What is this useful for?

Comparing bulk material quotes from different suppliers, especially when one quotes a flat delivered price and another quotes by the yard — converting both to a per-yard rate makes them directly comparable.

Does this include delivery fees?

Only if you put them in 'Total Cost': include delivery to get an all-in delivered rate, or use material cost alone to compare raw material pricing between suppliers.

Why do minimum delivery charges affect this rate?

Many suppliers charge a flat delivery fee regardless of load size, which means small orders have a much higher effective cost per yard than large orders — this calculator will reflect that if you include the delivery fee in your total cost.

Financial-Adjacent

Cost Per Cubic Yard Calculator

Find the effective price per cubic yard for concrete, mulch, gravel, or any bulk material delivery.

Answers as you typeNo submit button
Every formula citedNamed published standards
Calculated in your browserNo account, nothing uploaded

SettingsSettings for this calculationUS

Market

Imperial · sales tax

Total Cost

The total quoted or actual delivery cost.

Include delivery fees if you want an all-in delivered rate, or material cost only for a supply-only rate.

Volume

The total volume the cost covers.

Use the cubic-yard result from a materials calculator like Concrete, Mulch & Gravel, or Topsoil.

Cost per cubic yard

40 $/yd³

High confidence

Same cost per m³: 52.32 $/m³

Then change the inputs to see how far the answer moves.

Show calculation logic

How this was calculated

Formula source(s)

Cost per cubic yard = total cost / total volume in cubic yards

Inputs used

Total Cost: 1000
Volume: 25 yd³

Intermediate steps

Same cost per m³: 52.32 $/m³

Final result40 $/yd³

What this calculation does not cover

The yard in the denominator is the yard delivered loose, not the yard in place. Crushed base and gravel lose roughly a fifth of their loose volume once compacted, topsoil and mulch settle over a season, and spoil swells coming out of the ground. The rate is honest for comparing two quotes; used to budget a finished depth it buys short.
A material sold by weight will not compare against this rate without a density, and density moves with moisture. The same pit sand after rain carries several percent water, so a given weight of it delivers less dry material than the same weight off a covered stockpile. Convert a price quoted by weight with an assumed density and the comparison inherits whatever error is in the assumption.

Computed in your browser — nothing you enter is uploaded. Presented in US customary units and US trade terminology. Where a formula follows a published standard, that standard and its edition are cited beside it on this page; where none governs, the page says so. Local amendments override model codes — verify against the code in force where you build.

Sources checked 2026-09-06 · in the site-wide review of 2026-09-06 · v1.1.1

Regulatory standards & verification citations1

Cost per cubic yard = total cost / total volume in cubic yards

Cite this page

Your workspace

Most jobs need more than one number. Add the calculators you need next and they open right here, underneath this one — your figures stay on screen and nothing is lost to a page change.

Now that you have the number

These guides cover the work this quantity is for — the first ones run this calculator inside the section that raises the question.

Building Up a Unit Rateuses this calculator
A rate is a quotient, and the quantity underneath it was measured by somebody else to rules you have not read. Everything else is the easy half.
Buying Bulk Material by the Loaduses this calculator
Three suppliers quoting per load, per tonne and per cubic yard, reduced to one rate you can actually compare — and how much to order once the allowance is honest.

How to calculate cost per cubic yard in 3 steps

Total CostThe total quoted or actual delivery cost.
VolumeThe total volume the cost covers.
Cost per cubic yardThe tool computes the cost per cubic yard from those figures and shows the formula, its sources, and a confidence rating alongside it.

Cost per cubic yard by volume

Page defaults, not your figures above.

Volume	Cost per cubic yard (currency/yd³)
10 yd³	100
20 yd³	50
30 yd³	33.3
40 yd³	25
50 yd³	20

Frequently asked questions

What is this useful for?: Comparing bulk material quotes from different suppliers, especially when one quotes a flat delivered price and another quotes by the yard — converting both to a per-yard rate makes them directly comparable.
Does this include delivery fees?: Only if you put them in 'Total Cost': include delivery to get an all-in delivered rate, or use material cost alone to compare raw material pricing between suppliers.
Why do minimum delivery charges affect this rate?: Many suppliers charge a flat delivery fee regardless of load size, which means small orders have a much higher effective cost per yard than large orders — this calculator will reflect that if you include the delivery fee in your total cost.

Preliminary estimate, not certified engineering. This tool produces an indicative quantity calculation for planning purposes only — it is not a certified structural analysis, a guaranteed material takeoff, or a substitute for building department approval. Always verify measurements on-site and have a licensed contractor or structural engineer review any load-bearing, code-sensitive, or safety-critical work before purchasing materials or starting construction. Spotted an arithmetic or standards error? Report it to contact@craftquantities.com with your inputs — a confirmed fix gets a permanent check of its own, so the same mistake cannot come back.