Cubic Feet, Cubic Yards and Cubic Metres: Converting Job Volumes
Bags are labelled in cubic feet, trucks deliver cubic yards or cubic metres, and depth is in inches or millimetres. These are the conversions that tie them together.
Home & DIY
How much paint, flooring, concrete or mulch you need, and how to measure for it.
How Many Bricks or Blocks Do You Need for a Wall?
A wall needs a fixed number of bricks or blocks per unit of area once you include the mortar joint. Work that number out once and the rest is multiplication.
How Much Concrete Do You Need? Slabs, Footings and Post Holes
Concrete is bought by volume, and every shape reduces to length times width times depth. Here is how to get the number, turn it into bags, and avoid ordering short.
How Much Paint Do You Need for a Room? A Step-by-Step Method
Paint quantity comes down to surface area, number of coats and the coverage printed on the can. Here is the method, with a full worked example.
How to Calculate How Many Tiles You Need for a Floor or Wall
Dividing room area by tile area gives a minimum, not an order. Counting rows and columns, then adding waste, gives a number you can actually buy.
How to Estimate Roof Area From the Footprint and Pitch
You can estimate roof area from the ground: measure the footprint, multiply by a factor set by the pitch, and add an allowance for hips, valleys and waste.
How to Find the Area of an L-Shaped Room or an Irregular Yard
Almost any plan can be broken into simple shapes. Learn the four formulas you need, the add-or-subtract trick, and a method for curved edges.
How to Measure a Room and Order the Right Amount of Flooring
Flooring is sold in boxes or rolls, not exact areas. Measure the room in sections, add a waste allowance for the layout, and round up to whole boxes.
Square Feet to Cubic Yards: Ordering Mulch, Gravel and Topsoil
Landscaping materials are measured in cubic yards but areas are measured in square feet. One formula links them, and one short table covers most jobs.
Waste Allowance: How Much Extra Material Should You Buy?
Every building job loses some material to cuts, breakage and uneven ground. A waste allowance is the extra you add so the project does not stop halfway.