How many cubic feet are in a cubic yard?

27. A cubic yard is 3 ft x 3 ft x 3 ft, so 3 x 3 x 3 = 27 cubic feet. To convert cubic feet to cubic yards, divide by 27.

How do I calculate cubic yards?

Convert every dimension to feet, multiply length x width x depth to get cubic feet, then divide by 27. For a depth given in inches, divide the inches by 12 first: 4 inches is 0.333 ft.

How much does a cubic yard weigh?

It depends on the material: about 4,050 lb for concrete, 2,835 lb for dry gravel, 2,700 lb for sand or crushed stone, and 3,645 lb for compacted road base. Wet material weighs noticeably more.

How many cubic yards does a dump truck hold?

A standard tandem dump truck carries 10 to 14 cubic yards of aggregate, though weight limits usually bind first — most legal loads land near 15 tons.

Cubic Yard Calculator

Enter dimensions in inches, feet or yards and get cubic yards, cubic feet, cubic meters, weight in tons and how many truckloads that is.

Quick answer

That area is 2.47 cubic yards (66.7 cu ft, 1.89 m³). With 5% extra, order 2.59 yd³ — about 3.68 tons of gravel (3/4 in, dry). One cubic yard = 27 cubic feet.

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Area and depth

Length & width unit

Length(ft)

Width(ft)

Depth unit

Depth(in)

Extra / waste(%)

Material (for weight)

≈2,835 lb per cubic yard

cubic yards = (length ft x width ft x depth ft) / 27 | tons = cu ft x lb/ft³ / 2000

Volume

Cubic yards to order

2.59yd³

Cubic feet

70cu ft

Area

200sq ft

Weight

3.68tons

7,350 lb of gravel (3/4 in, dry)

Dump truck loads

0.22

At 12 yd³ per tandem load

Conversions worth memorising

From	To	Multiply by
Cubic feet	Cubic yards	÷ 27
Cubic yards	Cubic feet	x 27
Cubic inches	Cubic feet	÷ 1,728
Cubic yards	Cubic meters	x 0.7646
Cubic feet	Gallons	x 7.481
Square feet at 4 in deep	Cubic yards	÷ 81

Standard volume conversions used throughout construction takeoffs.

The shortcut worth keeping in your head: at 4 inches deep, divide square feet by 81 to get cubic yards. At 6 inches deep, divide by 54. At 3 inches, divide by 108.

Source & method: All conversions are exact definitional relationships between US customary volume units; material weights are typical loose unit weights and are labelled as estimates.

Measuring and grading tools

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Frequently asked questions

How many cubic feet are in a cubic yard?: 27. A cubic yard is 3 ft x 3 ft x 3 ft, so 3 x 3 x 3 = 27 cubic feet. To convert cubic feet to cubic yards, divide by 27.
How do I calculate cubic yards?: Convert every dimension to feet, multiply length x width x depth to get cubic feet, then divide by 27. For a depth given in inches, divide the inches by 12 first: 4 inches is 0.333 ft.
How much does a cubic yard weigh?: It depends on the material: about 4,050 lb for concrete, 2,835 lb for dry gravel, 2,700 lb for sand or crushed stone, and 3,645 lb for compacted road base. Wet material weighs noticeably more.
How many cubic yards does a dump truck hold?: A standard tandem dump truck carries 10 to 14 cubic yards of aggregate, though weight limits usually bind first — most legal loads land near 15 tons.