BuildCalc Guides · Concrete
How Many Bags of Concrete Are in a Yard?
The conversion every concrete shopper needs — because ready-mix comes in yards and Home Depot comes in bags. Here is the math and the table.
The math
A cubic yard is just a 3 ft × 3 ft × 3 ft cube — 27 cubic feet. The yield printed on each bag of pre-mixed concrete tells you how many cubic feet of wet concrete that bag produces:
- Cubic feet in a yard = 3 × 3 × 3 = 27 ft³.
- 80 lb bag yields ~0.6 ft³. 27 ÷ 0.6 = 45 bags per yard.
- 60 lb bag yields ~0.45 ft³. 27 ÷ 0.45 = 60 bags per yard.
- 40 lb bag yields ~0.30 ft³. 27 ÷ 0.30 = 90 bags per yard.
Yards to bags
Common pour sizes converted both ways. Bag counts are rounded up to whole bags and don't include a waste factor — add 5 to 10 percent on top for real-world pours.
| Cubic yards | 80 lb bags | 60 lb bags | 40 lb bags |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.25 yd³ | 12 | 15 | 23 |
| 0.5 yd³ | 23 | 30 | 45 |
| 1 yd³ | 45 | 60 | 90 |
| 1.5 yd³ | 68 | 90 | 135 |
| 2 yd³ | 90 | 120 | 180 |
| 3 yd³ | 135 | 180 | 270 |
Bags vs. ready-mix break-even
The bag count tells you when to switch ordering methods:
- Under 0.5 yd³ (~23 bags of 80 lb): always bags. Ready-mix short-load fees make small orders uneconomical.
- 0.5 to 1.5 yd³ (23 to 68 bags): depends on access. If a truck can reach the site, ready-mix is usually faster and similar in cost. If access is tight, bags.
- Over 1.5 yd³ (68+ bags): ready-mix every time. Mixing 68 bags by hand is 4 to 6 hours of work and you will get cold joints between batches.
Where the bag yield comes from
Pre-mixed concrete is roughly 60 percent aggregate (sand and gravel) by weight, 25 percent cement and 15 percent water once mixed. The dry mix weighs 80 lb, but when you stir in about a gallon of water (8.3 lb) and the mix consolidates, you end up with roughly 0.6 ft³ of placeable wet concrete. The yield numbers on the bag are tested by the manufacturer — Quikrete, Sakrete and others all publish them in their product data sheets.
Skip the conversion math
Punch in the slab or footing dimensions — BuildCalc returns cubic yards, equivalent bag counts at every bag size, and live material cost.
Open the concrete calculator →FAQ
How many 80 lb bags of concrete equal a yard?+
A cubic yard is 27 cubic feet. One 80 lb bag of pre-mixed concrete yields about 0.6 cubic feet when wet. 27 ÷ 0.6 = 45 bags per yard. Add 5 percent waste and order 47 to 48 bags if you need a full yard.
How many 60 lb bags of concrete equal a yard?+
A 60 lb bag yields about 0.45 cubic feet. 27 ÷ 0.45 = 60 bags per yard. So 60 lb bags cost more per yard than 80 lb bags by weight — but they are easier to lift.
How many 40 lb bags of concrete equal a yard?+
A 40 lb bag yields about 0.30 cubic feet. 27 ÷ 0.30 = 90 bags per yard. 40 lb bags are mostly used for small repairs and post-setting — at 90 bags per yard, the price per yard is roughly double what an 80 lb bag costs.
When is it cheaper to order ready-mix instead of bags?+
Once you cross about 1 cubic yard (roughly 45 bags of 80 lb), ready-mix is usually competitive or cheaper than bagged, plus you finish in one continuous pour. Below 1 yard, bags win because most ready-mix plants charge a short-load fee under 3 yards.
Why does a bag of dry concrete only make 0.6 cubic feet wet?+
Pre-mixed concrete is cement, sand and gravel in dry form. When you add water, the cement paste fills the voids between aggregate particles instead of adding bulk — so wet volume is less than dry volume. The 0.6 ft³ per 80 lb bag yield is the industry-standard wet volume printed on the bag.
How heavy is one cubic yard of concrete?+
About 4,050 lb (just over 2 tons) for standard concrete with normal aggregate. That is roughly what 45 bags of 80 lb add up to in dry mix weight (3,600 lb) — the rest is the weight of the water you mix in.
Related guides
- How many bags of concrete for a 10×10 slab? — small slab math in real bag counts.
- How many bags of concrete for a driveway? — why driveways always go ready-mix.
- How many cubic feet in a cubic yard? — the foundational conversion.