Cubic yards to cubic metres
Multiply by 0.764555. Exact since 1959.
Material estimate
Enter a figure in cubic yards.
You need to buy
Use this figure
Worth knowing
What this assumes
A third of a difference
A cubic metre is about 31 per cent larger than a cubic yard. That is the entire practical content of this conversion: the units look interchangeable in a quote and they are not, and the gap is large enough to change which supplier is cheaper.
The factor itself is exact. The yard was defined as precisely 0.9144 metres in 1959, so a cubic yard is 0.9144³ = 0.7646 cubic metres, with no rounding anywhere.
Bulk orders in both units
| Cubic yards | Cubic metres | Cubic feet | Litres |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 yd³ | 0.765 m³ | 27 ft³ | 765 L |
| 2 yd³ | 1.529 m³ | 54 ft³ | 1,529 L |
| 3 yd³ | 2.294 m³ | 81 ft³ | 2,294 L |
| 5 yd³ | 3.823 m³ | 135 ft³ | 3,823 L |
| 10 yd³ | 7.646 m³ | 270 ft³ | 7,646 L |
| 20 yd³ | 15.291 m³ | 540 ft³ | 15,291 L |
| 50 yd³ | 38.228 m³ | 1,350 ft³ | 38,228 L |
Exact conversions. Litres are exact too — a cubic metre is a thousand of them by definition — which makes them a quick way to sanity-check a small volume quoted metrically.
Where the two systems meet
The US buys bulk material by the cubic yard: concrete, aggregate, soil, mulch. The UK, Australia and most of Europe use cubic metres. Canada is genuinely mixed, and that is where this conversion earns its keep — a supplier quoting in metres against a job specified in yards, or an imported spec sheet against a local yard.
Where this goes next
Every calculator here reports both units already, so the cubic yard calculator will give you feet, yards and metres from one shape without any of this. For the reverse conversion see cubic metres to cubic feet, and to turn a volume into a weight the cubic yards to tons calculator publishes the densities with their sources and reports tonnes as well as US tons. For the material itself, gravel and dirt carry the compaction and swell allowances a bare conversion has none of.
Common questions
How many cubic metres are in a cubic yard?
0.7646 cubic metres. The yard was defined as exactly 0.9144 metres in 1959, so the cubic factor is 0.9144³ — exact, with no rounding.
How do I convert cubic yards to cubic metres?
Multiply by 0.764555. The answer is always smaller, because a cubic metre is the larger unit — about 31 per cent larger. If your figure grew, the arithmetic went the wrong way.
Why does the difference matter on an order?
Because a third is a lot on a bulk delivery. Ten cubic yards is 7.65 cubic metres, so a supplier quoting per cubic metre is selling you a bigger unit than one quoting per yard — and the per-unit prices are not comparable until you have converted. On a twenty yard order the gap between the two units is over six cubic metres of material.
Which countries use which?
The US works almost entirely in cubic yards for bulk material — concrete, aggregate, soil, mulch. The UK, Australia and most of Europe use cubic metres. Canada is genuinely mixed, and that is where this conversion gets used most: suppliers quoting in metres against jobs specified in yards, or the reverse.
What is a cubic yard in litres?
About 765 litres — since a cubic metre is exactly a thousand litres, the yard is simply 764.6 of them. It is a useful sanity check on small volumes: if somebody quotes you a bulk bag in litres, dividing by 765 gives you the yardage you are used to thinking in.