Our bulk materials are sold by the cubic yard. A cubic yard is 27 cubic feet. A box that is 3 feet square and 3 feet tall will measure a cubic yard (3 ft x 3 ft x 3 ft = 27 cubic feet)
The Coverage Chart provided shows how many square feet a cubic yard of "uncompacted" material will cover at varying depths. When a truck is loaded, the loader scoops out material from the bin and dumps it into the truck bed. This material is "uncompacted". On certain materials, that word "uncompacted" is important as it will affect how many cubic yards you need to order for your coverage area.
For Example: Pea Gravel does not compact and will cover more square footage of ground than a delivered cubic yard of topsoil. Topsoil will compact and as a result, a cubic yard of topsoil in the delivery truck will cover less square footage on the ground once it is placed and compacted.
Our Coverage Chart also shows the "estimated" coverage area (in square feet) for 1 cubic yard of certain materials after they have been compacted.
Most of the time, you are trying to cover an Area. With a square or rectangular shape, the area is simply the Length (L) x the Width (W) (both measured in feet). The result is how many square feet you need to cover. Using the chart above, find the depth you desire and the material being used to see how many sq feet 1 cubic yard will cover. From there you can determine how many cubic yards you need. Remember these are estimated and depths typically are not uniform so padding the numbers is usually a good idea. [Note:The Area of a Triangle equals 1/2 the Base x the Height]
If you have a circular area, you can calculate the area by measuring the circle's radius (R) (a straight line measured from the center of the circle to the outside edge of the circle). Once you have the radius measurement in feet, you can calculate the Area of the circle by multiplying the radius by itself and then multiplying that answer by 3.143. For Example: We have a circle 6 feet across (diameter), so that means the Radius (R) is 3 feet from center of circle to edge. We would take 3 x 3 = 9 and then take 9 x 3.143 = 28.28 square feet of total area for this 6 foot diameter circle.
To calculate cubic yardage you need to measure the Width (W), Length (L) and Depth (D). All measurements need to be in "Feet". For the depth measurement which is usually in inches, divide the measured inches by 12 to get the measurement in feet, For Example: 4" divided by 12 = 0.333 feet. Multiply all 3 measurements (W x L x D) to obtain the total cubic feet. Since there are 27 cubic feet in a cubic yard, divide the total cubic feet you just calculated by 27 and you have your total "uncompacted" cubic yards. Don't forget to add more for materials that will be compacted.
Check out our inventory and choose from a number of products to cover your area
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