Cubic yards to cubic feet converter

A cubic yard is 27 cubic feet — 3 feet in each of three directions — and that factor is the whole conversion. Enter a volume in any of the three units and the other two are filled in, which is useful when a supplier quotes yards f.o.b. the yard, a delivery note quotes tons, and your own measurements are in feet.

Volume

Unit Cubic yards (yd³)Cubic feet (ft³)Cubic metres (m³)

Cubic feet

27.000ft³

Cubic yards 1.0,000 yd³Cubic metres 0.7,646 m³

Pure unit conversion. It says nothing about how much material you need — use the quantity calculators for that.

The metre conversion is included because landscaping and construction materials are increasingly specified in cubic metres outside the US, and a quote in m³ next to a plan in feet is a common source of ordering errors. One cubic metre is 1.308 cubic yards, or 35.31 cubic feet.

The unit that trips people up is the cubic yard itself: it is a yard in every dimension, not a square yard. A driveway 20 ft by 10 ft at 3 inches is 50 cubic feet, which is 1.85 cubic yards — not 18.5, which is what dividing by 10 rather than 27 produces.

How the calculation works

Cubic yards → cubic feet: multiply by 27. Cubic feet → cubic yards: divide by 27.

Cubic yards → cubic metres: multiply by 0.764554857984. Cubic metres → cubic yards: multiply by 1.30795062. Cubic feet → cubic metres: divide by 35.3146667.

• These are exact unit conversions, not material estimates; no compaction, waste or density allowance is applied.
• The metre factor uses the international definition, 1 yard = 0.9144 m exactly.
• Volumes are geometric. If you are converting a delivered quantity, confirm whether the supplier's yard is a loose yard or a compacted one.

Sources: 1 yd = 0.9144 m (international yard); therefore 1 yd³ = 0.764554857984 m³; 1 yd³ = 27 ft³

Worked examples

Questions

How many cubic feet are in a cubic yard?

27. A yard is 3 feet, and volume scales cubically: 3 × 3 × 3 = 27.

Is a cubic yard the same as a square yard?

No. A square yard is an area, 9 square feet. A cubic yard is a volume, 27 cubic feet. They cannot be converted without a depth.

How do I convert cubic feet to cubic metres?

Divide by 35.3147. So 100 cubic feet is 2.83 cubic metres.

Why does concrete come in quarter yards?

Because ready-mix plants batch and charge in small increments, and a partial yard is billed as a full one at most plants. Ordering 1.3 yards usually means paying for 1.5.

How many cubic feet is a 5 gallon bucket?

About 0.67 cubic feet, since a US gallon is 0.1337 ft³. It takes roughly 40 buckets to move a cubic yard.

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Written and maintained by Sam Winters. Last updated 2026-11-04. Every figure is computed in your browser; nothing you enter is sent anywhere. Found an error? Tell me — accuracy reports get fixed first.