How do I calculate cubic yards?

Multiply length × width × depth, all in feet, to get cubic feet, then divide by 27. A 20 ft by 12 ft pad 6 inches (0.5 ft) deep is 20 × 12 × 0.5 = 120 cubic feet, and 120 ÷ 27 = 4.44 cubic yards. The calculator does each step and shows the working.

How do I convert square feet to cubic yards?

You need a depth as well, because square feet is an area and cubic yards is a volume. Multiply the square feet by the depth in feet and divide by 27. With the depth in inches, square feet × inches ÷ 324 gives the same answer. 400 square feet at 4 inches is 4.94 cubic yards.

How do I convert cubic feet to cubic yards?

Divide the cubic feet by 27. For example, 135 cubic feet is 5 cubic yards. To convert the other way, multiply cubic yards by 27.

How many cubic feet are in a cubic yard?

Twenty-seven. A cubic yard is a cube one yard — three feet — on every side, so 3 × 3 × 3 = 27 cubic feet.

How many square feet does one cubic yard cover?

It depends on the depth: 324 divided by the depth in inches. One cubic yard covers 324 square feet at 1 inch, 162 at 2 inches, 108 at 3 inches, 81 at 4 inches and 54 at 6 inches. This is geometry only; it ignores compaction and spillage, which is what the overage allowance is for.

How do I enter a depth in inches?

Type the number and switch the unit selector next to the depth field to "in". The calculator converts it to feet before doing any arithmetic, so you can mix inches, feet and metres in the same calculation.

How many cubic yards does a dump truck hold?

It depends entirely on the truck. Check the body capacity on the spec plate, then use the dirt hauling calculator, which also accounts for material swell and for trucks that reach their weight limit before the body is full. The dump truck capacity guide explains why volume and payload are different limits.

How do I convert cubic yards to tons?

Multiply by the material’s density, which is a property of your material and not of the conversion. The cubic yards to tons calculator does this in both directions and asks you for the density rather than assuming one.

Measurement · Cubic yards from any shape

Cubic Yard Calculator

Cubic yards from length, width and depth, from a square-foot area and a depth, or from a volume you already have in cubic feet or metres. How it works

Cubic Yard

Try an example

Volume

cubic yards

Rectangular prism

depth exaggerated for legibility

Cubic feet: 120cu ft
Cubic metres: 3.4m³
Area covered: 240ft²

Show the calculation3 steps

The working

Area = Length × Width
= 20 ft × 12 ft
= 240 ft²
Volume = Area × Depth
= 240 ft² × 0.5 ft
= 120 cu ft
Cubic yards = Cubic feet ÷ 27
= 120 ÷ 27
= 4.44 cu yd
1 cubic yard = 3 ft × 3 ft × 3 ft = 27 cubic feet

Start from whatever you have: the dimensions of a slab or bed, a square-foot area and how deep it goes, or a volume in cubic feet that needs to be cubic yards. The calculator converts everything to cubic feet, divides by 27, and shows the arithmetic so you can check it against a supplier quote.

How this calculator works

Only your inputs and exact unit conversions. Where a figure comes from anywhere else, it is recorded below with its source.

Specification

Formula version: 1.1.0
Last reviewed: 2026-09-29
External data: None
Category: Measurement

No benchmark, average or market figure is built into this tool. How we calculate

What this calculates

A volume in cubic yards. It is the conversion that sits underneath almost every other quantity on a construction site: dirt removed, gravel delivered, concrete poured, topsoil spread. Choose the starting point that matches what you know — dimensions, an area and a depth, or a volume you already have.

How to calculate cubic yards

Measure the length, width and depth of the space, all in feet. Multiply the three to get cubic feet, then divide by 27, because a cubic yard is a cube three feet on each side and 3 × 3 × 3 = 27 cubic feet. If a dimension is in inches, divide it by 12 first. For a circular area the base is π × diameter² ÷ 4 instead of length × width.

Every entry is converted to feet before any arithmetic, which is why a length in metres, a width in feet and a depth in inches can share one calculation.

Square feet to cubic yards

Square feet alone cannot be converted to cubic yards — one is an area and the other a volume, and the missing dimension is depth. Multiply the area by the depth in feet, then divide by 27. With the depth in inches, the shortcut is square feet × inches ÷ 324, because 27 × 12 = 324.

For 400 square feet at a depth of 4 inches: 400 × 4 ÷ 324 = 4.94 cubic yards. Pick “Area × depth” above and enter the area in square feet, square yards, square metres or acres.

Cubic feet to cubic yards

Divide by 27. To go the other way, multiply by 27. In metric terms one cubic yard is 0.7646 cubic metres and one cubic metre is 1.308 cubic yards. These are definitional conversions, exact by the definition of the yard and the metre, so no source is needed beyond the definitions themselves. Pick “Convert volume” above; the result shows cubic yards, cubic feet and cubic metres together.

Overage

The overage allowance multiplies the finished volume before it becomes an order quantity. It is optional and blank by default — there is no universal correct figure, because it depends on the material, the compaction you are specifying and how even your subgrade is.

Weight and price

Both are optional and both are yours to supply. Enter a density and the calculator returns a weight; enter a delivered price and it returns a cost. Nothing is assumed about either, because a density depends on the material and its moisture, and a price on your supplier and your location. For a dedicated two-way conversion between cubic yards and tons, use the cubic yards to tons calculator.

