Cubic yards to cubic feet
Multiply by 27. Exact, by definition.
Material estimate
Enter a figure in cubic yards.
You need to buy
Use this figure
Worth knowing
What this assumes
One yard is twenty-seven feet of material
A yard is three feet, so a cubic yard is three feet in every direction: 3 × 3 × 3 = 27. Exact, definitional, and unaffected by what is in it. The direction is the easy thing to get wrong — cubic feet is always the larger number, because the foot is the smaller unit.
Why anyone needs this at the yard gate
Because bulk and bagged material are sold in units you cannot compare without doing this sum. Loose soil, mulch, gravel and sand are priced by the cubic yard. The same materials in bags are labelled in cubic feet. Until you have converted, a price per yard and a price per bag are simply two numbers.
Cubic yards, cubic feet and bags
| Cubic yards | Cubic feet | Bags at 2 ft³ | Bags at 1.5 ft³ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.5 yd³ | 13.5 ft³ | 7 | 9 |
| 1 yd³ | 27 ft³ | 14 | 18 |
| 1.5 yd³ | 40.5 ft³ | 21 | 27 |
| 2 yd³ | 54 ft³ | 27 | 36 |
| 3 yd³ | 81 ft³ | 41 | 54 |
| 5 yd³ | 135 ft³ | 68 | 90 |
| 10 yd³ | 270 ft³ | 135 | 180 |
Exact conversions, bag counts rounded up. Both bag sizes are common — mulch and topsoil are usually 2 cubic feet, some amendments 1.5 — so read the bag rather than assuming.
Where the crossover falls
Around a yard, on most materials and in most markets. Thirteen and a half bags is a car full and a lot of lifting; a yard delivered is one trip somebody else makes. The mulch: bags or bulk guide works the arithmetic through properly, including the delivery charge and the minimum load that usually decide it. For the volume itself, the cubic yard calculator turns a shape into yards and the cubic yards to tons calculator turns yards into weight with published densities.
Common questions
How many cubic feet in a cubic yard?
Twenty-seven, exactly. A yard is three feet, so a cubic yard is 3 × 3 × 3 = 27 cubic feet. It is a definition rather than a measured quantity — there is no tolerance on it and it does not depend on the material.
How do I convert cubic yards to cubic feet?
Multiply by 27. Two yards is 54 cubic feet, three is 81. The direction is worth checking as you go: cubic feet should always be the bigger number, because a foot is the smaller unit. If your answer got smaller you divided when you should have multiplied.
Why does this conversion matter at the yard gate?
Because bulk and bagged material are priced in different units and cannot be compared in your head. Soil, mulch, gravel and sand come loose by the cubic yard; the same materials in bags are labelled in cubic feet. Converting one to the other is the only way to know which is actually cheaper, and the answer is usually bulk sooner than people expect.
How many bags make a cubic yard?
Thirteen and a half at 2 cubic feet a bag, or eighteen at 1.5. Both sizes are common — mulch and topsoil are usually 2, and some soil amendments are 1.5 — so check the bag rather than assuming. The table below does both, and it is worth doing before a trip: eighteen bags is a car full and half a yard.
What about a cubic metre?
A cubic metre is about 35.3 cubic feet, or roughly 1.31 cubic yards — so a metre is a bit more than a yard, and a cubic metre is nearly a third more than a cubic yard. If you are working from a European spec sheet against an American supplier that difference is real money on a large order, and every calculator on this site will report both.
Does this tell me what a yard weighs?
No. Volume and weight are different questions and the bridge between them is a density that belongs to the material — a cubic yard of screened topsoil is under a ton, a cubic yard of traprock in the ground is over two and a half. The cubic yards to tons calculator publishes twenty-seven densities with their sources.