Cubic Yard Calculator

Volume for slabs, prisms and cylinders — in cubic yards, metres and feet.

Volume

Unit system

Code references and product data are quoted in the units their source uses.

= 240" (20')

= 144" (12')

= 5"

Waste allowance10%Suggested default

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Cubic Yards · Result

Calculated

VOLUME (INCL. 10% WASTE)

4.07 cubic yards including 10 percent waste

Net volume
3.7 yd³
Waste
10%
Cubic metres
3.11 m³
Cubic feet
110.0 ft³

Waste allowance 10%

SUGGESTED DEFAULTChange

Output unit defaulted to yd³ because at least one length was entered in imperial units

SUGGESTED DEFAULT
Code references & assumptions · 1

How this result is supported

Volume only. Rounding up to a purchase quantity depends on the material and belongs to the calculator for it.
SUGGESTED DEFAULTOutput unit defaulted to yd³ because at least one length was entered in imperial units
ASSUMPTION
What do these evidence labels mean?
PRIMARY-VERIFIED
directly supported by one authoritative primary source, quoted with section/page/figure
CROSS-VERIFIED
independently supported by two or more appropriate authoritative sources
DERIVED
mathematically derived from PRIMARY-VERIFIED values; the derivation is preserved in data and in code
INTERPRETED
a source exists but translating it into calculator behaviour required interpretation
CONVENTION
recognised trade practice, not a mandatory provision
ASSUMPTION
product/design assumption or useful default with no authoritative basis
UNVERIFIED
insufficient authoritative evidence
Full methodology →

Code references and product data are quoted in the units their source uses.

Reference checks are informational, not compliance determinations.

How cubic yard is calculated

A slab's third dimension is its thickness and a prism's is its height, and they are the same geometry — which is why the calculator lets you type a thickness in inches without converting it to feet first.

Every item is converted to a common unit before being summed, so a slab in feet-and-inches and a cylinder in millimetres add up correctly. The total is reported in cubic yards, cubic metres and cubic feet at once, because the number you order in and the number you check against are often not the same unit.

Waste is applied once to the total. Rounding up to a purchase quantity — quarter-yard ready-mix steps, or bags — is not done here: it belongs to the material being bought. For a ready-mix order quantity, use the Concrete Slab calculator, which applies the quarter-yard step to this same volume.

slab / prism: V = length × width × thickness

cylinder: V = π × diameter² ÷ 4 × height

yd³ = ft³ ÷ 27

27 cubic feet to the cubic yard.

gross = net × (1 + waste)

Questions

Why is there no order quantity on this page?
Because ordering depends on the material. Ready-mix is sold in quarter-yard steps, bagged mix in whole bags, and topsoil by the load — different rounding rules for the same volume. This page gives the volume; the concrete calculators apply the ready-mix and bag rules to it.
How many cubic feet are in a cubic yard?
27 — a yard is three feet, and 3³ is 27. It is the conversion most often done wrong in a hurry, because 3 gets cubed as 9.