Cubic Yard Calculator

Free online cubic yard calculator. Pick a shape, enter its size and depth, and calculate cubic yards, feet and meters instantly.

Enter your dimensions. The result appears here instantly.

How to Calculate Cubic Yards With This Online Calculator

This free cubic yard calculator is built for the moment you are standing in the yard with a tape measure and a delivery to book. There is nothing to install and nothing to sign up for. Here is the short route:

Pick the shape closest to your space. Rectangle covers most beds, slabs and trenches, and circle suits planters and round pads. If you already know the square footage, choose Known Area.
Type each measurement and choose its unit from the drop-down next to it. Feet, inches, yards, millimeters, centimeters and meters can be mixed in one calculation.
Enter the depth or thickness. It is the number people forget, and without it you only have an area.
Open the optional section if you need it. You can set a quantity for repeated areas, add a waste percentage of your own, and enter a price to see an estimated cost.
Read the result card. Cubic yards come first, followed by cubic feet and cubic meters, with a one-line breakdown so you can check the arithmetic yourself.

Everything updates as you type, so you can try a few different depths and watch the total move before you place an order. Because it works as a cubic yard measurement calculator for every common unit, you never need to convert anything before typing.

Cubic Yard Calculation Formula

Behind the screen, the cubic yard calculation is the same sum you would do on paper. Multiply the area by the depth to get cubic feet, then divide by 27, the number of cubic feet in one cubic yard.

Cubic feet = area (ft²) × depth (ft)

Cubic yards = cubic feet ÷ 27

For a rectangle the area is simply length × width. A raised bed 12 ft long and 4 ft wide, filled 6 inches deep, holds 12 × 4 × 0.5 = 24 cubic feet, which is 0.89 cubic yards. That sum is the whole cubic yards formula; the calculator simply applies it to any shape. Want to see how to calculate a cubic yard from scratch? The step-by-step guide to calculating cubic yards covers the method, a shortcut for inches, and the mistakes that cost people money.

Cubic Yard Calculation Examples

These examples were produced by the same code that powers the calculator above, so you can enter the same numbers and compare.

Mixed units: 20 ft × 10 ft × 3 in

A thin layer over a rectangular area. The 3 inch depth is converted to 0.25 ft before anything is multiplied.

200 ft² × 0.25 ft = 50 ft³ ÷ 27 = 1.85 yd³

Raised bed: 12 ft × 4 ft × 6 in, with a 10% cushion

The 10% is an allowance you choose yourself for settling and spillage. Leave the field empty and nothing is added.

48 ft² × 0.5 ft = 24 ft³ ÷ 27 = 0.89 yd³

With 10% allowance: 0.98 cubic yards

Round planter: 8 ft across, 12 in deep

A circle's area is π × (diameter ÷ 2)², here π × 4² ≈ 50.27 ft², which is then multiplied by the depth.

50.2655 ft² × 1 ft = 50.27 ft³ ÷ 27 = 1.86 yd³

Metric: 3 m × 2 m × 10 cm

Metric measurements are converted to feet internally (1 m = 3.2808 ft). The answer is 0.6 m³, shown in yards, feet and meters.

64.5835 ft² × 0.3281 ft = 21.19 ft³ ÷ 27 = 0.78 yd³

Using yards: 6 yd × 2 yd × 18 in

Each length becomes feet first (18 ft × 6 ft × 1.5 ft). It comes to exactly 6 cubic yards.

108 ft² × 1.5 ft = 162 ft³ ÷ 27 = 6 yd³

Calculate Cubic Yard Volume for Any Shape

Real spaces are rarely perfect rectangles, so think of this as a cubic yard volume calculator that handles the geometry for you. It finds the area of your shape first and then applies the depth. These are the shapes it supports and the area formula behind each one.

Area formula for each supported shape
Shape	Area formula
Known Area	your area
Square	side²
Rectangle	length × width
Circle	π × (diameter ÷ 2)²
Triangle	½ × base × height
Rectangle Border	(L + 2b)(W + 2b) − L × W
Circle Border	π × ((D ÷ 2 + b)² − (D ÷ 2)²)
Annulus (Ring)	π ÷ 4 × (outer² − inner²)
Trapezoid	½ × (base 1 + base 2) × height

Borders and rings

A border is handy for a strip of mulch around a lawn or a concrete collar around a pad. Enter the inner size and the border width, and the calculator does the subtraction. A ring (annulus) covers round planters and pipe-shaped pours.

