Material Coverage Chart
One printable page: how far a ton, a cubic yard, a bag or a gallon actually goes
Every quantity you need for a materials order, on one page you can print and take to the yard. Figures are for typical residential materials and include the compaction allowance where one applies. Each section links to a calculator if you'd rather enter your own dimensions.
How to use this coverage chart
Work out your area in square feet (length × width), then read across the row for your depth. Every table answers the same question in three ways: how far one unit goes, how much you need per 100 ft², and what to order.
For an irregular space, split it into rectangles, look each one up, and add the results. Not sure of your area? Use the square footage calculator first.
The three measurements behind every order
Concrete, mulch, tile, paint, sod — almost every "how much do I need?" question is one of three measurements. Knowing which one you are facing tells you which table below to read.
- Area, for flat things: length × width, in square feet. It covers flooring, tile, paint, sod and drywall. A 12 × 10 ft room is 120 ft². For a circle it is π × radius²; for an awkward shape, split it into rectangles and add them up.
- Volume, for anything with depth: area × depth, sold by the cubic yard (27 ft³). Concrete, gravel, mulch and topsoil are all volume problems.
- Coverage, when one unit covers a known amount: divide your area or volume by what the unit covers. 700 ft² of wall ÷ 350 ft² per gallon is exactly 2 gallons of paint for one coat.
The mistake that costs the most is mixing units. Depth is almost always quoted in inches while area is in feet, so the depth has to be divided by 12 before you multiply. A 10 × 10 ft patio at 4 inches is 100 ft² × 0.333 ft = 33.3 ft³, which is 1.23 cubic yards — not 33 yards, and not the 400 you get by forgetting to convert at all.
You will notice the gravel table below reports 1.36 yd³ for that same 100 ft² at 4 inches rather than 1.23. The difference is the 10% compaction allowance, which is already built into every gravel row. That is the last rule: add waste. Ten percent covers cuts, spillage and uneven ground on most jobs; use 15% for diagonal tile or anything with a pattern to match. Running out halfway through a pour costs far more than a spare bag.
Gravel and crushed stone coverage
Typical crushed stone at about 105 lb/ft³. Includes a 10% compaction allowance, because gravel settles once it is driven on.
| Depth | One ton covers | Tons per 100 ft² | Cubic yards per 100 ft² |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 inch | 208 ft² | 0.48 | 0.34 |
| 2 inches | 104 ft² | 0.96 | 0.68 |
| 3 inches | 69 ft² | 1.44 | 1.02 |
| 4 inches | 52 ft² | 1.93 | 1.36 |
| 6 inches | 35 ft² | 2.89 | 2.04 |
One cubic yard of crushed stone weighs roughly 1.4 tons. Rounded pea gravel is lighter at about 1.3 tons; dense crusher run can reach 1.5.
Bulk materials: mulch, topsoil, sand and compost
These are sold by the cubic yard and the maths is pure volume, so one table covers all of them. Figures are bare volume before settling.
| Depth | One cubic yard covers | Cubic yards per 100 ft² | 2 ft³ bags per 100 ft² |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 inch | 324 ft² | 0.31 | 5 |
| 2 inches | 162 ft² | 0.62 | 9 |
| 3 inches | 108 ft² | 0.93 | 13 |
| 4 inches | 81 ft² | 1.23 | 17 |
| 6 inches | 54 ft² | 1.85 | 25 |
| 12 inches | 27 ft² | 3.70 | 50 |
Mulch goes 2 to 3 inches deep. Topdress a lawn at only 1/4 to 1/2 inch; any thicker smothers the grass.
Concrete slab volume by thickness
Bare volume before waste. Add about 10% when ordering for spillage and uneven subgrade.
| Slab area | 4 in | 5 in | 6 in | 8 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 ft² | 0.62 yd³ | 0.77 yd³ | 0.93 yd³ | 1.23 yd³ |
| 100 ft² | 1.23 yd³ | 1.54 yd³ | 1.85 yd³ | 2.47 yd³ |
| 200 ft² | 2.47 yd³ | 3.09 yd³ | 3.70 yd³ | 4.94 yd³ |
| 400 ft² | 4.94 yd³ | 6.17 yd³ | 7.41 yd³ | 9.88 yd³ |
| 576 ft² (2-car) | 7.11 yd³ | 8.89 yd³ | 10.67 yd³ | 14.22 yd³ |
Patios and shed floors take 4 inches. Driveways and anything carrying vehicles need 5 to 6 inches over a compacted base.
Bags per cubic yard for every material
A cubic yard is 27 ft³. Divide that by the bag yield to see why bulk delivery wins so quickly.
| Material and bag | Yield per bag | Bags per cubic yard |
|---|---|---|
| Concrete, 80 lb | 0.60 ft³ | 45 |
| Concrete, 60 lb | 0.45 ft³ | 60 |
| Concrete, 40 lb | 0.30 ft³ | 90 |
| Mulch, 2 ft³ | 2.00 ft³ | 13.5 |
| Topsoil, 40 lb | 0.75 ft³ | 36 |
| Gravel, 50 lb | 0.50 ft³ | 54 |
Tile coverage by size
Before waste. Add 10% for a straight grid, 15% for diagonal or large format, and up to 20% for herringbone.
| Tile size | Nominal imperial | Per m² | Per ft² |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 × 10 cm | 4 × 4 in | 100 | 9 |
| 15 × 15 cm | 6 × 6 in | 44.4 | 4 |
| 20 × 20 cm | 8 × 8 in | 25 | 2.25 |
| 30 × 30 cm | 12 × 12 in | 11.1 | 1 |
| 30 × 60 cm | 12 × 24 in | 5.6 | 0.5 |
| 45 × 45 cm | 18 × 18 in | 4.9 | 0.44 |
| 60 × 60 cm | 24 × 24 in | 2.8 | 0.25 |
Metric and imperial sizes are near-equivalents, not exact matches: 30 cm is 11.8 in, so a 60 cm tile is about 4% smaller than a 24 in one.
Paint, sod and setting materials
| Material | Unit | Covers |
|---|---|---|
| Paint, one coat | 1 US gallon | 350 to 400 ft² |
| Paint, one coat | 1 litre | ~10 m² |
| Primer on bare surface | 1 US gallon | 200 to 300 ft² |
| Sod | 1 pallet | 400 to 500 ft² |
| Laminate flooring | 1 box | ~20 ft² |
| Thinset, 1/4 in notch | 50 lb bag | ~85 ft² |
| Thinset, 1/2 in notch | 50 lb bag | ~40 ft² |
Area and volume unit conversions
| Unit | Equals |
|---|---|
| 1 cubic yard | 27 ft³ |
| 1 square yard | 9 ft² |
| 1 square metre | 10.764 ft² |
| 1 acre | 43,560 ft² |
| 1 hectare | 107,639 ft² (2.47 acres) |
| 1 ton | 2,000 lb |
| 1 cubic metre | 1.308 yd³ |
Before you place a materials order
- Check the unit on the quote. Tons and cubic yards are not interchangeable; for stone they differ by about 40%.
- Add the waste allowance. 10% for most bulk materials, 15% for diagonal tile and large format.
- Mind the delivery minimum. Short-load fees often make it cheaper to round up to a full load.
- Know your payload. A half-ton pickup is at its limit with roughly one cubic yard of soil or stone.
- Confirm where it goes. Several tons is a big pile. Agree the tip spot before the truck arrives.
Figures are planning estimates for typical residential materials. Density, moisture and product vary, so confirm against your supplier's own coverage figures before committing to a large order.