How much material do you actually need?
Open the calculatorBulkYardCalc turns a tape measure into cubic yards, tons, and bag counts using cited densities — then hands the number to a local yard.
Project calculator
Area 1
Cubic yards
0.93 yd³
Tons
1.30 t
2 cu ft bags
13
Estimated cost
Add a price
Active area
Leave blank to skip cost
Gravel planning density 1.4 t/yd³ (FHWA / typical crushed gravel 2,400–3,000 lb per loose cubic yard). Order 1 yd³ with 5% waste. 3 cu ft bags: 9.
Good soil for a better earth
Using BulkYardCalc, you convert a bed or driveway into yards and tons before you call the yard. Densities are published midpoints — not scale tickets — so you can plan the load and still let the truck settle the invoice.
A cubic yard is 27 cubic feet. Depth in inches, length and width in feet, divide by 27. We add bag counts so you can see when bulk is cheaper than the garden-center aisle.
Four steps from tape measure to dump truck
Same path whether you are mulching beds or building a driveway base.
- 1
Measure the bed
Tape length and width in feet, depth in inches. Circles and L-shapes are fine.
- 2
Pick a material
Gravel, mulch, dirt, sand, or stone — each page uses a cited loose density.
- 3
Get yards and tons
The calculator converts volume to tons and 2- or 3-cubic-foot bags.
- 4
Order delivery
Share the link or send a ZIP to a local yard. Add 5% waste on the ticket.
What they say
Homeowners and crews using the same tape-to-yards math before they call a local yard.
I measured a 40-by-12 driveway at 4 inches of crushed gravel and ordered 6 yards instead of guessing. The dump landed short of the sidewalk and we still had a little extra for the apron.
Marcus T.
Austin, TX
Three front beds at 3 inches of hardwood mulch came out to just under a yard. Seeing 13 bags versus one bulk dump made the yard ticket an easy call.
Priya K.
Columbus, OH
We dressed a tired 50-by-20 lawn with an inch of screened topsoil. The calculator’s 3-yard number matched what the yard recommended before they spread it.
Elena R.
Denver, CO
A 30-foot pea-gravel path at 2 inches looked tiny on paper. Ordering 0.6 yards plus steel edging kept the stone out of the lawn after the first rain.
James W.
Raleigh, NC
I ran the sand calculator for 1 inch of bedding under a 12-by-12 paver pad, then the crushed-stone page for the 4-inch base. Two SKUs, one delivery, no leftover pallets.
Sofia M.
Phoenix, AZ
All Calculators
Gravel, mulch, soil, sand, and the cubic-yard converter — each with a cited density and a delivery form.
Gravel calculator
Size a driveway, path, or French drain in cubic yards first — then convert to tons using a cited 1.4 tons/yd³ planning density.
Open calculator
Mulch calculator
Most beds want 2–3 inches of hardwood or bark mulch.
Open calculatorCubic yard calculator
A cubic yard is 27 cubic feet — a 3 × 3 × 3 ft cube.
Open calculatorDirt calculator
Fill dirt is sold by the yard and weighed by the ton.
Open calculator
Rock calculator
Large stone has more voids than gravel.
Open calculatorTopsoil calculator
A new lawn wants about 4–6 inches of topsoil.
Open calculator
Sand calculator
Paver sand, mason sand, and play sand are different products that share the same volume math.
Open calculator
Pea gravel calculator
Rounded 1/4–3/8 inch pea gravel is a 2-inch path material.
Open calculator
River rock calculator
Measure the bed, pick a depth at least as large as the stone, and convert to yards and tons at 1.25 tons/yd³.
Open calculatorLandscape rock calculator
Use this for mixed decorative stone when the yard has not given you a tighter product name or density.
Open calculatorHow much mulch do I need?
Measure each bed, use 2–3 inches of depth, and convert to cubic yards or bags.
Open calculator
Crushed stone calculator
Crushed stone is the angular base under driveways and pavers.
Open calculatorHow much gravel do I need?
A driveway usually wants 4 inches of compacted gravel.
Open calculatorYards of mulch calculator
One cubic yard of mulch covers 162 ft² at 2 inches or 108 ft² at 3 inches.
Open calculatorBags of mulch calculator
A cubic yard is 13.5 bags of 2 cu ft mulch or 9 bags of 3 cu ft.
Open calculatorOwn a bulk yard?
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