How many 50 lb bags of concrete make one cubic yard?
You need 72 bags of 50 lb concrete mix for one cubic yard, or 80 bags with 10% waste. Each 50 lb bag of QUIKRETE Concrete Mix yields about 0.375 cu ft: 27 ÷ 0.375 = 72.
50 lb bags for small square pads, 4 in deep
| Pad | Volume (cu ft) | Bags, no waste | Bags with 10% |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 × 2 ft | 1.33 | 4 | 4 |
| 3 × 3 ft | 3.00 | 8 | 9 |
| 4 × 4 ft | 5.33 | 15 | 16 |
How we worked it out
- Bags = cubic feet ÷ 0.375, rounded up.
- 72 bags × 50 lb = 3,600 lb, the same total as 45 × 80 lb, so a smaller bag changes only how many bags you lift.
- 50 lb pallet count: no data. QUIKRETE's retail page lists pallets for the 40, 60 and 80 lb bags only.
Questions
How much concrete will a 50 lb bag make?
About 0.375 cu ft (QUIKRETE Concrete Mix).
How many bags of concrete do I need for 1 yard?
- 45 × 80 lb;
- 60 × 60 lb;
- 72 × 50 lb;
- 90 × 40 lb.
All are before waste.
How much does 1 yard of concrete cover at 4 inches thick?
About 81 sq ft.
Related pages
Sources
QUIKRETE Concrete Mix yields; other products differ — check your bag.
Values marked with a link come from the linked source, which opens in a new tab. Unit conversions and our own defaults are listed separately. Every value the site uses is in the methodology source register.
Where the numbers come from 8
- 80 lb concrete bag yield
- 0.6 cu ft/bag
- QUIKRETE Concrete Mix No. 1101 data sheet (revised October 2022) (opens in a new tab)quikrete.com · PDF
- 60 lb concrete bag yield
- 0.45 cu ft/bag
- QUIKRETE Concrete Mix No. 1101 data sheet (revised October 2022) (opens in a new tab)quikrete.com · PDF
- 50 lb concrete bag yield
- 0.375 cu ft/bag
- QUIKRETE Concrete Mix No. 1101 data sheet (revised October 2022) (opens in a new tab)quikrete.com · PDF
- 40 lb concrete bag yield
- 0.3 cu ft/bag
- QUIKRETE Concrete Mix No. 1101 data sheet (revised October 2022) (opens in a new tab)quikrete.com · PDF
- 90 lb concrete bag yield
- 0.675 cu ft/bag
- QUIKRETE Concrete Mix No. 1101 data sheet (revised October 2022) (opens in a new tab)quikrete.com · PDF
- 80 lb Concrete Mix bags per pallet
- 42 bags/pallet
- QUIKRETE Concrete Mix retail page (Lowe's), product 1101: "42 per pallet (SKU #10385)" (opens in a new tab)quikrete.com
- 60 lb Concrete Mix bags per pallet
- 56 bags/pallet
- QUIKRETE Concrete Mix retail page (Lowe's), product 1101: "56 per pallet (SKU #10387)" (opens in a new tab)quikrete.com
- 40 lb Concrete Mix bags per pallet
- 80 bags/pallet
- QUIKRETE Concrete Mix retail page (Lowe's), product 1101: "80 per pallet (SKU #4030)" (opens in a new tab)quikrete.com
Unit conversions and our defaults3
- Cubic feet per cubic yard
- 27 cu ft/cu yd
- Geometry: 3 × 3 × 3 feet
- Inches per foot
- 12 in/ft
- Unit definition: one foot contains twelve inches
- Bag concrete waste default
- 10 %
- Owner planning default; editable
By Taimoor Zayad, DAE in Civil Engineering, three years as a site supervisor.Last updated How we calculate