Concrete Yard Calculator
Enter your pour below and this concrete yard calculator answers in the unit suppliers use: cubic yards — plus how far one yard goes and what it should cost.
Concrete needed
2.96 yd³
80.0 ft³
Estimated cost
$489
at $165 per yd³
Approx. weight
10,640 lb
≈ 5.3 tons
Bagged mix
134
80-lb bags
178
60-lb bags
267
40-lb bags
Before you order: add about 10% for uneven subgrade and spillage — that's 3.26 yd³ or 147 × 80-lb bags.
Formula
Yards come straight from the volume, and coverage is its inverse:
yards = [length (ft) × width (ft) × thickness (in) ÷ 12] ÷ 27 coverage = 27 ft² ÷ thickness (ft) → one yard covers… 4 in: 81 ft² 5 in: 65 ft² 6 in: 54 ft²
Ordering from the plant? Round up to quarter yards — the ready mix concrete calculator does that rounding for you.
If you're buying bagged mix instead, the how many bags of concrete in a yard guide has the per-bag table and worked project counts.
Example
- A walkway 3 ft × 30 ft at 4 inches is 3 × 30 × 0.333 = 30 ft³.
- Yards: 30 ÷ 27 = 1.11 yd³ — order 1.25 yd³ with the 10% allowance.
- At $165 per yard that's about $206 for the order; in bags it would be 50 × 80-lb.
Frequently Asked Questions
How big is a cubic yard of concrete?
27 cubic feet — think a 3 × 3 × 3 ft cube, about the size of a washing machine. It weighs roughly 3,591 lb (1.8 US tons), which is why a cubic yard is a truck delivery, not a trailer load.
How far does one yard of concrete go?
At 4 inches thick, 81 ft²; at 5 inches, 65 ft²; at 6 inches, 54 ft². Halve the thickness and you double the coverage — thickness is the lever that moves the order size most.
How much does a yard of concrete cost?
Most US markets run $150–$180 per cubic yard delivered, before short-load fees on small orders. The calculator applies whatever price you enter, so plug in your local quote.
Why does the order amount include 10% extra?
Subgrades are never perfectly even, some mix stays in the truck and tools, and forms flex. Ten percent is the industry's standard cushion — running short mid-pour costs far more than the spare concrete.