Cubic Yard Calculator for Concrete

A cubic yard is the volume of a cube measuring 3 feet on every side — 3 ft × 3 ft × 3 ft = 27 cubic feet. Ready-mix concrete is sold by the cubic yard (yd³) across the United States and Canada. One cubic yard converts to:

• 27 cubic feet (ft³)
• 0.7646 cubic meters (m³)
• 201.974 US gallons
• ~4,050 lb (1,837 kg) of normal-weight concrete
• ~2 short tons of placed concrete

Multiply length × width × thickness in consistent units to get cubic feet, then divide by 27 to convert to cubic yards. Multiply the result by (1 + waste fraction) to get the order quantity.

Worked example: a 20 ft × 10 ft slab at 4 inches thick equals 20 × 10 × (4 ÷ 12) = 66.67 ft³. Divide by 27: 2.47 cubic yards. Add 10% waste: 2.72 yd³ — order 2.75 yd³.

Pre-computed cubic yards for the most common residential slab dimensions, including the standard 10% waste factor:

Slide the cubic-yard input to fill the mixer drum. Trucks needed, short-load fee, and estimated total update live so you can see when your order spans multiple deliveries or hits the short-load threshold.

A standard ready-mix truck carries 9–11 cubic yards of concrete. Most US suppliers deliver in 0.25 yd³ increments down to a 1 yd³ minimum. Orders under 3 cubic yards typically incur a $50–$120 short-load fee because the truck cannot run a full route on the partial load.

• Full truckload: 9–11 yd³ (delivered, mixed in transit)
• Half-truckload: 4.5–5.5 yd³ (no short-load fee at most suppliers)
• Short load (under 3 yd³): incurs short-load fee, $50–$120 typical
• Minimum order: 1 yd³ at most suppliers, with reduced minimums in dense urban areas

The square-feet shortcut: divide total square footage by 81 for a 4-inch slab to get cubic yards directly (a 200 sq ft × 4 in slab = 200 ÷ 81 = 2.47 yd³, which matches the longhand calculation).