A 20 ft × 12 ft gravel pad, 6 in deep

Given

Length: 20 ft
Width: 12 ft
Depth: 6 in

Step by step

01Depth in feet= 6 in ÷ 12= 0.5 ft
02Area= 20 ft × 12 ft= 240 sq ft
03Volume= 240 sq ft × 0.5 ft= 120 cu ft
04Cubic yards= 120 ÷ 27= 4.44 cu yd

Order

4.44 cubic yards

Coverage of one cubic yard, by depth

What a cubic yard covers at each depth, and what a given area needs. Every figure is 324 divided by the depth in inches, or the area times the depth divided by 324, so you can check any row by hand.

Depth	Sq ft one cu yd covers	Cu yd for 100 sq ft	Cu yd for 1,000 sq ft
1 in	324	0.31	3.09
2 in	162	0.62	6.17
3 in	108	0.93	9.26
4 in	81	1.23	12.35
5 in	64.8	1.54	15.43
6 in	54	1.85	18.52
8 in	40.5	2.47	24.69
10 in	32.4	3.09	30.86
12 in	27	3.70	37.04

Geometry only: no compaction, spillage or uneven subgrade. Add an overage allowance in the calculator above for those.

What it assumes

01The shape is a straight prism: constant depth across the whole area, vertical sides.
02Unit conversions are exact and definitional (1 in = 25.4 mm, 1 cubic yard = 27 cubic feet).
03Density and price are only used if you supply them. Nothing is assumed about either.

What it does not do

It does not model sloped or battered sides. Use the excavation calculator for a pit with battered walls.
It does not apply swell or compaction factors — a cubic yard here is a neat geometric cubic yard, not a loose truck yard.
Irregular areas need to be split into rectangles and circles and added together, or measured as a single area and entered in Area × depth.
Converting a volume changes only its unit. It does not know whether that volume is bank, loose or compacted.

Common questions.

How do I calculate cubic yards?: Multiply length × width × depth, all in feet, to get cubic feet, then divide by 27. A 20 ft by 12 ft pad 6 inches (0.5 ft) deep is 20 × 12 × 0.5 = 120 cubic feet, and 120 ÷ 27 = 4.44 cubic yards. The calculator does each step and shows the working.
How do I convert square feet to cubic yards?: You need a depth as well, because square feet is an area and cubic yards is a volume. Multiply the square feet by the depth in feet and divide by 27. With the depth in inches, square feet × inches ÷ 324 gives the same answer. 400 square feet at 4 inches is 4.94 cubic yards.
How do I convert cubic feet to cubic yards?: Divide the cubic feet by 27. For example, 135 cubic feet is 5 cubic yards. To convert the other way, multiply cubic yards by 27.
How many cubic feet are in a cubic yard?: Twenty-seven. A cubic yard is a cube one yard — three feet — on every side, so 3 × 3 × 3 = 27 cubic feet.
How many square feet does one cubic yard cover?: It depends on the depth: 324 divided by the depth in inches. One cubic yard covers 324 square feet at 1 inch, 162 at 2 inches, 108 at 3 inches, 81 at 4 inches and 54 at 6 inches. This is geometry only; it ignores compaction and spillage, which is what the overage allowance is for.
How do I enter a depth in inches?: Type the number and switch the unit selector next to the depth field to "in". The calculator converts it to feet before doing any arithmetic, so you can mix inches, feet and metres in the same calculation.
How many cubic yards does a dump truck hold?: It depends entirely on the truck. Check the body capacity on the spec plate, then use the dirt hauling calculator, which also accounts for material swell and for trucks that reach their weight limit before the body is full. The dump truck capacity guide explains why volume and payload are different limits.
How do I convert cubic yards to tons?: Multiply by the material’s density, which is a property of your material and not of the conversion. The cubic yards to tons calculator does this in both directions and asks you for the density rather than assuming one.

Behind the numbers

The methods and definitions this calculator applies, explained in full and with their sources.

GuideDump truck capacity in cubic yardsTwo limits decide how many yards a truck carries — the body volume on its plate and the payload its weight rating allows. The material decides which one binds. Includes dump-body specifications as two manufacturers print them.GuideGravel driveway depthNo national standard for gravel driveway depth was found in the sources reviewed. What the FHWA handbook and the Gravel Roads manual say for unpaved roads, why a driveway differs, and how any depth becomes yards and tons.GuideTri-axle dump truck capacityLegal weight comes from a published federal formula on the axles, and the load is what is left after the truck’s own weight. The bridge formula, worked.GuideHow to calculate trench volumeTrench volume is the cross-section times the length. Vertical and sloped walls, why laying the walls back adds volume quickly, and how spoil and backfill differ from the excavation.GuideExcavation volume with sloped sidesThe prismoidal formula worked for a pit with battered walls, and how far off the common shortcuts are: averaging the top and base, or ignoring the slope.GuideHow to calculate rebar for a concrete slabCount the bars each way from the spacing and cover, add the lengths, weigh them from a published bar table, and count the sticks after splices. Worked for a slab, with the inputs only your drawings can supply.GuideHow thick should a concrete slab beThe IRC and IBC set 3 1/2 in for concrete floor slabs on the ground and, in the sections reviewed, nothing for driveways or patios. Four local and state documents quoted with the part of the driveway each covers, and how thickness changes the concrete you order.

Where people go next

All measurement tools

Ordered by what usually comes next in the same job, not by keyword.

01Square FootageSquare feet of rooms and shapesSquare feet, square yards, square metres and acres for one shape or up to six added together, with cut-outs subtracted.02Yards to tonsWeight from volume, and backConvert cubic yards to tons, or tons to cubic yards, from the density of your own material — with the working shown and no density assumed for you.03MulchCubic yards and bags of mulchHow much mulch a bed, border or ring around a tree takes, in cubic yards, cubic feet and whole bags, at the depth you choose.04DirtCubic yards to bring inHow much dirt you need to bring in to fill, level or raise an area.