Bags to cubic yards calculator

The conversion

Bulk yards sell by the cubic yard; garden centers sell bags by the cubic foot (or litres). Converting between them is one division.

bags per cubic yard = 27 ÷ bag size (cu ft)
cubic yards = bags × bag size (cu ft) ÷ 27
bags per m³ = 1,000 ÷ bag size (L)

The most common version of the question, for mulch, is worked through in How many bags of mulch are in a cubic yard, including what a yard of bags covers. For soil in bags, see How much soil for a 4×8 raised bed, which is almost exactly a yard per bed.

Where people go wrong

• Bags by weight. Stone, sand and some soils are labelled in pounds or kilograms. You need the volume (often printed smaller on the bag) to convert to yards.
• Litres vs quarts. Potting mix is often sold in dry quarts; 25.7 dry quarts is 1 cubic foot.
• Compressed bales. Peat and coir bales expand to much more than their bag volume when loosened — the label usually lists the expanded volume.

Carrying it home

Volume and weight are different problems. Ten bags of mulch are light; ten bags of sand or gravel are about 500 lb, which is a real load for a car. A 2 cu ft bag of wet mulch can weigh more than you expect, too. Check your vehicle’s payload before loading up, and for anything over a yard or so of stone, soil or sand, compare the price of delivery with several trips.