🚚 Cubic Yard Calculator
Calculate cubic yards for soil, mulch, gravel or fill. Add several rectangles, circles or triangles with their own depths, plus truckloads and cost.
1 truckload at 10 yd³ each.
What Cubic Yard Calculator Does
This cubic yard calculator works out how many cubic yards of soil, mulch, compost, gravel, sand or fill you need. Add as many areas as the job has — rectangles, circles and triangles, each with its own depth — and the total is added up for you, so an L-shaped bed or a driveway with a flared apron takes one pass instead of three.
Bulk landscape materials are sold by the cubic yard, a cube 3 feet on each side holding 27 cubic feet. The calculator gives the total in cubic yards, cubic feet and cubic meters, the number of truckloads for a truck size you enter, and an optional cost at your supplier’s price per yard.
How to Use Cubic Yard Calculator
- Choose length and depth units
- Pick a shape for each area and enter its size and depth
- Add more areas for L-shapes or separate beds
- Read the total in cubic yards, feet and meters
- Enter truck size and price for loads and cost
Formula Used by Cubic Yard Calculator
Cubic yards
Cubic yards = length (ft) × width (ft) × depth (ft) ÷ 27
- depth (ft)
- Depth in inches ÷ 12
Worked example
A 12 × 10 ft bed, 4 inches deep.
- 4 in ÷ 12 = 0.333 ft
- 12 × 10 × 0.333 = 40 ft³
- 40 ÷ 27
Result: 1.48 cubic yards.
Circles and triangles
Circle area = π × (diameter ÷ 2)² · Triangle area = ½ × base × height
Worked example
A round tree ring 8 ft across, 3 inches deep.
- π × 4² = 50.27 ft²
- 50.27 × 0.25 = 12.57 ft³
- 12.57 ÷ 27
Result: 0.47 cubic yards.
Area Covered by One Cubic Yard
| Depth | Coverage |
|---|---|
| 1 inch | 324 sq ft |
| 2 inches | 162 sq ft |
| 3 inches | 108 sq ft |
| 4 inches | 81 sq ft |
| 6 inches | 54 sq ft |
| 12 inches | 27 sq ft |
How to Read Your Result
Ordering a little extra
Loose materials settle once spread and watered, and ground is rarely perfectly level. Many landscapers add 5–10% for mulch and soil, and more for fill that will be compacted. Suppliers usually sell in half- or whole-yard steps, so round up.
Volume is not weight
A cubic yard of mulch and a cubic yard of wet topsoil take the same space but weigh very different amounts. Pickup trucks are limited by payload, not bed volume, so heavy materials may need several trips even when the bed is not full. For stone priced by the ton, use the gravel calculator.
Limitations & Accuracy Notes
- Assumes an even depth; for sloped ground, use the average depth.
- Truckload counts use the capacity you enter; confirm your supplier’s truck size and any minimum order.
- Compaction and settling are not included unless you add extra.