Cubic yard calculator
An area 18 feet by 12 feet dug 1.5 feet deep is 324 cubic feet, which the cubic yard calculator gives as 12 cubic yards.
Volume in cubic yards
- Volume in cubic yards 324 ft³ ÷ 27 ft³ per yd³ = 12 yd³. A cubic conversion cubes the length factor.
- 12 yd³
- Volume Volume units are the measurement unit cubed: in centimeters the answer is in cubic centimeters.
- 324 ft³
- Formula Volume counts unit cubes. A box l by w by h holds l × w cubes in each layer and h layers. Every other formula in this calculator is this one, rearranged or taken to a limit.
- V = l × w × h = 18 × 12 × 1.5 = 324
- Measurements used
- l = 18 ft, w = 12 ft, h = 1.5 ft
- Total surface area A = 2(lw + lh + wh) = 2(18×12 + 18×1.5 + 12×1.5).
- 522 ft²
- Lateral area (four walls) Perimeter of the base times the height: 2(l + w)h. The walls of a room, without floor or ceiling.
- 90 ft²
- In liters 1 liter is 1,000 cubic centimeters, the volume of a 10 cm cube.
- 9,174.658 L
- In US gallons A US gallon is defined as exactly 231 cubic inches, 3.785411784 liters. An imperial gallon is about 20% larger.
- 2,423.688 gal
- In other cubic units Cubic conversions cube the length factor: a yard is 3 feet, so a cubic yard is 27 cubic feet.
- 9.174658 m³ = 324 ft³ = 12 yd³
| Every length times | Volume | Surface area |
|---|---|---|
| 0.5 | 40.5 ft³ (×0.125) | 130.5 ft² (×0.25) |
| 1 | 324 ft³ (×1) | 522 ft² (×1) |
| 2 | 2,592 ft³ (×8) | 2,088 ft² (×4) |
| 3 | 8,748 ft³ (×27) | 4,698 ft² (×9) |
| 10 | 324,000 ft³ (×1,000) | 52,200 ft² (×100) |
- Volume scales with the cube of length and surface area with the square. Double every measurement and the volume goes up 8 times while the surface only goes up 4. That is why large animals keep heat better and why small ice cubes melt faster.
How the Volume Calculator works
Cubic yards = length × width × depth in feet ÷ 27. A cubic yard is a cube 3 feet on each side, so it holds 3 × 3 × 3 = 27 cubic feet.
For 18 × 12 × 1.5 feet: 18 × 12 × 1.5 = 324 cubic feet, and 324 ÷ 27 = 12 cubic yards. Working in yards from the start gives the same: 6 × 4 × 0.5 = 12.
Depths are usually measured in inches, so convert them to feet first by dividing by 12. A bed 20 by 10 feet and 3 inches deep is 20 × 10 × 0.25 = 50 cubic feet, or 1.85 cubic yards.
Dividing by 9 instead of 27 is the usual slip. 9 is the number of square feet in a square yard, which is area; volume needs the third dimension.
Bulk material is sold by the cubic yard, so round up to what the supplier sells, and allow for settling and uneven ground. The concrete, gravel and mulch calculators add the material's own allowance and weight.
Volume Calculator FAQ
How much area does a cubic yard cover?
324 square feet at 1 inch deep, 108 at 3 inches and 81 at 4 inches: 324 divided by the depth in inches.
How do I convert cubic feet to cubic yards?
Divide by 27. 100 cubic feet is 3.70 cubic yards.
How many cubic yards is a 10 by 10 slab 4 inches thick?
10 × 10 × 0.333 = 33.3 cubic feet, which is 1.23 cubic yards.
More from the Volume Calculator
- Cubic feet calculator
- Triangular prism calculator
- Pipe volume calculator
- Volume of a cylinder calculator
- Volume of a cone calculator
- Volume of a sphere calculator
- Volume of a cube calculator
- Volume of a pyramid calculator
- Surface area of a cylinder calculator
- Surface Area Calculator