Cubic Yard Calculator

How to Calculate Cubic Yards

A cubic yard is the volume of a space equivalent to a cube with a length, width, and height of one yard. You’ll commonly see them abbreviated as cu yd or yd³.

There are a few easy ways to calculate cubic yards.

The first way to calculate the cubic yardage of any volume is to use the calculator above. It’s especially useful for construction and landscaping projects such as concrete, landscape material, fill, dirt, gravel, or containers.

You can also use one of the formulas below to calculate it yourself.

Cubic Yards Formula

To calculate cubic yards, multiply the width times the length times the height. Ensure that all dimensions are measured in yards.

Cubic Yards Formula Using Dimensions in Feet

Another way to find cubic yards is to take all measurements to feet, then multiply to find the volume in cubic feet, and finally divide the result by 27 to get the volume in cubic yards.

The steps to find cubic yards using this method are:

• Measure the width, length, and height of the space in feet. If measurements are in inches, then be sure to convert to feet.
• If the volume is a complex shape, it may be simplest to break it up into manageable parts and calculate the volume of each part separately. For instance, you can break up a complicated flower bed into several geometric areas, and then find the cubic yardage of each of those areas first, and finally add them all together.
• If the volume is rectangular or cubic in shape, multiply the length times the width times the height in feet (l × w × h) to get the volume in cubic feet.
• Finally, convert the cubic feet measurement to cubic yards by dividing the result by 27, since cubic yards are equal to cubic feet ÷ 27. When in doubt, use a conversion calculator for this step.