How Many Bags of Concrete in a Yard? (40, 60, 80 lb)
Short answer: one cubic yard of concrete takes 45 bags of 80 lb mix, 60 bags of 60 lb, or 90 bags of 40 lb. Those numbers come from Quikrete’s published yields: an 80 lb bag makes about 0.60 cubic feet of concrete, and a cubic yard is 27 cubic feet.
Want the number for your own slab, footing or post holes? Use the concrete calculator. It works out the volume and the bags in one step.
Bags per cubic yard, by bag size
| Bag size | Makes (per bag) | Bags per cubic yard |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 90 lb | 0.675 cu ft | 40 |
Yields from the Quikrete Concrete Mix (No. 1101) data sheet. Other brands are close, but check the yield printed on your bag.
Bags for common amounts
Rounded up to whole bags, with no extra allowance. Add 5 to 10% for spills and uneven ground.
| Concrete needed | 80 lb bags | 60 lb bags | 40 lb bags |
|---|---|---|---|
| ¼ cubic yard (6.75 cu ft) | 12 | 15 | 23 |
| ½ cubic yard (13.5 cu ft) | 23 | 30 | 45 |
| 1 cubic yard (27 cu ft) | 45 | 60 | 90 |
| 1½ cubic yards | 68 | 90 | 135 |
| 2 cubic yards | 90 | 120 | 180 |
| 3 cubic yards | 135 | 180 | 270 |
How to work it out yourself
- Find the volume in cubic feet: length × width × thickness, all in feet. A 10 × 10 ft slab 4 inches thick is 10 × 10 × 0.333 = 33.3 cu ft.
- Divide by the bag yield: 33.3 ÷ 0.60 = 55.6, so 56 bags of 80 lb.
- Add extra: with 10% extra, 62 bags.
To go the other way, from cubic yards: multiply by 27 to get cubic feet, then divide by the bag yield.
Which bag size should you buy?
- 80 lb bags are usually the cheapest per cubic foot and mean fewer bags to open and mix. They’re heavy, though: 45 of them is 3,600 lb of material for one cubic yard.
- 40 and 60 lb bags are easier to lift, carry and pour one at a time, which matters for post holes or working alone.
- It’s the same concrete either way. Pick the size you can handle safely.
When to stop buying bags
Mixing 45 or more bags by hand is a long, hard day, and the first batches start to set before the last ones are mixed. For more than about a cubic yard, compare the cost of a ready-mix delivery, including the delivery fee and any short-load fee for small orders. The concrete cost calculator compares bags and ready-mix at your local prices and shows the size where the truck becomes cheaper.
Common questions
How many 80 lb bags of concrete make a yard?
45. Each 80 lb bag makes about 0.60 cubic feet, and 27 ÷ 0.60 = 45.
How many 60 lb bags of concrete make a yard?
60, at about 0.45 cubic feet per bag.
How many bags of concrete do I need for a fence post?
It depends on the hole. A 4 × 4 post in a hole 10 to 12 inches wide and 3 ft deep takes about 2 to 4 bags of 80 lb mix. The fence calculator sizes the holes and adds up the bags for the whole fence.
How much does a cubic yard of bagged concrete weigh?
The dry mix for one cubic yard weighs about 3,600 lb in 80 lb bags (45 × 80), before water is added.