Case 1
- Length (feet)
- 20ft
- Width (feet)
- 10ft
- Depth (inches)
- 3in
1.85 yd³ · 50 ft³ · 1.42 m³
Open with these valuesCubic Yard Calculator
1.85 yd³ · 50 ft³ · 1.42 m³
Result: 1.85 yd³ · 50 ft³ · 1.42 m³Length and width in feet, depth in inches, answer in cubic yards. The mixed units are deliberate: that is how a yard is quoted and how you measure. One cubic yard covers 324 sq ft an inch deep, or 108 sq ft three inches deep. A 20 × 10 ft bed at 3 in needs 1.85 yd³.
The numbers at a glance
Held fixed: Length (feet) 20.00 ft, Width (feet) 10.00 ft.
| Depth (inches) (in) | Result |
|---|---|
| 0.00 | 0.00 |
| 1.00 | 0.62 |
| 2.00 | 1.23 |
| 3.00Your value | 1.85 |
| 4.00 | 2.47 |
| 5.00 | 3.09 |
| 6.00 | 3.70 |
Worked examples
Case 2
- Length (feet)
- 40ft
- Width (feet)
- 12ft
- Depth (inches)
- 4in
5.93 yd³ · 160 ft³ · 4.53 m³
Open with these valuesCase 3
- Length (feet)
- 12ft
- Width (feet)
- 12ft
- Depth (inches)
- 6in
2.67 yd³ · 72 ft³ · 2.04 m³
Open with these valuesHow it's calculated
yd³ = length ft × width ft × (depth in ÷ 12) ÷ 27
- StepMeasure the bed, patio or driveway in feet — length and width.
- StepEnter the depth in inches, not feet. Three inches is 3, not 0.25.
- StepRead the cubic yards; cubic feet and cubic metres stand beside it.
- ResultOrder the next whole or half yard up — bulk material is not sold in slices.
What this number means
Bulk material is sold by the cubic yard, and a cubic yard is 27 cubic feet. That much material spread one inch deep covers 324 square feet; spread three inches deep it covers 108. Those two numbers are why this page takes feet and inches rather than one unit: nobody measures a flower bed in yards and nobody spreads mulch a yard deep. The depth field is the one that goes wrong. Entering 3 when you mean three inches is right here; entering 0.25 gives a twelfth of what you need, and entering 3 on a page that expects feet gives twelve times too much. Both mistakes produce a number that looks ordinary. Delivered yardage is loose and settles, and beds are rarely perfect rectangles, so treat the figure as the floor of your order rather than the order itself.
Depth is in inches, area in feet
This is the one mixed-unit page in the family, and the mix is the point. A 3 in the depth field means three inches; putting 0.25 there gives a twelfth of the material you need.
Order up, not exactly
Yardage arrives loose and settles as it is raked out, and few beds are true rectangles. Adding roughly 10 % is cheaper than a second delivery charge.
Bags are quoted in cubic feet
A 2 cubic foot bag is a thirteenth of a yard, so a yard is about 13.5 bags. The cubic feet figure beside the answer is the one to divide by your bag size.
Commonly misread
A cubic yard is three cubic feet.
It is 27, because all three edges triple. This is the single most common error in ordering bulk material.
I need 1.85 yards, so I will order 2 and have some left over.
That is the right instinct, but the 1.85 already assumes a perfect rectangle and no settling. Two yards is the sensible order, not a surplus.
Reference table
| Depth | Area one cubic yard covers |
|---|---|
| 1 inch | 324 sq ft |
| 3 inches | 108 sq ft |
| 6 inches | 54 sq ft |
| 8 inches | 40.5 sq ft |
| 12 inches | 27 sq ft |
Questions
How do I calculate cubic yards?
Multiply length by width in feet, multiply by the depth in inches divided by 12, then divide by 27. This calculator does both conversions for you.
How much does a cubic yard of mulch cover?
324 square feet at one inch deep, 108 square feet at three inches, and 54 square feet at six. Those figures come from the Texas A&M AgriLife coverage table this page is built on.
How many cubic feet are in a cubic yard?
27. A yard is three feet on every edge, so 3 × 3 × 3 = 27 cubic feet.
How deep should mulch be?
Two to three inches suits most beds; more than four can hold water against stems and roots. Gravel paths and driveways are usually laid deeper.
How many bags is a cubic yard?
About 13.5 bags of the common 2 cubic foot size, or 18 bags at 1.5 cubic feet. Divide the cubic feet figure shown beside the answer by your bag size.
Sources and last check
Information, not professional advice.