How to Calculate a Cubic Yard of Concrete

Calculate a cubic yard of concrete to determine how much you need to pour a slab.

Generally you will need to figure cubic yards of concrete if you are planning to pour some type of concrete foundation, such as for a home, garage, lean-to or patio. Calculating cubic yards of concrete ensures you order the correct amount of concrete for whatever project you plan to pour concrete.

Things You'll Need

• Calculator

Instructions

1. Determine the length, width and depth of the concrete you plan to pour. This measurement needs to be in feet. If your measurements are not in feet, you should convert them to feet for all calculations.

2. Multiply the dimensions you want for your slab with a calculator. Take length x width x height.

3. Divide the answer by 27. You divide by 27 because that is the number of feet in a square yard. Your answer is a cubic yards of concrete.

Tips & Warnings

• Multiply your total cubic yards by 1.1 to allow for 10 percent waste during placement of the concrete.

References

• Math Central: Quandaries and Queries