Irregular areas

Split the space into pieces that match the shapes above, calculate each one, and add the cubic yards together. If several pieces are identical, the quantity field multiplies them for you.

Cubic Yards to Feet and Other Conversions

Plenty of people look for a cubic yards to feet calculator when what they need is cubic yards to cubic feet. That is a straight multiplication: cubic feet = cubic yards × 27, so 3 cubic yards is 81 cubic feet.

Cubic yards in cubic feet and cubic meters
Cubic yards	Cubic feet	Cubic meters
0.25	6.75	0.19
0.5	13.5	0.38
1	27	0.76
2	54	1.53
5	135	3.82
10	270	7.65

How far one cubic yard stretches

Coverage is 27 divided by the depth in feet, so a thin layer spreads a surprisingly long way.

Area covered by one cubic yard at different depths
Depth	1 cubic yard covers
1 in	324 sq ft
2 in	162 sq ft
3 in	108 sq ft
4 in	81 sq ft
6 in	54 sq ft
12 in	27 sq ft

Sometimes the question is length rather than area. For a trench or a strip, divide the volume by width times depth. One cubic yard (27 ft³) spread 3 ft wide and 4 inches deep runs 27 feet. Prefer metric? Enter meters, centimeters or millimeters and the conversion is handled for you.

Who Uses a Cubic Yard Estimator?

Homeowners and gardeners

Topping up beds, filling a raised planter or laying a new lawn all come down to the same question: how many yards? The Mulch Calculator adds bag counts, and the Topsoil Calculator adds weight in tons.

Landscapers and contractors

Quoting a job means converting dimensions into a quantity quickly and consistently. For base material, the Gravel Calculator and Sand Calculator let you enter the density your supplier quotes.

DIY builders pouring concrete

A slab or footing is a volume problem first and a bag-count problem second. The Concrete Calculator converts yards into 40, 60 and 80 lb bags.

How Accurate Is This Cubic Yard Calculator?

The maths is exact. Lengths are converted with fixed definitions (1 ft = 12 in = 0.3048 m, 1 yd = 3 ft), the full-precision result is kept internally, and only the number you see is rounded to two decimals. The limit on accuracy is the real world: ground slopes, soil settles, gravel compacts and edges wander. Treat the result as a solid starting point and confirm it with your supplier, who knows how their material behaves.

Your numbers stay in your browser. Nothing is stored or sent anywhere, and the privacy policy explains the details.

Quick Tips Before You Order

Measure the depth in more than one spot and use the average if the ground is uneven.
Decide on the depth first. Recommendations differ between mulch, soil, gravel and concrete.
Use the waste field for your own cushion. The calculator never adds one on its own, so a blank field means the exact volume.
If your supplier sells by weight, use the gravel, topsoil or sand calculator, which also show tons.
Copy the breakdown line from the result card into your quote request so the supplier can check it.

Cubic Yard Calculator FAQ

What is a cubic yard?

It is the volume of a cube that measures 3 feet along each edge: 3 × 3 × 3 = 27 cubic feet, or about 0.7646 cubic meters. Soil, mulch, gravel, sand and concrete are commonly sold by this unit.

How do I calculate cubic yards by hand?

Convert length, width and depth to feet, multiply them to get cubic feet, then divide by 27. The cubic yard calculation guide shows the steps with more examples and a shortcut for depths in inches.

How many cubic feet are in a cubic yard?

There are 27. Multiply cubic yards by 27 to get cubic feet, or divide cubic feet by 27 to go the other way.

Is this cubic yard calculator free?

Yes. It is a free cubic yard calculator, and it works as a cubic yards calculator online with nothing to download, no account to create and no limit on how many estimates you run.

What is the difference between a cubic yard and a square yard?

A square yard measures area (9 square feet) and a cubic yard measures volume (27 cubic feet). Bulk materials are sold by volume, while flooring and turf are usually priced by area.

Can I use it as a yardage calculator for flooring or fabric?

Those jobs need area, not volume, so use the Square Feet Calculator. It also shows the result in square yards.

Does it work in metric?

Yes. Pick meters, centimeters or millimeters for any field and the result is converted exactly. Cubic meters are shown next to cubic yards.

What if my space is not a simple shape?

Break it into rectangles, circles or triangles, calculate each piece, and add the cubic yards together. The quantity field saves time when several pieces are the same size.