# Cubic Yard Calculator

> Enter the length, width and depth of your area, or a volume to convert, to get cubic yards, cubic feet, cubic meters, loads and bags. A 20 ft × 12 ft bed 3 in deep is 60 cubic feet, or 2.22 cubic yards.

Canonical: https://receiptscanner.co/tools/cubic-yard-calculator
Updated: 2026-10-26 · Sources re-checked by: 2027-10-26

This is a free interactive calculator that runs in the browser. Nothing you type is stored or sent. Results are estimates.

## How it works

Cubic yards = cubic feet ÷ 27. For a rectangle, cubic feet is length (ft) × width (ft) × depth (in) ÷ 12. For a circle it is π × (width ÷ 2)² × depth (in) ÷ 12, and for a triangle it is ½ × base × height × depth (in) ÷ 12. Several areas are added together, then the extra percentage is applied. Loads are the total cubic yards ÷ what one load holds, rounded up. Bags are the total cubic feet ÷ the bag size on the label, rounded up.

**Cubic feet to cubic yards**

| Cubic feet | Cubic yards |
| --- | --- |
| 10 | 0.37 |
| 27 | 1 |
| 50 | 1.85 |
| 100 | 3.7 |
| 200 | 7.41 |
| 500 | 18.52 |

**One cubic yard in other units**

| Unit | In one cubic yard |
| --- | --- |
| Cubic feet | 27 |
| Cubic inches | 46,656 |
| Cubic meters | 0.7646 |
| Liters | 764.55 |
| US gallons | 201.97 |

**Cubic yards for a bed 3 in deep**

| Bed size | Cubic feet | Cubic yards |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 10 ft × 10 ft | 25 | 0.93 |
| 10 ft × 20 ft | 50 | 1.85 |
| 20 ft × 20 ft | 100 | 3.7 |
| 20 ft × 30 ft | 150 | 5.56 |
| 30 ft × 30 ft | 225 | 8.33 |

**Bags of soil or mulch in one cubic yard**

| Bag size (cubic feet) | Bags per cubic yard | Buy at least |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 0.75 | 36 | 36 |
| 1 | 27 | 27 |
| 1.5 | 18 | 18 |
| 2 | 13.5 | 14 |
| 3 | 9 | 9 |

## Worked example: a 20 × 12 ft bed and an 8 ft round bed, 3 in deep

1. Rectangular bed: 20 × 12 × (3 ÷ 12) = 60 cubic feet.
2. Round bed, 8 ft wide: π × (8 ÷ 2)² × (3 ÷ 12) = 12.57 cubic feet.
3. Together: 60 + 12.57 = 72.57 cubic feet.
4. Cubic yards: 72.57 ÷ 27 = 2.69 cubic yards.
5. A truck that holds 2 cubic yards needs 2 loads. In bags of 2 cubic feet that is 36.3, so 37 bags.

## FAQ

### How do you calculate cubic yards?
Multiply length × width × depth in feet to get cubic feet, then divide by 27. If the depth is in inches, divide it by 12 first. A 20 ft × 12 ft bed that is 3 in deep is 60 cubic feet, or 2.22 cubic yards.

### How do I convert cubic feet to cubic yards?
Divide the cubic feet by 27. For example, 100 cubic feet is 3.7 cubic yards. To go the other way, multiply the cubic yards by 27.

### How many cubic yards of mulch, soil or gravel do I need?
Measure the area and the depth you want, and enter them above. It works for anything sold by the cubic yard, such as mulch, topsoil, sand and gravel. If a supplier sells gravel by the ton, ask how many tons make a cubic yard for that stone, because it varies.

### How many bags make a cubic yard?
Divide 27 by the bag size on the label, in cubic feet. A 2 cubic foot bag takes 13.5 bags per cubic yard, so buy 14. The table above lists other bag sizes. For bags of concrete mix, which are sold by weight, use the concrete bag calculator.

### How many gallons, liters and cubic meters are in a cubic yard?
One cubic yard is 201.97 US gallons, 764.55 liters and 0.7646 cubic meters. It is also 27 cubic feet and 46,656 cubic inches.

### How do I measure a round or triangular area?
Pick Circle or Triangle in the calculator. For a circle, enter the width across the middle and the depth. For a triangle, enter the base, the height and the depth. For an odd shape, split it into rectangles, circles and triangles, and add each one as its own area.

## Sources

- [International yard and pound agreement (1959): 1 yard = 0.9144 meters exactly](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_yard_and_pound) (checked 2026-10-26)
- [Gallon: the US liquid gallon is exactly 231 cubic inches (3.785411784 liters)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gallon) (checked 2026-10-26)

This calculator gives an estimate for planning. Materials settle and compact, and sellers measure loads differently. Check how your supplier measures a yard before you order.