Frequently Asked Questions
How to calculate material needed to cover/fill given area? First get measurements of width, length, and depth. Remember to use same unit of measurements. Do not use inches for depth and feet for length, for example. Inches are easily coverted to feet by dividing by 12. So 6 inches equal .5 feet (6 divided by 12).
Then multiple all three dimensions to get the cubic feet of the area. So an area 100' by 3' and 4" deep equals 100 cubic feet. Now divide by 27 to convert cubic feet to cubic yards, a unit more widely used in the construction industry. In our example, 100 cubic feet would equal 3.70 cubic yards.
Some material, such as mulch is sold by the cubic yard, so simply request the number that you require. Other material is priced by the ton, so you will need to use a conversion factor to change cubic yards to tons. Common conversion factors are:
| • Dirt/Sand/Topsoil | 1 yard = 1.25 tons |
| • Washed Stone | 1 yard = 1.3 tons |
| • ABC Stone/Pit Gravel/Processed Pit | 1 yard = 1.8 tons |
