How to calculate cubic yards
The honest friction this fixes: a cubic yard is a volume, so you divide by 27 — but it is genuinely easy to reach for 3 (the linear feet in a yard) or 9 (the square feet in a square yard) by mistake, and to forget that depth in inches has to become feet first. Get all three dimensions into feet, multiply, then divide by 27.
cubic feet = lengthft × widthft × depthft (depthin ÷ 12 = depthft)
cubic yards = cubic feet ÷ 27
1 yd³ = 27 ft³ = 46,656 in³ = 0.764555 m³
For example, a 20×10′ area dug 6″ deep is 20 × 10 × 0.5 = 100 ft³, and 100 ÷ 27 = about 3.70 cubic yards. The dimensions mode above lets each measurement use its own unit (inches, feet, yards, centimetres or metres) and has a feet-plus-inches row for mixed measurements.
Convert cubic feet to cubic yards (and back)
This is the conversion people look up most. Because a cubic yard is a 3′×3′×3′ cube, it holds 27 cubic feet — not 3.
| Convert | Factor | Example |
|---|---|---|
| cubic feet → cubic yards | ÷ 27 | 54 ft³ = 2 yd³ |
| cubic yards → cubic feet | × 27 | 3 yd³ = 81 ft³ |
| cubic feet → cubic inches | × 1,728 | 2 ft³ = 3,456 in³ |
| cubic yards → cubic inches | × 46,656 | 1 yd³ = 46,656 in³ |
Square feet to cubic yards
Square feet is an area; to reach a volume you must add a depth. Multiply the area in square feet by the depth in feet, then divide by 27. Going the other way, one cubic yard spread out covers an area that depends entirely on how thick you spread it: 324 ÷ the depth in inches gives the square feet a single cubic yard covers (because 1 yd³ = 27 ft³ = 324 “inch-feet”).
| Convert | Factor | Example |
|---|---|---|
| square feet → square yards | ÷ 9 | 90 ft² = 10 yd² |
| square yards → square feet | × 9 | 5 yd² = 45 ft² |
| feet → yards (length) | ÷ 3 | 12 ft = 4 yd |
| 1 yd³ covers, at depth | 324 ÷ depth″ | at 3″: 108 ft² |
| 1 acre | 43,560 ft² | — |
Cubic inches and cubic metres
For small parts and containers, cubic inches are handy: 1 ft³ = 1,728 in³ and 1 yd³ = 46,656 in³. For metric ordering, 1 ft³ = 0.0283168 m³, 1 yd³ = 0.764555 m³, and one cubic metre is about 1.30795 cubic yards (and 35.31 cubic feet). Both the cubic metre/meter spelling and the yd³ / cu yd shorthand refer to the same thing.
How to convert cubic yards to tons
Cubic yards measure space; tons measure weight. The link between them is density, and assuming a cubic yard simply equals a ton is the classic over- or under-ordering mistake. Multiply your cubic yards by the material’s density in tons per cubic yard.
US tons = cubic yards × densitytons/yd³
via lb/ft³: tons = cubic feet × (lb/ft³) ÷ 2000
metric tonnes = US tons × 0.907185
lb/ft³ × 27 ÷ 2000 = tons/yd³ · kg/m³ × 0.000842778 = tons/yd³
Use the cubic-yards ↔ tons mode above: pick a material or type a custom density (in tons/yd³, lb/ft³ or kg/m³) and it solves both directions, so you can go from cubic yards to tons or from a supplier’s tonnage back to cubic yards.
| Material | Typical density (tons/yd³) |
|---|---|
| Mulch | 0.40 |
| Topsoil | 1.10 |
| Fill dirt | 1.25 |
| Sand (dry) | 1.30 |
| Sand (wet) | 1.50 |
| Gravel | 1.50 |
| Crushed stone / #57 / limestone | 1.45 |
| Asphalt (compacted hot-mix) | 2.00 |
| Concrete | 2.00 |
Typical published bulk densities; varies with moisture and compaction — confirm with your supplier. The presets are editable.
How many cubic yards are in a ton?
It depends on the material. Dividing 1 by the density gives the cubic yards in a ton: typical gravel at 1.5 tons/yd³ is about 0.67 cubic yards per ton, topsoil at 1.1 is about 0.91, and asphalt at 2.0 is about 0.5. The tons-to-cubic-yards field above does this for you.
A worked asphalt example
Asphalt is sold by the ton, so this conversion comes up constantly. Say a driveway works out to 75 cubic feet of compacted hot-mix: 75 ÷ 27 = 2.78 cubic yards, and at about 2.0 tons/yd³ that is roughly 5.56 tons. To go from square yards instead, convert the thickness to yards (inches ÷ 36), multiply by the square yardage for cubic yards, then multiply by the density. Hot-mix density is often quoted near 145 lb/ft³, which is about 1.96 tons/yd³, so 2.0 is a clean planning figure; confirm the mix density with your supplier.