Cubic Yard Calculator & Area Designer
Draw your project to scale — squares, circles, curves, any shape — name each area, set its material and depth, and get the cubic yards, bags or tons, and cost for concrete, mulch, gravel, topsoil, sand, or anything you buy by the yard. Move, resize, combine, price per material, and save your designs.
How to Use
- Set the scale — how many feet each grid square represents (default 5 ft).
- Pick a tool (Rectangle, Circle, Polygon, or Freehand) and draw an area. Or use “Add exact size” to type a width and length.
- Switch to the Select tool to drag a shape to move it, drag its handles to resize, name it, or type exact dimensions.
- Set each area’s material and depth, and a price per cubic yard for each material under Prices.
- If shapes overlap, click “Combine overlapping” so the shared area is only counted once.
- Read the totals (square footage, cubic yards, bags/tons, and cost per material), and Save the design to your browser to reload later.
Add exact size
Prices ($/yd³)
Designs
Areas
Totals
- Total cubic yards
- 0 yd³
- Total area
- 0 ft²
Show Work
How it works
Set the scale (feet per grid square), then draw each part of your project with the Rectangle, Circle, Polygon, or Freehand tool — or type exact sizes with “Add exact size.” With the Select tool you can drag a shape to move it, drag its handles to resize, name it, and fine-tune its dimensions. Every shape's area is measured from the scale and multiplied by its depth, so the cubic-yard total is built up shape by shape, including circles and freehand curves.
Each shape keeps its own material and depth, totals are grouped by material with a waste allowance and per-material pricing, and overlapping areas can be combined so the shared footprint isn't counted twice. Save a design to your browser (or export it as a file) to revisit it later — nothing is uploaded.
Reference
About the Cubic Yard Calculator & Area Designer
Use the Cubic Yard Calculator & Area Designer — a free, easy tool for building, materials estimation and site work. Nothing is uploaded, and you do not need an account. Draw your project to scale — squares, circles, curves, any shape — name each area, set its material and depth, and get the cubic yards, bags or tons, and cost for concrete, mulch, gravel, topsoil, sand, or anything you buy by the yard. Move, resize, combine, price per material, and save your designs.
How it works
Put each value in its box and read the answer as you go. Because it recalculates live, you can play with the inputs to see how each one moves the result — handy for checking your own working or planning ahead. Everything happens on your device, so it is fast and private.
Want the deeper story? The Knowledge Base explains the ideas behind the tools in more detail.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you calculate cubic yards?
Cubic yards = area in square feet × depth in feet ÷ 27 (since one cubic yard is 27 cubic feet). This tool measures the area of every shape you draw from the scale you set, multiplies by each area's depth, and totals it up — so you don't have to do the geometry by hand for circles and curves.
Can I move and resize shapes after drawing them?
Yes — switch to the Select tool, then drag a shape to reposition it or drag the square handles on a rectangle or circle to resize it. You can also type exact dimensions for the selected shape, and give each area a name like “driveway” or “front bed.”
Can each material have its own price?
Yes. Enter a price per cubic yard for concrete, mulch, gravel, topsoil, sand, or your custom material under Prices, and the totals show the cost for each material plus a grand total — so a mixed plan prices correctly.
What does Combine do, and will I lose work if I close the page?
Combine merges overlapping shapes and measures the true union area so the overlap isn't double-counted. To keep a plan, click Save — it stores the design in your browser (nothing is uploaded), and you can reload or export it later.
How much waste should I add?
10% is a common allowance for spillage, uneven subgrade, over-excavation, and compaction — bump it to 15% for irregular shapes, lots of edges, or sloped ground. The tool applies your waste percentage to the cubic-yard totals so the order quantity already includes it.
How do I use the Cubic Yard Calculator & Area Designer?
Just type your numbers. The answer shows up right away — there is no button to press. Change anything and it updates by itself.
Do I need to install or sign up for anything?
Not at all — it runs in the browser with nothing to install and no account. After it loads once, it even works without an internet connection.
Is my information private?
Yes. Everything happens in your browser. Nothing you type is sent to a server or saved anywhere.
Common Use Cases
Landscaping a yard
Lay out named mulch beds, gravel paths, and sod areas with curves and circles, and get each material's yardage and cost in one plan.
Pouring concrete
Draw a patio, driveway, or oddly-shaped slab and read the cubic yards and bag count at your chosen thickness.
Ordering bulk material
Turn a whole project into a single order list — yards, tons, bags, and price per material — so you buy once.
Quoting a job
Price a design with per-material rates and a waste allowance, then save it to revisit or revise later.
Planning raised beds & fill
Size topsoil or sand fill for garden beds and sandboxes by drawing them to scale or typing exact dimensions.
Last updated: