Clear inputs.
Traceable numbers.
CubicTally turns measured dimensions into planning quantities. Every material, pricing, and delivery assumption can be changed to match a supplier specification.
Area and square footage
The square footage calculator totals rooms independently of material depth. A rectangle is length × width. A circle is π × radius². A triangle is base × height ÷ 2. Imperial rooms accept feet plus inches; metric rooms use metres. The same total is shown as square feet, square yards (÷ 9) and square metres (× 0.09290304). An optional flooring waste percentage multiplies the combined neat area once. Open the square footage calculator to add rooms.
Volume and units
For a rectangle, volume is length × width × depth. A circle uses π × radius² × depth. A trapezoidal trench uses length × (top width + bottom width) ÷ 2 × depth. Imperial depth is entered in inches; metric depth in centimeters.
One cubic yard contains 27 cubic feet. One foot is 0.3048 meters. Calculations use decimal arithmetic and keep precision until display or purchasing-rounding steps.
Cubic yard, topsoil and asphalt
The cubic yard calculator, topsoil calculator and asphalt calculator use the same volume calculation as the material estimator. With feet and inches, cubic yards = length × width × (depth ÷ 12) ÷ 27. One cubic yard is 27 cubic feet and 0.764554857984 m³. Optional waste multiplies that volume by (1 + waste fraction). Topsoil can also apply settling the same way as shrinkage: divide by (1 − settling fraction) before waste. Leave settling at zero when the depth is already the loose depth you will order. Asphalt does not use that settling field.
Topsoil weight starts from Penn State Extension’s silt-loam example of 1.33 g/cm³ and the Penn State conversion table, where 1 g/cm³ is 1,685.564 lb/yd³. The default is 1.33 × 1,685.564 ÷ 2,000 = 1.1209 US short tons per cubic yard. Penn State rounds that worked example to 1.12 short tons. It is an oven-dry bulk density, not the weight of moist or screened topsoil. Replace it with the supplier’s density when you have one.
Bag count uses 0.75 cubic feet, the stated volume of a Scotts Premium Topsoil bag, rounded up once for the job. Scotts also says that bag covers 4 square feet at 2 inches. Geometric coverage at 0.75 cubic feet and 2 inches is 4.5 square feet. The calculator uses the stated bag volume and the geometric area. That bag is a peat-amended conditioner, so the silt-loam weight is not applied to it. The product’s lawn directions are about 1–2 inches worked into native soil, and new gardens about 2–3 inches. Those directions are not a depth requirement for every site.
Asphalt tonnage is compacted volume × compacted unit weight ÷ 2,000 pounds. The default is 140 pounds per cubic foot, the Asphalt Institute’s normal weight for comparing mixes (1.89 US tons per cubic yard, or 105 pounds per square yard per inch). The same publication says to take unit weight from the mix design and also illustrates 136 and 142 lb/ft³. The NAPA mix quantity calculator asks for compacted thickness and unit weight, and its target-density illustration shows 145.08 lb/ft³ (108.81 lb/yd²/in). Enter the density from the mix you will buy. Because this density is already a compacted weight, use finished thickness and do not apply a second compaction factor. Optional overage is only for irregular grade or spillage.
Waste is different from shrinkage
Purchase volume = neat volume ÷ (1 − shrinkage fraction) × (1 + waste fraction). For example, 10 cubic yards of finished material with 20% volume loss needs 12.5 loose cubic yards before waste. Concrete has zero compaction allowance in this tool.
Bag yield and material weight
Bags = purchase cubic feet ÷ bag yield, rounded up to the next whole bag. The concrete default is 0.6 cubic feet per 80-pound bag, matching the manufacturer’s approximate yield for QUIKRETE Concrete Mix. Other products can differ.
QUIKRETE Concrete Mix product data
Weight = loose purchase volume × density in US short tons per cubic yard. The initial density values (2.025 concrete, 1.4 gravel, 0.35 mulch) are editable illustrative assumptions from our planning brief, not verified product specifications. Mulch bag weight is unspecified by default. A dry concrete bag’s weight is not the weight of an equivalent volume of ready-mix.
Orders and delivery
In manual quote mode, bulk volume rounds upward to the entered order increment. Loads use the lower of volume capacity and optional weight capacity divided by entered density. Each truck adds a delivery fee and, if configured, a short-load fee equal to missing yards below the threshold × fee per yard. Confirm payload weight, order minimums, taxes, unloading time, access, and other charges separately.
Price fields start blank. Zero delivery fees mean no delivery charges have been entered, not that delivery is free. Local examples show individual supplier material prices and service limitations; they are never a regional average.
Selecting a researched rate saves the original price, product, review date, service scope, and delivery conditions with your section. Supplier options follow the selected project application and market; a market match does not verify your delivery address. Supported supplier schedules apply saved sale increments, minimums, bundles, price brackets, and delivery terms. Select a service area confirmed by the supplier. Unsupported quantities or destinations require a quote; other offers retain conditions as notes.
Existing delivery and short-load fees are retained when applying a rate. Review them as additional charges or remove them before a bulk subtotal is shown. Older saved projects retain their original source text; missing supplier conditions are not reconstructed from today's catalog.
Supplier breakdowns separate material, delivery, cartage and quoted extras. Blank tax, waiting, pumping or other quoted charges remain unknown; enter zero only when confirmed. Quotes are flat dollar amounts per order. Included delivery is counted once. Known charges are a subtotal until all applicable charges are resolved. Editing the unit rate switches to manual quote mode; returning to the published schedule restores the saved rate.
Base and reinforcement
The displayed base volume is the neat quantity. Its budget applies separately entered base waste and shrinkage before pricing. For rectangular reinforcement grids, bar counts use the interior dimensions after edge cover, spacing rounded upward to whole gaps, and one additional bar per direction. Added cut/lap percentage is an input. This is a quantity helper, not a reinforcement design. Base and reinforcement costs appear in the project budget when enabled; missing prices remain unresolved.
Saved projects
Each section retains its own assumptions. Orders remain separate until you explicitly combine matching bulk sections with the same saved supplier, product, destination, timing and pricing assumptions. The combined order recalculates rounding, minimums and fees once. Flat quotes must cover the combined quantity. Itemized budgets include enabled base/reinforcement and added labor or equipment; unknown costs keep the budget incomplete. Link separately saved base material to count its cost once.
Source review
Published local pages use reviewed supplier sources with dates and geographic scope. Unverified pages stay out of the build. The content pipeline records a review date and flags price, specification and guidance reviews older than 90 days. Dates record our last inspection, not a promise that a rate remains available. Historical estimates keep their saved source dates and assumptions; a later catalog review does not update them. Confirm current terms with the supplier before ordering.
General guidance and local offers
Project guides cite general measurement, product or ordering references. A supplier example from another region is not evidence of a local price or delivery service. Local price references identify the supplier, product, price basis and delivery conditions separately. Confirm that the supplier serves your address; a market label does not establish eligibility.
Reviewed product references
These references support specific products, not a universal density or yield for a material. In the calculator’s Product settings, selecting a reference preserves your entered values; use its apply button only when the product matches. Newly available supplier-specific references are filtered to the matching supplier selection. A previously saved reference remains visible if the supplier changes, but a mismatched reference cannot be applied; its saved values remain unchanged.
No product-specific mulch density or settling rate is verified in this catalog. The mulch calculator’s default bag volume and bulk density remain editable planning assumptions. Confirm the bag label or supplier specification.
QUIKRETE Concrete Mix #1101 — 80 lb bag
Approximate mixed yield: 0.6 ft³ per 80 lb bag.
Approximate mixed yield per 80 lb bag. This bag specification does not establish ready-mix density or structural suitability. Follow the manufacturer instructions and the project specification.
Original product reference · checked 2026-09-15.
QUIKRETE Concrete Mix #1101 — 60 lb bag
Approximate mixed yield: 0.45 ft³ per 60 lb bag.
Approximate mixed yield per 60 lb bag. Bag weight is dry packaged weight, not bulk ready-mix weight. No sourced density or compaction value is applied.
Original product reference · checked 2026-09-15.
QUIKRETE Concrete Mix #1101 — 40 lb bag
Approximate mixed yield: 0.3 ft³ per 40 lb bag.
Approximate mixed yield per 40 lb bag. Confirm the package size and product number. Bag weight is dry packaged weight; this reference does not establish ready-mix density or project suitability.
Original product reference · checked 2026-09-15.
Ottr Gray Granite ¾ inch
Supplier’s approximate density range: 1.25–1.35 US short tons/yd³.
Supplier gives an approximate 2,500–2,700 lb per cubic yard range. A chosen density is a planning assumption, not an exact measured conversion. Confirm actual density and payload before a ton-priced order. No numerical compaction allowance was verified.
Original product reference · checked 2026-09-15.
Flex Base — Large, crushed concrete
Supplier lists approximately 1.25 tons per cubic yard. The ton definition and actual loose density need confirmation before converting to US short tons. No density value or compaction allowance is applied automatically. Match the specified product grade; this is crushed concrete base, not clean drainage aggregate.
Original product reference · checked 2026-09-14.
Fines Base — Small, 3/8-inch-minus crushed concrete
Supplier lists approximately 1.25 tons per cubic yard. The ton definition and actual loose density need confirmation before converting to US short tons. No density value or compaction allowance is applied automatically. Match the specified product grade; this is crushed concrete base, not clean drainage aggregate.
Original product reference · checked 2026-09-14.
Broadmoor 6-sack ready-mix concrete
The supplier lists a 6-sack ready-mix option separately from 7-sack. No numerical strength, density, bag yield or compaction value is verified by this listing. Confirm the project-specific mix requirements; the sack designation does not establish PSI or structural suitability.
Original product reference · checked 2026-09-14.
Found an error or an outdated source? Contact CubicTally with a correction.