Three raised beds of 40 cubic feet each
Each bed is 10 ft × 4 ft × 1 ft.
3 × 40 ft³ = 120 ft³ ÷ 27 = 4.4444 yd³
Order 4.5 cubic yards, or 60 bags of 2 cubic feet.
Cubic Feet to Cubic Yards Converter
Divide cubic feet by 27 to get cubic yards, because one cubic yard holds 27 cubic feet. For example, 54 cubic feet is 2 cubic yards.
Cubic Feet to Cubic Yards Formula
A yard is 3 feet, so a cubic yard is a box 3 feet long, 3 feet wide and 3 feet high. That box holds 3 × 3 × 3 = 27 cubic feet, which makes the conversion a single division.
Cubic yards = cubic feet ÷ 27
Cubic yards = cubic feet × 0.037037
- Find the volume in cubic feet. For a box shape, multiply length × width × height, all in feet.
- Divide the cubic feet by 27.
- Round up to the next amount your supplier sells.
For example, a raised bed 10 feet long, 4 feet wide and 1.5 feet deep holds 10 × 4 × 1.5 = 60 cubic feet, and 60 ÷ 27 = 2.2222 cubic yards.
Cubic Feet to Cubic Yards Chart
| Cubic feet | Cubic yards |
|---|---|
| 1 ft³ | 0.037 yd³ |
| 2 ft³ | 0.0741 yd³ |
| 3 ft³ | 0.1111 yd³ |
| 5 ft³ | 0.1852 yd³ |
| 10 ft³ | 0.3704 yd³ |
| 13.5 ft³ | 0.5 yd³ |
| 20 ft³ | 0.7407 yd³ |
| 25 ft³ | 0.9259 yd³ |
| 27 ft³ | 1 yd³ |
| 50 ft³ | 1.8519 yd³ |
| 54 ft³ | 2 yd³ |
| 81 ft³ | 3 yd³ |
| 100 ft³ | 3.7037 yd³ |
| 135 ft³ | 5 yd³ |
| 200 ft³ | 7.4074 yd³ |
| 270 ft³ | 10 yd³ |
| 500 ft³ | 18.5185 yd³ |
| 1,000 ft³ | 37.037 yd³ |
Bags of Mulch, Soil and Sand in Cubic Yards
Bagged material is labeled in cubic feet, while bulk deliveries and most CY Calculator tools work in cubic yards. Divide 27 by the bag size to see how many bags make a cubic yard.
| Bag size | One bag in cubic yards | Bags per cubic yard |
|---|---|---|
| 1 ft³ | 0.037 yd³ | 27 |
| 1.5 ft³ | 0.0556 yd³ | 18 |
| 2 ft³ | 0.0741 yd³ | 13.5 |
| 3 ft³ | 0.1111 yd³ | 9 |
Bags labeled in quarts, liters or pounds need a different step, which the guide to how many bags are in a cubic yard covers.
Cubic Feet to Cubic Yards Examples
A trench 30 ft long, 1.5 ft wide, 2 ft deep
Backfill for a drain or a footing.
30 × 1.5 × 2 = 90 ft³ ÷ 27 = 3.3333 yd³
Read more about why the number is 27 in how many cubic feet are in a cubic yard.
Cubic Feet to Cubic Yards FAQ
How many cubic yards is 50 cubic feet?
1.85 cubic yards, because 50 ÷ 27 = 1.8519. That is a little under two yards, so order 2 if your supplier sells whole yards.
Is there a quick way to convert cubic feet to cubic yards in my head?
Divide by 30, then add a tenth of the answer. For 120 cubic feet, 120 ÷ 30 = 4, plus 0.4 gives 4.4, close to the exact 4.44. Use the exact division by 27 when you place an order.
How many cubic yards is a 2 cubic foot bag?
0.0741 cubic yards. It takes 13.5 of those bags to make one cubic yard, so buy 14.
How do I convert cubic inches to cubic yards?
Divide by 46,656, the number of cubic inches in a cubic yard (36 × 36 × 36). It is often easier to divide by 1,728 to get cubic feet first, then by 27.
More Converters
Need it the other way round? Use the cubic yards to cubic feet converter. To work out the volume of a whole bed, slab or trench first, the cubic yard calculator handles nine shapes and any mix of units.
- Cubic Yards to Tonsyd³ → tonsWeight of gravel, sand, soil, mulch or concrete from its volume.
- Tons to Cubic Yardstons → yd³How much space a weight of material fills, by material.
- Square Feet to Cubic Yardsft² → yd³Cubic yards to order for an area spread at a chosen depth.
- Cubic Yards to Square Feetyd³ → ft²How many square feet a delivery covers at a chosen depth.
- Cubic Yards to Cubic Feetyd³ → ft³Multiply by 27: a delivery in cubic feet or bags.
- Cubic Yards to Cubic Metersyd³ → m³US yards to metric volume, with liters.
- Cubic Meters to Cubic Yardsm³ → yd³Metric volume to US yards, for quotes and plans.