Q&A for How to Determine Cubic Yards

Measure length, width, and height in yards. Estimate if you have to. Multiply the three together to get the volume.

Take the square feet of the area in question, multiply by the depth and then divide by 27. So, if you have a lot that is 50' x 60' in size and you want to add 4" of topsoil for new sod, you would multiply 50*60= 300 sq. ft, and then multiply by .33 (decimal conversion for 4") 300*.33=99.90 cubic feet, then divide by 27 to convert to cubic yards, so: 99.90/27=3.7 cu yd.

If the stone is too large to perform a water-displacement measurement on it, you can only estimate the volume.

Length times width times depth gives volume.

Multiply those three dimensions together, then divide by 46,656 to get cubic yards.

If you want to calculate a volume in cubic yards, you would first express length, width, and height in yards and then multiply them together. A half-inch is 1/72 (0.0138) of a yard. Alternately, you could express all three measurements in inches, multiply them together, and then divide by 46,656 to arrive at cubic yards. (If you are interested in "area," express length and width in yards and multiply, or you can express the length and width in inches, multiply, and then divide by 1,296 to arrive at square yards.)