Cubic yards, bags and tons of mulch, gravel, topsoil or concrete for any bed or slab
Runs in your browser. Nothing you type is sent anywhere. Checked against sources on 29 Sept 2026.Cubic yards = area in square feet x depth in feet / 27. A 12 by 10 foot bed at 3 inches deep is 120 x 0.25 = 30 cubic feet, or 1.11 cubic yards: 15 bags of 2 cubic feet. A 10 by 10 foot slab 4 inches thick takes 56 bags of 80 lb concrete.
Pick the Material: Mulch, Gravel, Topsoil or Concrete.
For each area choose Rectangle or Circle and enter its size in feet; press Add an area for more beds.
Set the Depth in inches and the Extra for waste you want to allow.
Read the Cubic yards, with cubic feet, cubic metres and bags beside it; unit conversions follow NIST Handbook 44 under Sources.
Add a Price per cubic yard for the cost, then press Share result to send the order figures.
Bulk landscape materials and ready-mix concrete are sold by the cubic yard, bagged materials by the cubic foot, and gravel often by the ton. This calculator turns the size of your beds, paths or slabs into all of those, so you can compare bulk delivery with bags from the store.
Area and depth. Add each area as a rectangle (length and width in feet) or a circle (diameter in feet), with a count for repeats such as post holes or tree rings. Set the depth in inches. The volume is the total area times the depth, and a cubic yard is 27 cubic feet (3 x 3 x 3).
Mulch and topsoil. Mulch is commonly spread 2 to 3 inches deep and topsoil 4 inches or more. Bags vary by brand, so the bag size is a box you set; 2 cubic feet is the common mulch bag. Bag counts are rounded up to whole bags.
Concrete. The bag counts use QUIKRETE Concrete Mix yields from the maker's data sheet: about 0.30 cubic feet from a 40 lb bag, 0.45 from a 60 lb bag and 0.60 from an 80 lb bag. Other brands and mixes yield slightly different amounts, so check the bag. For much more than a cubic yard, ready-mix delivery is usually easier than bags.
Gravel by weight. Gravel and crushed stone weigh different amounts per cubic yard depending on the rock, its size and how wet it is. The calculator multiplies cubic yards by the weight you enter; 1.4 tons a cubic yard is only a starting example, so use the figure your supplier quotes.
Extra. Add a percentage for settling, uneven ground and spillage. Concrete jobs commonly add 5 to 10 percent.
What this calculator does not do: it does not handle slopes, irregular shapes other than circles, or compaction of base layers, and it does not quote prices. Enter the price per cubic yard from your supplier to see the cost.
Multiply the square feet by the depth in feet, then divide by 27, the number of cubic feet in a cubic yard. For 120 square feet at 3 inches, which is 0.25 feet, the volume is 30 cubic feet, and 30 divided by 27 is 1.11 cubic yards. Depth in inches divides by 12 first.
A cubic yard is 27 cubic feet, so it equals 13.5 bags of 2 cubic feet, 18 bags of 1.5 cubic feet or 9 bags of 3 cubic feet. At 3 inches deep, one cubic yard of mulch covers 108 square feet. Buying in bulk is usually cheaper once a job needs more than a couple of yards.
An 80 lb bag of QUIKRETE Concrete Mix yields about 0.60 cubic feet, so one cubic yard of 27 cubic feet takes 45 bags. With 60 lb bags at 0.45 cubic feet it takes 60 bags, and with 40 lb bags at 0.30 cubic feet it takes 90. Order a few extra for spillage and uneven ground.
The answer depends on the stone: its type, size and grading, and how wet it is. Suppliers sell by the ton and quote their own weight per cubic yard for each product, so ask for it, enter it in the weight box, and the calculator converts your cubic yards to short tons and metric tons. The 1.4 shown is only an example.
Garden mulch is usually spread 2 to 3 inches deep; more can smother roots and less lets weeds through. New lawns and beds commonly take 4 to 6 inches of topsoil, and a gravel path or driveway 4 inches or more over a compacted base. Set the depth you plan, and the volume follows.
Choose circle and enter the diameter in feet, the distance straight across through the middle. The area is pi times half the diameter squared, so a 6-foot round bed is 28.3 square feet. For post holes, enter the hole diameter, the depth and the number of holes in the count box.
Rates and rules change; check the source before you rely on a figure.
Still stuck? Ask about Cubic Yard Calculator and anybody who knows can answer. No account needed.
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