How Many 80-lb Bags of Concrete Make a Cubic Yard?
Quick answer: 45 bags. Here's the full breakdown for 40, 60, and 80-lb bags.
45 bags. That's how many 80-lb bags of Quikrete or Sakrete you need to make one cubic yard of concrete.
Each 80-lb bag yields about 0.6 cubic feet of mixed concrete. One cubic yard is 27 cubic feet. So 27 ÷ 0.6 = 45 bags.
If you're standing in the Home Depot parking lot trying to figure out how many bags to load into your truck, here's the quick reference:
| Bag Size | Bags per Cubic Yard | |----------|-------------------| | 40 lb | 90 | | 60 lb | 60 | | 80 lb | 45 |
Why This Matters
A cubic yard sounds abstract until you realize how much physical material that actually is. 45 bags of 80-lb concrete weighs 3,600 pounds dry. Mixed and cured, a cubic yard of concrete weighs around 4,050 pounds — just over 2 tons.
So before you load up the truck, make sure it can handle the weight. A standard half-ton pickup (F-150, Silverado 1500, Ram 1500) has a payload capacity around 1,500–2,000 lbs. That means you can carry about 20–25 bags per trip, max. For a full yard, you're looking at two or three trips to the store.
This is exactly why most contractors order ready-mix for anything over half a yard.
The Real Cost Comparison
At $5.50 per 80-lb bag (typical Home Depot price), one cubic yard of bagged concrete costs about $248 in materials alone. Then add your time — mixing 45 bags one at a time in a wheelbarrow takes a solid 4–6 hours for one person. Rent a mixer and it's still 2–3 hours.
Ready-mix concrete delivered by truck runs $125–$175 per yard in most markets. Even with a short-load fee (usually $40–$75 for orders under 3 yards), you're often saving money AND half a day of backbreaking work.
When Bags Make Sense
Bags aren't always the wrong call. They make sense when:
- You need less than half a yard (about 22 bags or fewer)
- You're doing multiple small pours on different days — fence posts, mailbox footings, small repairs
- The job site doesn't have truck access
- You want to work at your own pace on a weekend project
For anything over half a yard in a single pour, at least call your local batch plant and ask for a quote. You might be surprised.
Partial Yard Math
Don't always need a full yard? Here's how the bags break down for common amounts:
| Amount | 80-lb Bags | Typical Use | |--------|-----------|-------------| | 1/4 yard | 12 | Small pad, a few post holes | | 1/2 yard | 23 | Sidewalk section, small footing | | 3/4 yard | 34 | Large walkway, small patio | | 1 yard | 45 | 10×10 patio at ~4 inches |
Use our concrete calculator to get the exact bag count for your project.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How many 80-lb bags of concrete make a cubic yard?
- It takes 45 bags of 80-lb concrete mix to make one cubic yard. Each bag yields approximately 0.6 cubic feet of mixed concrete, and one cubic yard equals 27 cubic feet (27 ÷ 0.6 = 45).
- How many 60-lb bags equal a cubic yard?
- You need 60 bags of 60-lb mix per cubic yard. Each 60-lb bag yields about 0.45 cubic feet, so 27 ÷ 0.45 = 60 bags.
- Is it cheaper to buy bags or order ready-mix concrete?
- For quantities over 1 yard, ready-mix concrete is almost always cheaper. Forty-five bags of 80-lb mix cost $225–$315, while a yard of ready-mix typically runs $125–$175 delivered. The labor savings alone justify ready-mix for any pour over about half a yard.
- How much does a cubic yard of concrete weigh?
- A cubic yard of mixed concrete weighs about 4,000 lbs (roughly 2 tons). This is why ready-mix trucks are so large — a typical 8-yard load weighs around 16 tons.
- How many 80-lb bags fit in a pickup truck?
- A standard half-ton pickup truck can safely carry about 45–60 bags of 80-lb concrete, which is exactly one cubic yard worth. Most hardware stores will warn you not to overload — check your truck's payload rating in the door jamb sticker before loading up.