How Many Bags Are in a Cubic Yard? (Soil, Sand, Gravel)
A cubic yard of topsoil weighs 1,600 lb at New Mexico's figure, which is 40 bags of 40 lb each; a cubic yard of sand is 2,900 lb, or 58 bags of 50 lb each.
Estimates for planning, not professional advice. Read the full notice.
Work it out for your own sizes
Turn a yard of topsoil into your own orderExample to try: Volume 1 yd³
Bags of 40 lb and 50 lb in one cubic yard
Whole bags of two label weights in one cubic yard of each material, from the weight per cubic yard a source prints
| Material and source | Weight of a cubic yard | 40 lb bags | 50 lb bags |
|---|---|---|---|
| Topsoil, New Mexico EMNRD: the source does not say loose or compacted | 0.8 ton/yd³ | 40 bags | 32 bags |
| Fill dirt, New Mexico EMNRD: the source does not say loose or compacted | 0.8 ton/yd³ | 40 bags | 32 bags |
| Sand, New Mexico EMNRD: the source does not say loose or compacted | 1.45 ton/yd³ | 73 bags | 58 bags |
| Gravel (AASHTO #57 stone), Penn State: loose | 1.5 ton/yd³ | 75 bags | 60 bags |
Estimate for planning, from what you entered and the product data shown. Check product labels and your supplier before you buy.
Each count is the weight of a cubic yard divided by the weight on the bag, rounded up once to a whole bag. The sources give weight per yard, not per bag; the bag's own label gives its weight.
Bags sold by volume in one cubic yard
Whole bags of each cubic foot size in one cubic yard; a bag sold by volume needs no weight
| Bag size | Bags in one cubic yard |
|---|---|
| 0.5 ft³ bags | 54 bags |
| 0.75 ft³ bags | 36 bags |
| 1 ft³ bags | 27 bags |
| 1.5 ft³ bags | 18 bags |
| 2 ft³ bags | 14 bags |
| 3 ft³ bags | 9 bags |
One cubic yard is a fixed number of cubic feet, so this count holds for mulch, soil, sand and stone alike. It is the volume on the label, not the weight.
Loose or compacted
New Mexico's table does not say whether its yard is loose or compacted, so its rows are shown as the source gives them, with no state added. Penn State's weight for #57 stone is stated loose.
Moist sand is a separate case: the Bureau of Reclamation gives no number, only that loose moist sand weighs much less than the same volume of dry compacted sand.
a volume of moist sand in a loose condition weighs much less than the same volume of dry compacted sand.
For bags of mulch by the cubic foot, see how many bags of mulch in a yard.
Questions
How many 40 lb bags of topsoil are in a cubic yard?
The first table gives the count, from New Mexico's weight for topsoil. That source does not say loose or compacted, and it gives no weight for a bag, so the bag's own label is the weight to count from.
How many 50 lb bags of sand are in a cubic yard?
The first table gives the count, from New Mexico's weight for sand. The Bureau of Reclamation says loose moist sand weighs much less than dry compacted sand, so the count for your sand depends on its state.
How many bags of mulch are in a cubic yard?
Mulch bags are sold by volume, so the second table applies: one cubic yard divided by the cubic feet on the bag, rounded up to a whole bag.
Calculate it for your project
Enter your own sizes to get the amount to buy or the layout figures, with the working shown and a page to print.
Enter your bed in the topsoil calculatorSources (4)
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Conversion Factors for Construction Materials and Common Minerals (opens in new tab), New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department, Mining and Minerals Division, undated one-page table, adapted from BLM H-3890-1 Handbook for Mineral Examiners.
Code or government.
“To convert cubic yards to short tons, multiply the commodity production cubic yardage by the conversion factors listed below. ... Base course 1.25 ... Fill Dirt 0.8 ... Gravel ¼" – 2" 1.42 ... Sand 1.45 ... Top Soil 0.8”
Checked November 12, 2026. Figures and codes change; verify with the source. Back to where this is used (Source 1) -
DGLVR Materials Calculator, data file road-aggregate-fill-materials.xml (opens in new tab), Penn State Center for Dirt and Gravel Road Studies, data entry dated Monday, March 20, 2017 (value is in the calculator's data file, not in prose).
Code or government.
“Transcribed from the entry AASHTO 57 (PennDOT 2B) of the calculator's data file: 1.50 tons per cubic yard.”
Checked November 12, 2026. Figures and codes change; verify with the source. Back to where this is used (Source 2) -
DGLVR Materials Calculator (opens in new tab), Penn State Center for Dirt and Gravel Road Studies, web page (page text, undated; calculator data dated March 20, 2017).
Code or government.
“the estimates generated will always appear as cubic yards of loose material and US tons as-shipped (loose) ... The volume to weight conversion factors used for the calculator are averages from across PA, based on observations by Center field staff.”
Checked November 12, 2026. Figures and codes change; verify with the source. Back to where this is used (Source 3) -
Concrete Manual, Section 78, Weight vs. Volume Batching (opens in new tab), U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, 8th edition, revised reprint (printed p. 212, PDF p. 246).
Code or government.
“a volume of moist sand in a loose condition weighs much less than the same volume of dry compacted sand.”
Checked November 12, 2026. Figures and codes change; verify with the source. Back to where this is used (Source 4)
These are summaries of what the sources say, not professional advice. Codes and product data change. Check with your building department and the product label about your own project.