Before you call the supplier, close your eyes and picture one cubic yard. It is a box 3 ft on every side - roughly the size of a washing machine, or a pile you could not budge without a wheelbarrow. That box holds 27 cubic feet. Every bulk material you order - mulch, topsoil, gravel, sand, asphalt, concrete - gets priced and delivered in units of that box. Get the picture right and the whole job stops being abstract.
Why the cubic yard is the unit
US landscape suppliers and concrete yards do not quote in bags. They quote by the cubic yard, because a dump truck is a 3 by 3 by 3 geometry problem. A pickup truck heaped level holds about 1 cubic yard. A tandem dump truck holds 10 to 14. If you cannot picture the pile, you will over-order or under-order on the first phone call.
The four numbers everyone needs
One cubic yard = 27 cubic feet. This is the bridge between bulk delivery and bagged material. The garden center sells bags measured in cubic feet; the quarry sells trucks measured in yards. Divide your bag size into 27 and you know how many bags equal a load.
One cubic yard at 3 inches covers about 108 square feet. That is the headline coverage number. At 2 inches it stretches to 162 sq ft; at 4 inches it shrinks to 81 sq ft. Depth is the lever that moves the coverage, not the area.
Bag count per yard. A 2 cu ft mulch bag means about 13.5 bags per yard. A 0.75 cu ft topsoil bag means about 36. A 0.5 cu ft sand bag means about 54. Round up - open bags settle and spilled ones never come back.
Estimate irregular shapes by chopping them up. Break a weird bed into rectangles and triangles. Measure each piece, calculate each, add them up. For a curved island, eyeball the average length and width - the default 10 percent waste absorbs the rounding error.
Worked example - 20 by 10 ft at 3 inches
Say you are spreading mulch on a bed that is roughly 20 ft long and 10 ft wide, 3 inches deep. That comes to about 1.9 cubic yards before waste. Add 10 percent and you are ordering 2 cubic yards - a small fraction of a dump load, so ask the yard whether they will split a delivery with a neighbor or sell you a “short load.”
In cubic feet that is about 50 cu ft. In 2 cu ft bags that is about 26 bags. In a pickup truck that is two heaped loads. All three numbers describe the exact same pile, and the tool gives them to you together.
When to order bulk versus bags
Under 1 cubic yard, bags almost always win once you add the delivery fee. Between 1 and 3 yards, compare both - bagged is more per cubic foot but avoids the minimum. Over 3 yards, call the quarry. A typical residential mulch order is 5 to 10 yards; a driveway gravel order is 10 to 15.
Coverage cheat sheet
| Depth | One cubic yard covers |
|---|---|
| 1 inch | about 324 sq ft |
| 2 inches | about 162 sq ft |
| 3 inches | about 108 sq ft |
| 4 inches | about 81 sq ft |
| 6 inches | about 54 sq ft |
| 12 inches | about 27 sq ft |
Print the 3-inch row - it is the one you will use most.
Cubic Yard Calculator
Before you call the supplier, picture one cubic yard - then type in your length, width and depth and read out the yardage the truck will bring.
How to use
- Decide the shape - rectangle, circle or triangle
- Measure length and width in feet, or radius for a circle
- Set the depth in inches for the layer you are spreading
- Add 5 to 10 percent waste for uneven ground
- Read the cubic yard total and convert to cubic feet if you need it
Supported formats and limits
- Universal volume tool - does not convert to tons on its own
- One cubic yard equals 27 cubic feet
- Add 5 to 10 percent for curved edges and low spots
- US units only - feet, inches, square feet and cubic yards
Examples
A 20 by 10 ft bed at 3 inches deep comes to about 1.9 cubic yards, which is roughly 50 cubic feet, or about 26 of the 1 cu ft bags.Common errors
- Length and width must both be positive numbers
- Radius must be positive for circular areas
- Depth should sit between 0.5 and 24 inches
- Waste factor stays between 0 and 25 percent
Privacy and browser support
Everything runs locally in your browser. No dimensions leave the device.
FAQ
How big is one cubic yard, really?
A box 3 ft long, 3 ft wide and 3 ft deep. Visually, that is about the size of a standard washing machine, or a pile you cannot lift by yourself. A full pickup bed holds roughly one cubic yard heaped.
How many cubic feet are in a cubic yard?
Twenty-seven. If your supplier sells bags measured in cubic feet, divide the bag size into 27 to get the bag count per yard.
How many square feet does one cubic yard cover?
At 3 inches deep, about 108 square feet. At 2 inches it is about 162 sq ft; at 4 inches it is about 81 sq ft. Depth is the lever - thin layers stretch one yard a long way.
How many bags make a cubic yard?
Depends on the bag. A 2 cu ft bag means about 13.5 bags per yard; a 0.75 cu ft topsoil bag means about 36; a 0.5 cu ft sand bag means about 54.
How do I measure an irregular shape?
Break it into rectangles and triangles, measure each piece, calculate each, then add them up. For a curved bed, eyeball the average length and width - the 10 percent waste factor covers the approximation.
How much does a dump truck hold?
A small pickup levels out at 1 cubic yard. A single-axle dump truck is 5 to 7 yards. A tandem axle truck carries 10 to 14 yards, which is the standard residential delivery load.