Cubic Feet to Cubic Yards Calculator

When is ft³ to yd³ useful?

Building plans, storage capacities and product yields can be specified in cubic feet, while bulk suppliers may quote cubic yards. Convert first so the quantities can be compared in the same unit. A cubic yard always contains exactly 27 cubic feet, regardless of whether the space contains gravel, mulch, concrete or air.

If your dimensions are already in feet, multiply length × width × depth to obtain cubic feet before dividing by 27. When the depth is in inches, convert it to feet first or use the combined divisor of 324 for the finished cubic-yard result.

Quick cubic feet to cubic yards table

Each value below is volume only. Multiplying or dividing by the fixed conversion factor is not a prediction of material weight or purchase cost.

Worked conversion from a rectangular volume

A box 6 feet long, 3 feet wide and 3 feet deep contains 6 × 3 × 3 = 54 cubic feet. Divide 54 by 27 to get 2 cubic yards. Reversing the calculation, 2 cubic yards × 27 = 54 cubic feet. That round-trip check is a useful way to catch a misplaced decimal or wrong unit.

Use the main cubic yard calculator if you have dimensions instead of a known cubic-foot total. For bagged materials, compare the final cubic-foot requirement with the package's labeled volume or mixed yield.

Common mistakes when converting cubic feet

Do not confuse cubic feet (ft³) with square feet (ft²). A project with only 200 square feet of area cannot be converted to cubic yards until the depth is known. Do not confuse a linear foot or a length in feet with a cubic-foot volume. Finally, do not apply a tons-per-yard factor to this exact unit conversion; weight is a separate material-dependent estimate.

What to do if your layer thickness is in inches

If a rectangular area is measured in feet and the fill thickness in inches, first calculate cubic feet as length in feet × width in feet × thickness in inches ÷ 12. A 20 × 10-foot area at 4 inches deep contains 66.67 cubic feet. Dividing the unrounded cubic-foot value by 27 produces about 2.47 cubic yards. The combined shortcut for this case is length × width × depth in inches ÷ 324.

Avoid dividing square footage by 27. An area in square feet is not yet a volume. Use the square feet to cubic yards calculator when you have a measured area and need to add thickness.

Compare bulk yards with cubic-foot bags

Mulch, compost and potting mixes may be packaged by cubic-foot volume. If a project requires 54 cubic feet of mulch, that is precisely 2 cubic yards and the same labeled volume as 27 two-cubic-foot bags. Bag purchasing requires rounding to whole packages only after calculating the full quantity.

Concrete is different: packages are often labeled in pounds, and their final mixed yield in cubic feet varies by product. Confirm the published yield of the particular mix before determining how many bags make a cubic-yard order. Use the cubic yards to bags calculator for package conversions.

Precision and the right next step

A volume smaller than one cubic foot can be a tiny fraction of a yard. For example, half a cubic foot divided by 27 is approximately 0.0185185 cubic yard. Keep intermediate precision and do not round small quantities to zero before comparing packages or supplier minimums.

An exact volume conversion does not predict a material's mass, settlement, or compacted yield. The cubic yards to tons calculator requires a product-specific density if you need weight instead of volume.