Cubic yard calculator
Enter the area and depth to get cubic yards. Pick a material for the weight, and see whether it is one pickup load or a delivery.
Enter your measurements
More options: Extra · Price · Sold by …
- Approx. weight
- 4.89 tons (9,778 lb)
- Area
- 300 sq ft
- Pickup loads (approx.)
- 7 loads
- If you order bulk, ask for
- 4.5 cu yd
20 ft × 15 ft = 300 sq ft
300 sq ft × 4 in ÷ 12 = 100 cu ft ÷ 27 = 3.7 cu yd + 10% = 4.07 cu yd
4.07 cu yd × 1.2 tons/cu yd = 4.89 tons
Bulk: 4.07 cu yd rounded up to the next ½ cu yd = 4.5 cu yd
- Weight, not space, limits a pickup here: at about 1,500 lb of payload per trip (check your door-jamb sticker), each load is only 0.63 cu yd.
Quick answers for common sizes
| Example | Answer |
|---|---|
| How many cubic yards of dirt for a 10×10 area, 4 inches deep | 1.23 cu yd |
Cubic yards by depth (area above)
| Depth | Volume | Approx. weight | Pickup loads (approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 in | 1.02 cu yd | 1.22 tons | 2 loads |
| 2 in | 2.04 cu yd | 2.44 tons | 4 loads |
| 3 in | 3.06 cu yd | 3.67 tons | 5 loads |
| 4 in | 4.07 cu yd | 4.89 tons | 7 loads |
| 6 in | 6.11 cu yd | 7.33 tons | 10 loads |
| 12 in | 12.2 cu yd | 14.7 tons | 20 loads |
| 18 in | 18.3 cu yd | 22 tons | 30 loads |
| 24 in | 24.4 cu yd | 29.3 tons | 40 loads |
Landscape yards sell by the cubic yard — a 3 × 3 × 3 ft cube, or 27 cubic feet.
How to calculate cubic yards
Multiply length × width in feet to get square feet, multiply by the depth in feet (inches ÷ 12) to get cubic feet, then divide by 27. That is all a cubic yard calculator does — the useful part is not getting the inches-to-feet step wrong, and knowing what the result weighs.
cubic feet = length (ft) × width (ft) × depth (in) ÷ 12 cubic yards = cubic feet ÷ 27 tons = cubic yards × density (tons per cu yd) metric: m³ = length (m) × width (m) × depth (m)
The classic example is worked step by step in How many cubic yards of dirt for a 10×10 area, 4 inches deep, including the tons it weighs and how many pickup trips that is.
| Depth | One cubic yard covers | Per 100 sq ft you need |
|---|---|---|
| 1 in | 324 sq ft | 0.31 cu yd |
| 2 in | 162 sq ft | 0.62 cu yd |
| 3 in | 108 sq ft | 0.93 cu yd |
| 4 in | 81 sq ft | 1.23 cu yd |
| 6 in | 54 sq ft | 1.85 cu yd |
| 12 in | 27 sq ft | 3.70 cu yd |
Cubic yards to tons
Volume is what fills the hole; weight is what your truck, trailer and back feel. The same cubic yard weighs a few hundred pounds as wood mulch and well over a ton as soil, gravel or sand.
| Material | Typical weight per cu yd | Per m³ |
|---|---|---|
| Wood mulch / chips | About 0.2–0.4 tons (400–800 lb) | About 0.25–0.5 t |
| Topsoil / fill dirt | About 1–1.4 tons | About 1.2–1.7 t |
| Gravel / crushed stone | About 1.3–1.5 tons | About 1.5–1.8 t |
| Dry sand | About 1.3–1.4 tons | About 1.5–1.7 t |
Will it fit in my truck?
For heavy materials, the payload rating decides, not the bed size. Many half-ton pickups are rated somewhere around 1,500–2,000 lb of payload, which is well under a yard of wet soil or gravel even though the bed would hold two. The calculator assumes 1,500 lb (about 700 kg) per trip for heavy material and about 2 cubic yards for light material like mulch — check your own vehicle’s rating.
Tips
- Measure depth in several places. A lawn that is "about 4 inches low" is often 2 in one end and 6 at the other.
- Fill dirt and topsoil are not the same. Fill is for raising grade under something; topsoil is for things that grow. For topsoil jobs, see How much topsoil for a 10×10 garden bed.
- Dug-out soil fluffs up by a quarter or more. Hauling it away takes more truck space than the hole suggests.
- Suppliers often sell in half- or whole-yard steps and have delivery minimums. Enter your price and delivery fee, and under More options the step, minimum and truck size: the calculator rounds the order up and prices what you will actually pay for.
What you’ll need
- Heavy-duty tarpBudget price
Put it down where the truck dumps: it protects the driveway and makes the last shovelfuls easy to scoop up.
See options on Amazon (opens in a new tab) - Wheelbarrow (6 cu ft class)Mid-range price
Most home wheelbarrows hold 4–6 cubic feet — so a cubic yard of mulch is five or six trips. Two wheels are steadier on soft ground.
See options on Amazon (opens in a new tab) - Square-point transfer shovelBudget price
Flat blade for scooping gravel, soil and sand off a driveway pile — a round shovel leaves too much behind.
See options on Amazon (opens in a new tab) - Measuring wheelBudget price
Rolls off long distances — driveways, lawn edges, fence lines — quicker and more accurately than a tape for one person.
See options on Amazon (opens in a new tab)
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Links to products are affiliate links — they cost you nothing extra and help keep these calculators free.
Frequently asked questions
How many cubic yards is a 10 × 10 area 4 inches deep?
1.23 cubic yards (33.3 cubic feet). The step-by-step version, with the weight, is How many cubic yards of dirt for a 10×10 area, 4 inches deep.
How do I convert cubic feet to cubic yards?
Divide by 27. A cubic yard is 3 ft × 3 ft × 3 ft = 27 cubic feet, so 54 cubic feet is 2 yards.
How much does a cubic yard of dirt weigh?
Typically about 1 to 1.4 tons (2,000–2,800 lb), depending mostly on moisture and how much clay or sand it contains. Your supplier can tell you what theirs runs.
How many cubic yards fit in a pickup truck?
By space, roughly 2 cubic yards in a full-size bed filled level, less in a short bed. By weight, a half-ton pickup often carries well under a yard of soil or gravel. Check the payload on the door-jamb sticker.
How much area does a cubic yard cover?
324 sq ft at 1 in deep, 162 sq ft at 2 in, 108 sq ft at 3 in, 81 sq ft at 4 in, and 54 sq ft at 6 in.
Related guides
Sources
- NIST Handbook 44, Appendix C: General Tables of Units of Measurement (opens in a new tab) — 1 cubic yard = 27 cubic feet; 1 cubic foot = 1,728 cubic inches.
- Gravel Monkey — How many tons of gravel in a dump truck? (opens in a new tab) — Typical payloads: single-axle about 6–10 tons, tandem 12–16, tri-axle 18–25; gravel hits the weight limit before the bed is full.