Introduction
A cubic yard is a unit of volume equal to a cube that measures 3 feet on each side, or 27 cubic feet. In construction, cubic yards are the standard way to measure and order materials like concrete, gravel, mulch, topsoil, and sand. Getting the right measurement matters — order too little and your project stalls, order too much and you waste money.
This Cubic Yard Calculator makes it easy to figure out exactly how much material you need. Enter your dimensions — length, width, and depth — and the tool converts them into cubic yards instantly. It supports multiple shapes, including rectangles, circles, triangles, trapezoids, and 3D forms like cylinders and cones. You can add several areas at once, which is helpful when your project covers different sections with different sizes. The calculator also handles unit conversions for you, so you can mix feet, inches, yards, or metric measurements without doing the math yourself.
Beyond volume, the built-in cost estimator helps you budget your project. Enter the price per cubic yard, add a delivery fee, and set a waste percentage to account for overage. Most professionals recommend adding at least 10% extra to cover spills, uneven ground, and compaction. The calculator totals everything up so you can see your estimated cost before placing an order.
How to Use Our Cubic Yard Calculator
Enter the shape, dimensions, and units for each area of your project, and this calculator will give you the total volume in cubic yards, cubic feet, cubic meters, and cubic inches. It also estimates material cost if you choose to enter pricing.
Shape: Pick the shape that best matches the area you need to fill or cover. You can choose from flat shapes like rectangle, square, circle, triangle, trapezoid, border/frame, and known area, or 3D shapes like box, cylinder, sphere, hemisphere, cone, and hollow cylinder.
Quantity: Enter how many of the same shape you have. For example, if you are filling four identical holes, type 4 instead of adding each one separately.
Dimensions (Length, Width, Depth, Diameter, Height, etc.): Type in the measurements for your chosen shape. Each field has a unit dropdown next to it where you can pick inches, feet, yards, millimeters, centimeters, or meters. For area-based shapes, the depth is the thickness of the material layer you plan to spread. If you need help determining the surface area of your project first, try our Square Footage Calculator.
Add Another Area: If your project has more than one area with different shapes or sizes, click the "Add Another Area" button. Each area gets its own card where you can set a custom name, shape, and dimensions. The calculator adds all areas together for your grand total.
Price per Cubic Yard: Enter the cost of your material per cubic yard. This is optional and is used to estimate your total material expense.
Delivery Fee: Enter any flat delivery fee charged by your supplier. This amount is added on top of the material cost in the final estimate.
Waste/Overage %: Enter a percentage to account for spills, uneven ground, or compaction. A 10% overage is standard for most construction projects. The calculator multiplies your volume by this percentage so you order enough material.
Calculate and Reset: Click "Calculate" to update all results, or press Enter from any input field. Click "Reset" to clear everything and start over with a fresh default area.
Cubic Yard Calculator
A cubic yard is a unit of volume used to measure materials like concrete, gravel, mulch, sand, and soil. One cubic yard equals a cube that is 3 feet long, 3 feet wide, and 3 feet tall — or 27 cubic feet in total. In construction and landscaping, almost all bulk materials are sold and delivered by the cubic yard, so knowing how to calculate this measurement is essential before starting any project. For a related conversion tool, see our Cubic Feet Calculator or the general Volume Calculator.
How to Calculate Cubic Yards
The basic formula for cubic yards is simple: multiply the length, width, and depth of your area (all in feet), then divide by 27. The division by 27 converts cubic feet into cubic yards. For example, a driveway that is 20 feet long, 10 feet wide, and 4 inches deep would be calculated like this:
- Convert 4 inches to feet: 4 ÷ 12 = 0.333 feet
- Multiply: 20 × 10 × 0.333 = 66.67 cubic feet
- Divide by 27: 66.67 ÷ 27 = 2.47 cubic yards
The most common mistake people make is forgetting to convert all measurements to the same unit before multiplying. Depth is often given in inches while length and width are in feet, so always convert inches to feet first by dividing by 12. If you need to measure lengths in linear feet before calculating volume, our Linear Feet Calculator can help.
Formulas for Different Shapes
Not every area you need to fill is a simple rectangle. Here are the volume formulas for common shapes, with all measurements in feet before dividing by 27 for cubic yards:
- Rectangle: Length × Width × Depth
- Circle: π × Radius² × Depth (Radius = Diameter ÷ 2) — see also our Circle Area Calculator
- Triangle: 0.5 × Base × Height × Depth — see also our Triangle Area Calculator
- Trapezoid: 0.5 × (Side A + Side B) × Height × Depth — see also our Trapezoid Area Calculator
- Cylinder: π × Radius² × Height — see also our Cylinder Volume Calculator
- Sphere: (4/3) × π × Radius³ — see also our Sphere Volume Calculator
- Cone: (1/3) × π × Radius² × Height — see also our Cone Volume Calculator
Why You Should Add Extra for Waste
In real-world construction, the ground is rarely perfectly flat. There are dips, soft spots, and uneven edges that use more material than your math predicts. That is why professionals always add a waste factor — typically 10% — to their cubic yard calculation. If you calculated 5 cubic yards, ordering 5.5 cubic yards ensures you have enough to finish the job. Running short means paying for a second delivery, which costs far more than a little extra material.
Common Materials Ordered by the Cubic Yard
- Concrete: Footings, slabs, driveways, and sidewalks — use our Concrete Calculator for project-specific estimates
- Gravel: Driveways, drainage beds, and base layers — try our Gravel Calculator or Pea Gravel Calculator
- Mulch: Garden beds, playgrounds, and landscaping — see our Mulch Calculator
- Topsoil: Lawn grading, raised beds, and fill — see our Topsoil Calculator or Raised Bed Soil Calculator
- Sand: Paver bases, sandboxes, and masonry work — try our Sand Calculator
For other bulk fill projects, you may also find our Dirt Calculator, River Rock Calculator, Rip Rap Calculator, or Asphalt Calculator useful. If you're working on an earth-moving project, check out the Excavation Calculator to estimate cut and fill volumes.
Quick Reference: Cubic Yard Coverage
One cubic yard of material covers the following area at these common depths:
- 2 inches deep: 162 square feet
- 3 inches deep: 108 square feet
- 4 inches deep: 81 square feet
- 6 inches deep: 54 square feet
- 12 inches deep (1 foot): 27 square feet
Use these numbers for a fast estimate, then plug your exact measurements into the calculator above for a precise result. When in doubt, round up to the next half or full cubic yard — leftover material is always cheaper than a second trip to the supplier. For more help measuring your project area, our Area Calculator and Square Footage Calculator are great companion tools.