with cubic feet and cubic metres.

27 cubic feet in a yardFeet, inches or yardsExact metric conversion

Inputs

Areas
Add a row for each bed or section. Mix shapes as needed.

Result

You need
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Cubic yards at common depths

Cubic yards needed for every 100 sq ft at each depth.

DepthCubic yards per 100 sq ftSq ft per cubic yard

How to calculate cubic yards

Cubic feet = length (ft) x width (ft) x depth (ft) Cubic yards = cubic feet / 27 Depth in inches: divide by 12 first

A cubic yard is a cube 3 ft on each side, so it holds 3 x 3 x 3 = 27 cubic feet. A 10 by 10 ft area 4 in deep is 10 x 10 x 4/12 = 33.3 cu ft, which is 1.23 cubic yards.

The quick version: square feet times depth in inches, divided by 324, gives cubic yards directly. 100 sq ft at 3 in is 300 / 324 = 0.93 yards.

For metric: one cubic yard is exactly 0.764555 cubic metres, since a yard is defined as 0.9144 m.

Questions

How many cubic feet are in a cubic yard?

27. A cubic yard is 3 ft by 3 ft by 3 ft.

How do I convert square feet to cubic yards?

You need a depth. Multiply square feet by the depth in inches and divide by 324. For 500 sq ft at 2 in: 1,000 / 324 = 3.1 cubic yards.

How big is a cubic yard?

A cube 3 ft on a side, about the size of a washing machine. Spread out, it covers 81 sq ft at 4 in deep or 108 sq ft at 3 in.

How many cubic metres is a cubic yard?

0.764555, exactly 0.9144³. One cubic metre is 1.308 cubic yards.

How many wheelbarrows are in a cubic yard?

4.5 loads of a 6 cu ft contractor wheelbarrow filled exactly to its rating, and usually 5 or 6 in practice, because a barrow you can push without spilling is rarely that full.

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