Ready-mix estimator

Concrete Yard Calculator

Concrete is sold by the cubic yard, not the square foot. Enter your slab, footing or driveway dimensions and get the cubic yards to order, the bag count if you're mixing by hand, and a rough delivery cost — in one pass.

27cu ft per yard
10%standard waste buffer
~$150avg. per yard, mix only
calc ready

Batch Ticket — Yardage

SLIP #YD-01
$
0.00 cubic yards to order
Cubic feet With waste buffer Bags needed (hand-mix) Estimated material cost

Ready-mix trucks usually have a 1-yard minimum and short-load fees under ~3 yards — call two suppliers before you order.

Reference

How the yardage formula works

Every calculator on this site reduces to the same core formula. Cubic yards are cubic feet divided by 27, and cubic feet are length × width × depth, all measured in feet.

// 1. convert every measurement to feet
thickness_ft = thickness_in / 12

// 2. volume in cubic feet
cu_ft = length_ft × width_ft × thickness_ft

// 3. convert to the unit concrete is sold in
cu_yd = cu_ft / 27

// 4. add a waste buffer for spillage & sub-grade dips
order_yd = cu_yd × 1.10

For circles, swap step 2 for the area of a circle: π × (diameter / 2)² × thickness_ft.

Quick reference

Coverage per yard

1 yard at 4" thick≈ 81 sq ft 1 yard at 5" thick≈ 65 sq ft 1 yard at 6" thick≈ 54 sq ft 60 lb bag yield0.017 cu yd 80 lb bag yield0.022 cu yd Standard truckup to ~10 yd
Frequently asked

Common yardage questions

How many feet are in a yard of concrete?

A "yard" of concrete is a cubic yard — 3 ft × 3 ft × 3 ft, or 27 cubic feet of material. It's a volume, not a length, which is why the yard calculator asks for length, width and thickness rather than a single dimension.

How much does a yard of concrete cover?

Coverage depends entirely on thickness. One cubic yard covers about 81 sq ft at a 4" slab thickness, roughly 65 sq ft at 5", and about 54 sq ft at 6". Thicker footings and driveways use noticeably more material per square foot.

How much does 4 yards of concrete cover?

At a standard 4" thickness, 4 cubic yards covers roughly 324 sq ft — enough for a typical single-car driveway apron or a mid-size patio. Use the calculator above with your own thickness for an exact figure.

How big of an area is 4 yards of concrete?

Four cubic yards is 108 cubic feet total. Spread over a 4" slab that's about an 18 ft × 18 ft square; spread over a 6" driveway it shrinks to roughly a 14.7 ft × 14.7 ft square.

How do I figure yards of concrete by hand?

Multiply length × width × thickness in feet to get cubic feet, then divide by 27 to get cubic yards. Round up to the nearest quarter yard, and add 5–10% for waste, spillage and an uneven sub-grade before you place the order.