Concrete / Cubic yard estimator
Concrete Yard Calculator
Find how many cubic yards of concrete you need. Enter rectangular dimensions or a known volume, then adjust your extra allowance.
Your volume estimate
Live resultConcrete needed
1.36yd³
10% extra included. No supplier ordering increment applied.
- Identical sections
- 1
- Single section volume
- 33.33 ft³
- Base volume
- 1.23 yd³
- + 10% extra
- 0.12 yd³
- Order volume
- 1.36 yd³
- Cubic feet equivalent
- 36.67 ft³
- Cubic meters equivalent
- 1.04 m³
Check your supplier's minimum order, delivery increment, and short-load policies before ordering.
Understand your estimate
How the Concrete Yard Calculator Works
Enter the dimensions of a rectangular concrete pour, or enter a concrete volume you already know. The calculator converts the required volume to cubic yards and adds the selected extra-material allowance.
The formula
- Base volume = length × width × thickness × quantity
- Or base volume = known concrete volume
- Order volume = base volume × (1 + extra % / 100)
- Concrete needed = order volume in ft³ / 27
- Estimated material cost = unrounded order yd³ × price per yd³
Decimal calculations retain canonical volume. Display rounding is never used to calculate extra or material cost.
Why concrete is measured in cubic yards
Ready-mix concrete is commonly ordered by volume in cubic yards. One cubic yard equals 27 cubic feet.
The primary result stays in cubic yards in both Imperial and Metric modes, with cubic feet and cubic meters shown alongside it.
Extra concrete
A 10% extra allowance is included by default to help account for uneven subgrade, spillage, form variation, and small differences between measured and actual volume.
Select 0%, 5%, 10%, or a custom allowance from 0% to 100%.
Before ordering
The calculated cubic-yard quantity is not automatically rounded to a supplier's ordering increment. Check your concrete supplier's minimum order, delivery increment, and short-load policies before ordering.
Assumptions & limitations
Dimensions mode covers rectangular pours and a whole-number count of identical sections. It does not combine sections of different sizes. Known Volume accepts a volume already determined for your project; each mode retains its own inputs.
Optional cost is material volume × your USD price per cubic yard. It excludes delivery, short-load, pump and truck fees, labor, and tax. No bag quantity, weight, truck count, supplier minimum, or purchasing increment is calculated.
Need bagged concrete? Use the Concrete Bag Calculator.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate cubic yards of concrete?
Multiply length × width × thickness for one rectangular section and multiply by the number of identical sections. Convert the volume to cubic yards and apply your selected extra allowance. One cubic yard is 27 ft³.
How many cubic feet are in a cubic yard?
There are exactly 27 cubic feet in one cubic yard.
How much extra concrete should I order?
The calculator includes 10% by default. You can choose 0%, 5%, 10%, or enter a custom allowance from 0% to 100%. Confirm an appropriate allowance for your jobsite.
Can I enter a known concrete volume directly?
Yes. Known Volume supports ft³, yd³, m³ and L (liters). The same extra, cubic-yard conversion and material-cost calculation applies.
Should I round concrete up to the nearest yard?
Supplier minimums and delivery increments differ. The calculator does not apply a universal purchasing increment. Check your supplier's ordering and short-load policies.
Does this calculator estimate concrete bags?
No. For bagged premixed concrete quantities, use the Concrete Bag Calculator.
Does this calculator estimate concrete weight?
No. This tool estimates volume only. Concrete weight requires a separate estimate; no weight calculator is currently linked here.