Universal bulk material estimator for concrete, gravel, asphalt, bark mulch, topsoil, and sand in cubic yards, tons, and bags.
Did this calculation save you time?
Student ProjectHi! I'm a student developer building Calculat in my spare time. I was tired of searching for basic math tools and having to click through 10 spammy popups, loan ads, and cookie trackers.
I keep this website 100% free, private, and ad-free. If this helped you with your homework, project, or finances today, bookmarking this page or telling a friend helps me keep building more free tools!
A universal material calculator computes volume, tonnage, and bag counts for all major landscaping and construction bulk materials: ready-mix concrete, crushed stone, asphalt, bark mulch, screened topsoil, and masonry sand.
\text{Cu Yds} = \frac{L \times W \times (D / 12)}{27} \times 1.10, \quad \text{Tons} = \frac{\text{Cu Yds} \times \rho_{\text{material}}}{2000}Densities vary: Mulch ~700 lbs/yd³, Topsoil ~2,200 lbs/yd³, Sand ~2,700 lbs/yd³, Gravel ~2,800 lbs/yd³, Asphalt ~3,950 lbs/yd³, Concrete ~4,000 lbs/yd³.
Scenario: Ordering screened topsoil for a 20 ft by 10 ft garden bed at a 4-inch depth.
Area: 20 × 10 = 200 sq ft.
Volume: 200 × (4 ÷ 12) = 66.67 cu ft.
Cubic yards with 10% settling: (66.67 ÷ 27) × 1.10 = 2.72 cu yds.
Weight: 2.72 cu yds × 2,200 lbs/yd³ = 5,984 lbs (2.99 US tons).
Dry shredded bark mulch weighs approximately 600 to 800 pounds per cubic yard. Wet mulch can weigh up to 1,000 pounds.
One cubic yard of dry, screened topsoil weighs approximately 2,000 to 2,200 pounds (approx 1.1 US tons). Wet topsoil weighs up to 2,700 pounds.
Standard bags of mulch contain 2.0 cubic feet. Because a cubic yard is 27 cubic feet, it takes 13.5 bags (round to 14 bags) of 2 cu ft mulch to equal one cubic yard.
A depth of 2 to 3 inches is optimal for weed suppression and soil moisture retention. Avoid piling mulch deeper than 4 inches or touching tree trunks (mulch volcanoes).
Calculate tons and cubic yards of pea gravel, crushed stone, and road base aggregate for driveways, pathways, and drainage.
Calculate concrete volume in cubic yards and cubic meters, ready-mix truckloads, and pre-mixed bag quantities with customizable waste factor.
Estimate crushed stone, river rock, and decorative landscape rock tonnage, cubic yards, and 50-lb retail bags.
= 3.81 US Tons (66.67 Cubic Feet)