Square Feet to Cubic Yards Calculator
Convert any area plus depth into cubic yards — the unit bulk concrete, gravel, mulch, topsoil, and sand are sold and delivered in. Includes tons, dump-truck loads, bag equivalents, coverage charts, and material-aware cost estimates. Free, no signup, contractor-trusted.
Project Details
Tap a common project to auto-fill area, depth, and material.
Typical depths: 2–3″ mulch • 3–4″ topsoil • 4″ concrete slab • 4–6″ gravel driveway
Order in quarter-yard increments; most plants charge short-load fees under 3 yd³.
Suggested: 5% concrete • 10% gravel/topsoil/mulch • 15% for very irregular sites
Typical US ranges: stone $25–50 • topsoil $50–130 • concrete $130–200
Enter area + depth and click Calculate to see results
Try a preset above to get started instantly.
Cubic Yards in Bulk Material Orders
Cubic yards are the universal unit for bulk material delivery in North America. When you call a concrete plant, a stone quarry, a topsoil yard, or a mulch supplier, the conversation starts with one question: how many yards do you need? A "yard" in this context means a cubic yard — a cube measuring 3 feet on each side, equal to 27 cubic feet. Trucks, mixers, hoppers, and price sheets are all calibrated to this unit. If you can't convert your project area into cubic yards with confidence, you'll either short-order and stop the job mid-pour, or over-order and pay for material that gets dumped at the curb. This calculator turns the ambiguous "I have a 20 by 40 slab" into a precise "9.88 cubic yards, plus 5% waste, deliver 10.5."
The core formula is simple enough to do in your head once you've seen it a few times: cubic yards = (area in square feet × depth in inches) ÷ 324. The 324 comes from 12 inches per foot times 27 cubic feet per cubic yard. If you prefer to work in feet, the formula simplifies to area × depth ÷ 27. Both produce the same answer. The tricky part isn't the math — it's remembering which density to apply for each material, which waste factor matches each material, and how that volume translates into truckloads. A cubic yard of concrete weighs 4,000 lbs and fits 2.7 yards into one tri-axle dump load. A cubic yard of mulch weighs 800 lbs and fits 32 yards into the same truck (volume-limited, not weight-limited). Our calculator handles all of this automatically, with material-aware defaults you can override anytime.
Beyond the math, the real value of this tool is the supporting context: bag equivalents for jobs small enough to mix yourself, truck-load math for jobs big enough to need delivery, settling and compaction warnings for materials that change volume after placement, and coverage charts that answer the inverse question — "I've got 5 yards of mulch, how much area will it actually cover?" That last one is the single most common follow-up question landscape suppliers field every day. With this calculator, you can answer it in your head before you even pick up the phone.
Material Density & Coverage Reference
| Material | tons / yd³ | lbs / yd³ | Coverage @ 3″ | Suggested Waste |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Concrete (ready-mix) | 2.0 | 4,000 | 108 sqft | 5% |
| Gravel / Crushed Stone | 1.4 | 2,800 | 108 sqft | 10% |
| Topsoil (screened) | 1.15 | 2,300 | 108 sqft | 10% |
| Sand | 1.35 | 2,700 | 108 sqft | 10% |
| Mulch (bark/hardwood) | 0.4 | 800 | 108 sqft | 10% |
| Fill Dirt | 1.3 | 2,600 | 108 sqft | 10% |
Coverage is the same at any given depth because 1 yd³ = 27 ft³ regardless of material. Density only affects weight, not volume. A cubic yard of mulch covers exactly as many square feet as a cubic yard of concrete at the same depth — it just weighs five times less.
Coverage Per Cubic Yard (any material)
How to Use This Calculator
- 1. Pick a Preset (Optional): Tap one of the common projects — 20×40 slab at 4″, 12×100 driveway, 100 sqft mulch bed, 1,000 sqft topsoil regrade, 50 sqft sand bed — to auto-fill area, depth, and material. Saves typing for the most common scenarios.
- 2. Enter Area Three Ways: Direct sqft if you already know it, Length × Width if you measure with a tape, or Multi-Section if you have an L-shape, an irregular patio, or multiple beds that get the same material and depth.
- 3. Set Depth: Use inches for slabs, mulch, and topsoil (most natural). Switch to feet for deep fills, retaining-wall backfill, or anything thicker than 1 foot. The unit toggle is right next to the value.
- 4. Choose Material: The dropdown sets the right density (tons per cubic yard), suggested waste percentage, and starting price for that material. Switch to Custom if you have a specific local density from your supplier.
- 5. Calculate, Order, Pay: Hit Calculate to see cubic yards, tons, truck loads, bag equivalents, coverage chart, and total cost — including the version with waste so you order the right number, not the bare minimum.
