Bags to Cubic Yards Converter
Convert a bag count to volume, or find out how many 40, 50, 60 or 80 lb bags you need for a target volume.
Standard published yield per bag (Quikrete/Sakrete figures).
Only applied when converting volume to bags — covers spillage and over-excavation.
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The short answer
Every bag of dry concrete mix yields a fixed, published volume once mixed and placed — 0.60 cu ft for an 80 lb bag, 0.45 cu ft for 60 lb, 0.375 cu ft for 50 lb, and 0.30 cu ft for 40 lb. Multiply bags by that yield for cubic feet, divide by 27 for cubic yards. To go the other way, multiply your target cubic yards by 27, add waste, then divide by the bag yield and round up.
Bag yield reference
Cubic feet per bag and how many bags make one cubic yard, by bag size.
| Bag size | Yield per bag | Bags per cu yd |
|---|---|---|
| 40 lb | 0.30 cu ft | 90 |
| 50 lb | 0.375 cu ft | 72 |
| 60 lb | 0.45 cu ft | 60 |
| 80 lb | 0.60 cu ft | 45 |
How to convert bags to cubic yards
- Find the bag yield. Check the bag — 40, 50, 60 and 80 lb bags each list a mixed-volume yield in cubic feet.
- Multiply by the bag count. Bags × yield per bag = total cubic feet.
- Divide by 27. There are 27 cubic feet in a cubic yard.
- Going the other way? Multiply your target cubic yards by 27, add a waste allowance, then divide by the bag yield and round up to a whole bag.
Worked example
60 bags of 80 lb concrete mix:
- Total cubic feet
- 60 × 0.60 = 36.0 cu ft
- Cubic yards
- 36.0 ÷ 27 = 1.33 yd³
Going the other way: needing 1.33 yd³ with 5% waste — 1.33 × 27 = 35.9 cu ft, × 1.05 = 37.7 cu ft, ÷ 0.60 = 62.8, round up to 63 bags.
Common mistakes
- Mixing up dry weight and placed volume. A bag’s printed weight has nothing to do with its yielded volume — always use the published cubic-foot yield, not the pound figure.
- Forgetting to round up. A calculated 62.8 bags means you buy 63 — concrete doesn’t come in fractional bags.
- Skipping waste allowance. Uneven forms, spillage and over-excavation typically add 5–10% to what the raw math suggests.
What this calculator assumes
- Manufacturer-published yields (Quikrete/Sakrete-equivalent figures)
- 27 cubic feet per cubic yard
- Waste allowance only applied on the volume-to-bags direction
- Prices are whatever you enter; they are not live market rates
Common questions
How many cubic yards is one 80 lb bag of concrete?
0.60 cu ft, which is 0.0222 cu yd (0.60 ÷ 27).
How many 80 lb bags are in a cubic yard?
About 45 bags (27 ÷ 0.60).
How many 60 lb bags equal a cubic yard?
About 60 bags (27 ÷ 0.45).
Does bag weight tell you the volume?
No — use the printed cubic-foot yield, not the pound weight, since yield accounts for water and mix density.
Should I round bags up or down?
Always round up. Concrete only comes in whole bags, and running short mid-pour is far worse than having one bag left over.
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