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Units of Measureaka: yard of concreteaka: CY

Yard (concrete)

In Plain English

Industry shorthand for one cubic yard of concrete, the standard unit for ordering and pricing ready-mix.

Definition

In the concrete industry, 'a yard' is shorthand for a cubic yard of concrete—the standard unit by which ready-mix concrete is ordered, delivered, and priced. A standard transit mixer drum holds 8–10 yards per load. Contractors and field superintendents routinely refer to a project's concrete quantities in yards, and pour records track the number of yards placed per pour to verify quantities against batch tickets.

Why It Matters in Bidding

The cubic yard is the unit every concrete takeoff converts to, so accurate volume calculation plus a waste and over-pour allowance determines both the material order and the bid price. Ordering short triggers a cold joint or a costly second truck, while over-ordering wastes paid yardage, making the yard count a tight-margin line item estimators watch closely.

Example

An estimator takes off a slab at 48 cubic yards, adds a five percent waste factor, and orders 50 yards across six truckloads, then has the super reconcile batch tickets against placed yards after the pour.

Related Terms

Cubic YardPound Per Square Inch (PSI)Unit Price

Frequently Asked Questions

Compute the volume in cubic feet (length by width by thickness) and divide by 27 to get cubic yards, then add a waste and over-pour allowance, commonly a few percent, for subgrade irregularities and spillage. Round up to full or partial truckloads and confirm against the mix supplier's minimum-load and short-load fees.
Actual placement always exceeds theoretical volume because of uneven subgrade, form deflection, spillage, and over-excavation. A waste factor prevents running short mid-pour, which can cause a cold joint or an emergency truck at a short-load premium. The allowance varies with placement conditions, larger for slabs on grade than for tightly formed elements.
Each ready-mix delivery comes with a batch ticket listing the yards, mix design, and time. Field staff total the tickets against the estimated and placed quantities to confirm the supplier delivered what was billed and to flag discrepancies. This reconciliation protects against overbilling and feeds actual versus estimated yardage back into future takeoffs.

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