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Cubic Metres to Cubic Yards Calculator

Convert cubic metres to cubic yards for North American concrete and aggregate orders.

Computed in your browser — nothing you enter is uploaded. Figures are presented for United States against IRC 2024, and every formula is cited under regulatory standards below.

Last verified 2026-08-26 · v1.0.0

Market
Imperial · sales tax

Volume

13.08 cu yd

High confidence

1 m³ = 1.307951 cu yd, from 1 yd = 0.9144 m exactly. A cubic metre is 1.31 cubic yards — treating them as equal understates an order by nearly a third.

Conversion factor applied
1.31 cu yd per m³

Concrete and aggregate specified in cubic metres and ordered in North America needs this conversion, and the gap between the two units is large enough to matter badly if ignored: a cubic metre is just over 1.3 cubic yards, so treating the numbers as interchangeable leaves an order nearly a third short. Supplier minimums and mixer capacities are set in whichever unit the local market uses, which is worth checking when a specification arrives in the other. For excavation the conversion holds, but bear in mind that in-situ and loose volumes differ through bulking regardless of the units involved.

Add the equipment this sizes

This result is a specification — 13.08 cu yd — not a quantity. Put the thing it sizes into your project: how many, what you call it, and your supplier’s price.

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 — confirmed fixes become pinned regression tests.

[Schema Verified] Computed in alignment with American Concrete Institute (ACI 318-19) formulas and International Residential Code (IRC 2024) spatial boundaries.

Regulatory standards & verification citations

  • 1 cubic yard = 0.764554857984 m^3, so 1 m^3 = 1.30795 cu yd

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.

Frequently asked questions

Roughly how many yards in a cubic metre?
About 1.31, so a metric volume always produces a larger number in yards. Treating them as equivalent understates a concrete order by nearly a third.
Which do ready-mix suppliers use?
It follows the market — cubic yards in North America, cubic metres elsewhere. Mixer capacity and minimum load charges are set in whichever unit the supplier works in.
Does this apply to excavation too?
The conversion does, but remember excavated material swells when dug, so in-situ volume and loose volume differ regardless of which unit they are expressed in.