As you tackle gardening or home improvement projects, often you must perform calculations to determine quantities of materials you will need. A common calculation involves converting cubic feet into yards. Because retailers sell materials such as topsoil, mulch and cement by the cubic yard, to determine how much material you will need, you must convert cubic feet into yards prior to starting your project.
- Tape measure
- Pencil
- Paper
- Calculator
Ensure your length, width and height measurements of your area are accurate.
Calculate cubic feet by multiplying the length by width and then multiplying the answer by the height. Write this total down--this is the total cubic feet of your project area. For example, if your length is 50, your width is 35 and the height is 4, you would multiply 50, 35 and 4 together to equal 7,000 cubic feet.
Divide the total cubic feet by 27. You must divide by 27 because 1 cubic yard equals 27 cubic feet. The answer is the total cubic yards of your area. Using the same example, divide 7,000 cubic feet by 27 to get 259.3 cubic yards.
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About the Author
Kathryn Hatter is a veteran home-school educator, as well as an accomplished gardener, quilter, crocheter, cook, decorator and digital graphics creator. As a regular contributor to Natural News, many of Hatter's Internet publications focus on natural health and parenting. Hatter has also had publication on home improvement websites such as Redbeacon.
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tape measure ruler image by MichMac from Fotolia.com