How Many Bags of Concrete in a Yard: 40, 50, 60, 80 and 90 lb

How many bags of concrete make a cubic yard

Forty-five bags of 80 lb concrete mix make one cubic yard, because each bag yields about 0.60 cubic feet and a yard is 27. In 60 lb bags it is 60, in 50 lb bags 72 and in 40 lb bags 90.

By the How Many Bags team. Bag yields are read from the Quikrete concrete mix data sheet, and every count was checked against the yields on the data sheets. The slab and post examples were checked against the concrete calculator's test suite. Last updated on 2 November 2026. How these pages are made.

Bags per cubic yard for every bag size

Bag size	Yield per bag	Bags in one cubic yard	Dry weight of a yard in bags
40 lb (18.1 kg)	0.30 cu ft	90	3,600 lb
50 lb (22.7 kg)	0.375 cu ft	72	3,600 lb
60 lb (27.2 kg)	0.45 cu ft	60	3,600 lb
80 lb (36.3 kg)	0.60 cu ft	45	3,600 lb
90 lb (40.8 kg)	0.675 cu ft	40	3,600 lb

The yields are Quikrete's figures for its concrete mix. Sakrete's high-strength mix sheet prints the same 0.30, 0.45 and 0.60 cubic feet for its 40, 60 and 80 lb bags. It prints 0.66 for the 90 lb bag, so the two brands agree to within a bag per yard. Every size works out to about 133 pounds of dry mix per cubic foot. So a yard is 3,600 pounds of bags whichever size you carry, and about 3,800 pounds of concrete once the water is in.

Bags of concrete mix in one cubic yard, from the yields on the Quikrete data sheet: 90 bags of 40 lb, 72 of 50 lb, 60 of 60 lb, 45 of 80 lb and 40 of 90 lb.

Why the count is the same math every time

Concrete is bought by volume. A cubic yard is 3 ft by 3 ft by 3 ft, which is 27 cubic feet. A bag's yield is the volume of concrete it makes after mixing, not the volume of the dry mix in the sack. The water and the mixing fill the spaces between the sand and the stone. The manufacturer measures the finished volume to print the yield. Dividing 27 by the yield gives the bags per yard, and dividing any pour's cubic feet by the yield gives its bag count.

Bags for common pours

Pour	Cubic feet	Cubic yards	80 lb bags	60 lb bags
4 x 4 ft pad, 4 in	5.3	0.20	9	12
8 x 10 ft shed slab, 4 in	26.7	0.99	45	60
10 x 10 ft patio, 4 in	33.3	1.23	56	75
12 x 12 ft patio, 4 in	48.0	1.78	80	107
10 x 20 ft driveway strip, 5 in	83.3	3.09	139	186
12 in form tube, 4 ft tall	3.1	0.12	6	7
10 in post hole, 30 in deep, 4x4 post	1.2	0.04	2	3

Counts are before waste; add 10% for a slab on a well-prepared base and more for rough ground. The post hole count takes out the volume of the post itself.

When bags stop making sense

Forty-five bags is a cubic yard. Mixing them one at a time in a wheelbarrow or a small mixer is slow work, batch after batch. A patio that needs more than about a yard is where a ready-mix truck comes into the comparison. The concrete arrives at one consistent mix, and the whole slab is placed before any of it sets. There are no cold joints between batches. Plants quote by the yard. In two public bids opened in April and December 2025, delivered 4,000 psi concrete ran $148 to $182 per cubic yard. Minimum orders were 3 to 6 yards, with surcharges below them. So a 1.5 yard pour sits in the awkward zone where the fee may equal the price of the bags. Price both. Above the plant's minimum, compare the delivered price per yard with 45 bags at your store's price.

Ordering the right number

Work out the volume from the inside of the forms. Add 10% for waste and an uneven base, divide by the bag yield, and round up. For the 10 by 10 ft patio that is 33.3 cubic feet, 36.7 with waste, 62 bags of 80 lb. Buy by the pallet when the count is close to the store's pallet quantity. The concrete calculator does the whole chain for slabs, columns, footings, post holes and steps, and adds several pours into one list.

Questions about bags and yards

How many 80 lb bags of concrete are in a yard?

Forty-five bags of 80 lb. An 80 lb bag of concrete mix yields about 0.60 cubic feet when mixed, and 27 ÷ 0.60 = 45.

How many 60 lb bags of concrete are in a yard?

Sixty bags of 60 lb. A 60 lb bag yields about 0.45 cubic feet, and 27 ÷ 0.45 = 60. The 60 lb bag is the easiest to lift and mix by hand. That is why it is the common size for post holes and small pads.

How many bags of concrete do I need for a 10x10 slab?

At 4 inches thick, 56 bags of 80 lb, 75 bags of 60 lb or 112 bags of 40 lb, before waste. With the usual 10% extra it is 62, 82 and 123. At 6 inches thick, multiply all of those by 1.5.

How much is a yard of concrete?

A yard of concrete is 27 cubic feet, enough for 81 square feet of 4 inch slab. In bags it is 45 bags of 80 lb. From a ready-mix plant, two public bids in 2025 priced delivered 4,000 psi concrete at $148 to $182 per cubic yard. They priced 3,000 psi a few dollars less. Both set minimum orders of 3 to 6 yards with surcharges for smaller loads. So ask for the per-yard price, the minimum and the short-load fee together.

Does the 80 lb bag really make 0.60 cubic feet?

About that, by the manufacturer's data sheet, measured with the right amount of water. Too much water makes more volume and weaker concrete; a stiff mix makes slightly less. Count on 0.60 and add the waste allowance rather than counting on a wetter mix to stretch the bags.