Find cubic yards from a rectangle, circle, triangle, known area, or existing volume. You can also find depth or coverage from available material. Add quantity and waste, select a material density, and estimate weight, bags, truck loads, and cost.
Examples
20 × 10 feet at 6 inches
The base volume is 100 ft³, or 3.704 yd³. With 10% waste, order about 4.07 cubic yards with waste. Ask the supplier whether it sells in whole, half, or quarter-yard increments before ordering.
10-foot circle at 4 inches
The volume is about 0.970 cubic yards before waste.
Formula
rectangle area = length × width
circle area = π × (diameter ÷ 2)²
triangle area = base × height ÷ 2
cubic feet = area in ft² × depth in ft × quantity
cubic yards = cubic feet ÷ 27
order amount = cubic yards × (1 + waste% ÷ 100)
Weight is volume with waste × the selected bulk density. Bag count always rounds up to a whole bag; truck loads remain fractional so you can discuss delivery size with the supplier. The main result is not rounded to a supplier's sale increment or minimum order.
Assumptions and purchasing limits
Length and volume conversions use the international foot (1 ft = 0.3048 m exactly), and one cubic yard is exactly 27 cubic feet, following NIST's unit tables. The density presets are rough planning values. Bulk density can change with material grading, moisture, settling, and compaction, so a supplier-provided density is better for weight and delivery planning.
The cost result multiplies the volume with waste by the price per cubic yard you enter. It excludes tax, delivery, minimum-order charges, labor, and the supplier's rounding increment. The calculator estimates geometry and purchasing quantities; it does not choose a suitable depth, material, compaction method, or structural specification for the project.
Square feet to cubic feet and cubic yards
Select Known area when you already know the footprint. Enter its area and a separate depth, matching the depth unit to your measurement. For 240 ft² at 3 inches, convert depth to 0.25 ft: the geometric volume is 60 ft³, or 2.222222 yd³. Waste changes the order amount, not this geometric volume. Area without depth cannot be converted to a cubic unit.
Find depth or coverage from material you have
Choose Find depth for a known available volume and area, or Find coverage for volume and target depth. Available volume means the total material you can use, including the stated waste allowance. With an allowance of 10%, usable geometric volume is available volume divided by 1.10. This reverses the existing order-volume calculation; it is not the same as subtracting 10% of the delivered volume.
For example, 2 yd³ is 54 ft³. With no allowance, it covers 216 ft² at 3 inches, or reaches 3.24 inches across 200 ft². With a 10% allowance, geometric volume is about 49.090909 ft³, giving 196.363636 ft² at 3 inches. When quantity exceeds one, the reported project area or depth applies to each identical area, while volume and ordering totals cover all areas.
The material weight and cost in these reverse modes apply to the full available amount. Bulk density, usable depth and waste still need to match the actual material and installation. Use the Weight to Volume Converter when a supplier quotes tons and you need volume first.