Common Use Cases
Concrete Slab Orders
A garage slab, shed pad, patio, or sidewalk all start with the same math: area × depth ÷ 324. Get the cubic-yard total, add 5% for waste, and call the plant. For broader concrete planning (PSI, rebar, finishing), pair this with our Concrete Calculator.
Gravel Driveways & Drainage
A typical residential driveway needs 4–6" of compacted #57 stone over a graded base. Use this calculator for the total cubic yards, then validate against ticket weights from your quarry. For deeper drainage planning, see our Gravel Calculator.
Mulch & Topsoil Bulk Orders
Bagged mulch costs 3–4× more per cubic foot than bulk. The break-even is around 3 cubic yards (about 40 bags). For coverage planning of mulched garden beds, this calculator beats every nursery's online tool because it lets you sum multiple sections at once. Pair with our Cubic Yards Calculator for volumetric-only projects.
Square-Foot to Cubic-Foot Conversions
If you're ordering bagged products (sold in cubic feet, not yards), use our companion Sqft to Cubic Feet Calculator for bag-count math. This calculator's bag-equivalent panel covers concrete-style bags; the dedicated cu-ft tool covers any cu-ft-rated product (mulch, soil mixes, drainage rock).
Pro Tips for Accurate Orders
- Always order 5–10% extra. Concrete pours into formwork voids, gravel settles into rutted subgrade, mulch packs down within a week of placement. Running short means a second delivery fee that's often more than the extra material itself.
- Compaction reduces volume 15–20% for gravel and crushed stone. If your spec calls for 4" of compacted base, order material to a loose depth of about 4.75".
- Topsoil settles 10–15% after watering. Calculate to your finished elevation, then add 10% so the bed doesn't dip below grade after the first rain.
- Mulch weight varies wildly: dyed and rubber mulches can weigh 2× more than natural cedar bark. Always confirm with your supplier before assuming truck capacity.
- Concrete short-load fees are real. Orders under 3 yd³ typically incur a $100–250 fee. If you're close to 3 yd³, consider rounding up to avoid the surcharge.
- Check your driveway / staging area. A loaded tri-axle weighs 70,000+ lbs and needs 14' of overhead clearance. If access is tight, plan for a smaller truck with a smaller load — and a higher per-yard delivery rate.
Worked Examples
Example 1: 20×40 Concrete Garage Slab @ 4″
Area = 20 × 40 = 800 sqft
Cubic Yards = (800 × 4) ÷ 324 = 9.88 yd³
+ 5% waste = order 10.4 yd³ (round to 10.5 with the plant)
Weight ≈ 9.88 × 2 = 19.76 tons → 1.5 tri-axle truckloads
Example 2: 12×100 Gravel Driveway @ 4″ compacted
Area = 12 × 100 = 1,200 sqft
Cubic Yards = (1,200 × 4) ÷ 324 = 14.81 yd³
+ 10% waste + 15% compaction allowance = order 17–18 yd³
Weight ≈ 14.81 × 1.4 = 20.7 tons → 1.6 tri-axle loads
Example 3: 1,000 sqft Topsoil Regrade @ 4″
Cubic Yards = (1,000 × 4) ÷ 324 = 12.35 yd³
+ 10% settling = order 13.6 yd³
Weight ≈ 12.35 × 1.15 = 14.2 tons → 1.1 tri-axle loads
Cost at $55/yd³ = $748 (with waste: $823)
Example 4: 100 sqft Mulch Bed @ 3″
Cubic Yards = (100 × 3) ÷ 324 = 0.93 yd³
Round up to 1 yd³ (delivered) or 13–14 bags @ 2 cu ft each
Weight ≈ 800 lbs — fits in a half-ton pickup easily
What Contractors & Homeowners Say
“This is now my go-to sqft-to-yard tool on the truck. I quote slab pours daily and the 0.25-yard precision plus the auto truck-load math saves me from short-loading a customer or paying a short-load fee. The 5% waste default for concrete is exactly what every batch plant recommends.”
“I design garden beds and retaining-wall fills constantly. The multi-section area mode lets me sum up irregular planting beds in one go, then converts to mulch and topsoil yardage with the right waste factor. Coverage chart at the bottom is the cherry on top for my client estimates.”
“We send customers to this calculator before they call to order. It saves us 10 minutes per phone call because the customer arrives knowing they need 4.5 yards of #57 stone instead of asking me to do the math. The tri-axle truck-load conversion matches our scale tickets to within 2%.”
“Used this to order topsoil for my 1,200 sqft backyard regrade. The settling note saved me — I bumped my order from 14 to 16 yards and ended up using every bit of it after the rains. Clear, fast, and the cost estimate matched what the soil yard quoted within $20.”
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