How Many Cubic Yards Do You Need? How to Calculate Volume and Tonnage for Yard Projects

Chapters
0:00 Intro
0:35 How to Calculate Volume
2:47 Dealing with Different Yard Shapes
3:08 Internet Tools
3:51 Calculating Tonnage
5:10 Why Do Supply Yards Sell By the Cubic Yard?
5:39 End Credits
6:13 Outtakes

How do you calculate how many cubic yards of gravel, sand, soil, or other rock products you need? In this video, we talk about how to calculate the volume of your project area—or, in other words, how much material you need to fill your project area.

We also talk about related topics: how to calculate the volume of different yard shapes, which Internet tools can help you, how tonnage is calculated, and why supply yards sell by the cubic yard in the first place.

The article includes another math example and a diagram that shows how much material different vehicles can carry.

Credits

Kelly Ford and Jordan Ford provided acting talent.

Background music: “Song Song” by Gushito and “Dr Molotovs Cocktail Shaken and Stirred” by Humans Win via Storyblocks Audio.

Script, videography, and editing by Eve Hart using the iPhone 12 and Adobe Premiere Pro.

Thank you also to . . .

[kdawson]

The best video on this rocky subject on the web!!! Thanks! Now I'm laughing hysterically while calculating!

[paulaaguiton]

Thank you! Was able to answer homework because of this fun tutorial!

[jamesa]

Whoa!I never knew a lawn care worker could be such a technical maths scholar too!

[Domm_Diggity]

This is absolutely hilarious and makes something that is somewhat boring. Much more interesting great job great concept great video editing 10 out of 10.

[jwf]

The Outtakes are the best. Kelly did a great job and I laughed until I cried.

[thisvideoisback]

I absolutely love this video, laugh out loud funny!

[johnharvey]

This is great! Big fan of your videos!

[mrslkungpowchikn]

You guys are funny! Love it!! Wish you delivered to our area! We live right next to the Port of Camas Washougal. There is a rock quarry there nearby that we use, though but they keep encouraging us to get stuff with “fines” since heavy stuff will be using it including a school bus soon! But I don’t want dirty gravel anymore!!! It’s a mess! I want a clean driveway and path to get mail, get in cars, etc! Dirt goes up into the attic too, then into the house from there (we have an old house w ceiling heat if that explains it lol). Planning to build a new house soon! But I also think it would help our driveway to use larger angular rock then small also. Our driveway is compact already after 20 years of solid heavy use! Too compact if u ask me. As wife I am finally taking matters into my own hands, and shovel, rake, and John Deere tractor! I also got Geo textile fabric and Truegrid Pro pavers for the part the school bus will likely use! 🙋🏻‍♀️ 💪 I’m liking the slope I put in better (less dip in the middle and may no longer hold water there when it rains) so far but haven’t yet completed the implementation of the pavers because I still need more gravel before I had the geo fabric!

[groundeffectx]

Lmao . this is great to teach my co workers thank you

[GCorona]

I would suggest using inches as the depth as most homeowners are not needing more than a foot of material. Example: 7-Tons of stone. The 1.4 conversion factor should only be used in sizes 5/8" and smaller. Consult your supplier for cy to ton conversions for larger rock.

[mrslkungpowchikn]

Why do larger gravel pieces cost more? I would like to try anywhere from 1” - 3” of angular gravel rock, preferably clean. Isn’t it LESS energy for them to produce larger rock pieces vs crushing up rock into smaller pieces? And wouldn’t smaller pieces also require MORE material for the same volume??
Or is it more difficult to crush rock to form larger pieces, thus the price is significantly more?

[arnoldclarke]

Great it help but can you exp. In metre