How Many Bags of Concrete are in a Cubic Yard? (Quick Chart)

If you're doing a small project like a sidewalk or a fence post, buying bags from a local hardware store is the most cost-effective route. However, the most common question we get is: "How many bags do I actually need for 1 yard?" The answer is almost always more than you think.

The Master Bag Count Table

One cubic yard is 27 cubic feet. Here is the breakdown based on common bag sizes:

• 80lb Bag: Each bag yields 0.60 cubic feet. You need 45 bags to make one cubic yard.
• 60lb Bag: Each bag yields 0.45 cubic feet. You need 60 bags to make one cubic yard.
• 40lb Bag: Each bag yields 0.30 cubic feet. You need 90 bags to make one cubic yard.

The Reality of Hand-Mixing

Mixing 45 bags of 80lb concrete by hand is a massive physical undertaking. To put it in perspective, that is 3,600 lbs of material that you must lift, dump into a mixer or wheelbarrow, add water, mix, and then shovel into place. For a standard 2-car driveway (approx. 10 yards), you would need 450 bags. Never attempt a project over 1.5 yards with bags unless you have a large crew and multiple mechanical mixers.

Quality and Consistency

When you mix by hand, it is very difficult to keep the water-to-cement ratio consistent between every batch. This can lead to "color mottling" where some parts of the slab look darker than others. Ready-mix trucks use computer-controlled scales to ensure every ounce of material is perfect, resulting in a much higher quality finished product.

Before you head to the store and overload your truck, use our bag calculator tool to see exactly how many bags your project requires.