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Ten Things You Maybe Didn't Know About the Cubic Yard

1. The Cubic Yard is all about volume with some serious bulk

One cubic yard is the volume of a cube that’s one yard (that’s three feet) on each side. That works out to 27 cubic feet. It’s the unit you call in when things start getting hefty—think landscaping, construction, and big hauls of stuff.

2. It's a go-to for construction and landscaping

Need to order concrete, topsoil, mulch, or gravel? You’ll usually be talking in cubic yards. It’s the sweet spot between too-small buckets and giant truckloads.

3. It weighs more than you think (depending on the material)

One cubic yard of feathers? Light. One cubic yard of wet sand? You’re looking at around 3,000 pounds. Same volume, very different story.

4. It's not a metric unit, but it still hangs tough

Despite the global love for the metric system, the cubic yard is still going strong in the U.S. and the U.K., especially in trades that deal with bulk material.

5. 1 cubic yard = 0.7646 cubic meters

If you're bouncing between metric and imperial units, here's the key conversion: a cubic yard is just a little smaller than a cubic meter. Handy when reading international product specs.

6. It takes 202 gallons to fill one

Yes, really—one cubic yard holds about 202 U.S. gallons of liquid. That’s enough water to fill a large bathtub nearly eight times over. Hydration, anyone?

7. You’ll need a pickup truck for one

Most standard pickup trucks can carry about 1 to 2 cubic yards of material, depending on the weight. Any more and you’re going to want a dump truck—or a chiropractor.

8. It's great for visualizing space

When someone tells you something takes up “about a cubic yard,” imagine a washing machine-sized cube. It’s a good mental reference when planning storage or deliveries.

9. It's often used in waste removal

Dumpsters and roll-off containers are typically measured in cubic yards. A 10-yard dumpster, for instance, can hold 10 cubic yards of trash—that's a lot of old drywall and pizza boxes.

10. Landscapers live and breathe it

From bark mulch to pea gravel to compost, pros in landscaping plan every project using cubic yards. It’s the language of dirt, rocks, and everything that makes a yard beautiful.