How to Calculate Cubic Yards for a Wall

Figure cubic yards from cubic feet.

When you are building a wall, figuring out the quantity of materials you will need is one of the first steps to accomplish. Armed with these numbers, you will be ready to choose your materials and purchase what you need. Because most building materials come in cubic yard increments, calculate cubic yards for a wall to determine how much building materials to buy.

Things You'll Need

• Tape measure
• Paper
• Calculator

Instructions

1. Measure the height of the wall, the length of the wall and the width of the wall in feet with the tape measure. Write these measurements down on the paper.

2. Multiply the height by the length by the width to find the cubic feet of the wall. For example, if the wall is 12 feet high by 25 feet long by 8 inches thick, multiply 12 * 25 * 0.66 = 198 cubic feet.

3. Divide the cubic feet measurement by 27 to find the cubic yards (27 cubic feet = 1 cubic yard). Using the same example, 198 / 27 = 7.3 cubic yards.

References

• Bob Vila: Measuring Concrete